You don't understand... logging companies these days arent cutting down every tree in a forest and then moving on to new land... they are re-logging the same land over and over and over again. Most logging companies own so much land that they always have trees to cut down somewhere on their property, and yet can let a recently harvested area remain undisturbed for 20+ years so that the trees can grow back.

Most (unfortunately not all) logging companies in North America know very well, and understand very well that forests are a limited resource. Sustainable forestry practices ensure that there will always be trees and forests, more than enough to keep everyone (the logging companies, wildlife, and the public who likes to recreate in the forests) happy.

In third world countries, its another matter entirely though. Especially in Africa and South America.

[QUOTE=Michael MacFarlane]0h n0s! Teh xTREME 0pini0ns! Someone protect me!

Or did you just edit to keep people from telling you you were wrong?[/QUOTE]

This is all opinion, there is no WRONG when debating such issues ... [ wiener ]

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Opinions aren't wrong, but that doesn't mean they are smart.

Logging companies these days employ trained foresters to manage their land. Granted, they managed to maximize timber production, but that mean they want to their tree to grow as muchand as quickly as possible.

Just a couple of questions.
With the shelterwood method, doesn't it affect both the genetic diversity of the trees themselves (after several cuts with this method they might start to show negative recessive traits) and also give them an unfair advantage over other species they may be in competition with that aren't harvested?

Also, doesn't repeated forestry remove some of the nutrients from the soil in the same manner as farming? Are the forestry industries trying to come up with a solution? Rotating tree species like a farmer would do with crops would damage the local eco-system wouldn't it?

Shelter wood leaves the best trees, so the genetics are pretty strong. Also, genetically different trees, and species, can repopulate the open area from the edge of the cut.

Some forests are priactically single tree species, and have been for hundreds of years, like lodge pole pine stands. In mixed species forests, the shelterwood method can be used with multiple species to prevent a single species from taking over.