Young stand tending - an important part of forest management that can significantly increase profit

What rules must be followed to ensure that young stand tending provides maximum benefit

Young stand tending rules are defined in the Forest Law, which describes what is considered a tended young stand, what is the minimum and maximum number of trees according to tree species and their height. The minimum and maximum number of trees to be left after young stand tending is regulated by Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 384 Forest Inventory and Forest State Register Information Circulation Regulations and No. 935 Regulations on Tree Felling in Forests. For example, if young stand tending has been carried out in a spruce young stand where the tree height after tending is 8 meters, then the remaining number of trees must be from 1200 to 2000 trees. The number of trees to be left after young stand tending can be increased or left in unlimited quantities:

• In young stands of aspen, gray alder, bird cherry and willow
• In a forest stand there are many thin elongated trees, as there is a risk that the trees may be broken in winter under a thicker snow cover
• If there are risks of damage from forest animals
• Young stand tending that is carried out according to the target tree method, where space is freed up for the previously selected 500 best trees

Young stand tending is a process where quality requirements are best controlled by applying the circular sample plot method. According to this method, trees are counted in a circle, the radius of which is measured with a measuring tape or pole of a certain length. The size of the sample plot depends on the average height of the trees in the young stand, for example, if the height of the trees in the young stand is up to 6 m and 7 trees are counted in a circle with a radius of 3.99 m, then the number of trees is 7 × 200 = 1400 per hectare.

The most important nuances in young stand tending

Young stand tending and young stand thinning will bring results faster if the following nuances are observed:

• In birch young stands, it is better to preserve outdoor birches, which will grow faster and the wood will be of better quality than marsh birches, and it is also better to leave sown ones instead of those grown from shoots.
• In the young stand, trees with a high-quality trunk and branching form should be left with the most even distribution possible in the forest stand.
• When carrying out young stand tending and thinning, it is mandatory to cut down thick trees with low-quality trunks and crowns, crooked trees and trees with double tops.
• It is not recommended to plant pines in fertile soils (gooseberry, goutweed), as spruces and deciduous trees will grow faster as a result of which pines will languish.