CHAPTER m 

 THE CLEARCUTTING METHOD 



Definition. — In the clearcutting method the area is cut 

 clear. Reproduction is secured after the cutting either arti- 

 ficially by seeding or planting, or naturally by seed distributed 

 from trees standing outside the area cleared or from trees cut 

 in the clearing operation. Depending on how reproduction 

 is secured the method divides into (i) clearcutting with 

 artificial reproduction and (2) clearcutting with natural 

 reproduction. 



Form of Forest Produced. — A clearcutting operation as 

 a practical method can be used only in a stand where the 

 trees are all of merchantable size. Such a stand may be 

 either evenaged or contain several age classes the youngest of 

 which contains trees as large as or larger than the minimum 

 merchantable size. The new stand originating on a clear 

 cut area is evenaged irrespective of whether the timber before 

 the cutting was irregular or evenaged in character. In almost 

 all stands of merchantable timber no matter how evenaged in 

 form there will be occasional small unmerchantable trees 

 which remain standing after a clearcutting. The majority 

 of such trees are soon windthrown or die as a result of the 

 changed conditions following the cutting. 



Details of the Method. — The two different ways of secur- 

 ing reproduction each require separate consideration in dis- 

 cussing the details of the clearcutting method. 



Clearcutting with Artificial Reproduction. — In this simple 

 method the stand is cut clear and reproduced by seeding or 

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