This Week: Strip Cuts

The parallel lines in this satellite photo of forestland might look pretty curious.  This is a “Strip Cut,” one of our forest management techniques prescribed to mimic Mother Nature –and one we’re actually quite proud of!

The Strip Cut is typically used in mature and stagnant softwood (pine, hemlock, spruce, etc.) forests located in areas where there is direct exposure to the prevailing wind. The trees in these types of forests are typically densely crowded and, as a result, have relatively shallow root systems anchoring them to the ground. These trees depend greatly on the other trees packed closely around them to protect them from being blown over by the wind.

Eventually,  nature will change this forest in a very interesting way.  When a few of the closely packed trees die or blow down, a hole will be created in the forest. With the next wind storm, a wide swath of trees will blow over and new seedlings will take root.  This circumstance is what the strip cut system mimics.

In a Strip Cut, our goal is to make the forest healthier, utilize the trees for wood products before they are damaged or die, and provide ideal conditions for natural regeneration.

Timber harvesters begin by removing all of the trees in a 40-foot-wide strip, and leaving a 90-foot strip uncut. This pattern is repeated across the designated forest area.

Ten to fifteen years later, timber harvesters cut 40-foot strips out of each of the 90-foot sections that were left untouched previously. In the meantime, the strips of land that were harvested the first time have regenerated and are now home to young, growing trees as tall as fifteen feet!  This pattern of Strip Cutting is continued over a period of 30-45 years until all of the “original” forest has been replaced by new trees of varying ages.

The strips are cut in a direction parallel to the prevailing wind, providing “alleyways” for the wind to travel through and  protecting the uncut trees.  Although the geometric shape of the harvest looks un-natural from 20,000 feet high, the open strips replicate the very linear “blow downs” naturally caused by prevailing winds.

Having different solutions for different forests ensures the long-term health – and value — of our nation’s forests. It’s this value that will protect the forests from sub-division and development.

Forests give us so much. They absorb carbon, filter our water, sustain wildlife and give us wood products, including paper. We need to all work together to keep forests forested.

As always, if you have any questions about responsible, certified forest management, please don’t hesitate to contact us.