Silviculture
Silviculture operations cover the management of the plantatings from the initial planning through to harvesting and replanting of the forest. The Trees4Trees™ team work with local tree growers to apply the silviculture principles most appropriate to the site and the grower’s goals.
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To maximize returns to growers by reducing the rotation period and improving the grade of timber, growers are training on silviculture techniques to produce ‘target trees’ i.e. a tree which meets the requirement for sale into a specific market.
The Trees4Trees™ team develops training materials and resources for assisting tree growers in the following silviculture operations:
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Tree planting and Establishment – techniques are outlined to maximize planting survival and encourage successful occupation of the planting site through good weed control.
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Form pruning - is used to maintain a single leader or apical dominance of the tree.
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Tree selection - trees are selected based on criteria including species, form, dominance spacing and stocking. Trees of the desired characteristics are retained while others are removed through thinning operations.
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Thinning - trees are removed to produce a stand of desirable trees which will grow at optimum rates to produce target trees.
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Lift pruning - is undertaken to remove tree branches from the trunk of the tree to a specific height. Lift pruning is used in tree species which do not shed their branches to increase the volume of clear grade timber which is free of defects and knots.
