by Kyle Turner

Created on: December 09, 2008

The thinning of forested ecosystems by anthropogenic means for both ecosystem "health" and public safety is not as essential as some may propose. Forest thinning is one of many essential tools for proper forest management. From an ecological standpoint forest thinning can achieve specific forest management goals. However, it is not right for every situation. From a human safety standpoint forest thinning is typically proposed to curb forest fires. However, this will not solve the problem of forest fires endangering life and property. Factors such as heat, wind speed and direction, how dry the forest, even tree type and amount of forest floor detritus all determine the severity and behavior of forest fires. There are other steps that humans can take to protect their health and their property that do not include forest thinning.

Forest thinning is one of many forest management techniques that can be used to manage a forest ecosystem. Other techniques include clear cuts, shelter cuts, doing nothing and others. The techniques used to manage a forest are dependent on the landowner(s) definition of a "healthy" forest.

Timber companies obviously provide the wood that we all crave, but also have to determine how to get the most profitability from their trees while keeping the forest "healthy" enough to produce more trees from the land. While achieving this goal timber companies also must, depending on what land they operate on, follow the proper federal and state regulations in order to minimize damage to other components of the ecosystem such as preventing siltation of trout habitat.

Non-industry stakeholders in forests often have a different definition of what a "healthy "ecosystem is. For many forest ecosystems are a provider of habitat for thousands of species and a complex system that should be preserved while still providing sufficient supplies of wood that the country needs. Forest thinning is one technique that can provide for this. For example if a land owner(s) want to promote a less shade tolerant species of tree that other species of wildlife depend on then some of the taller trees that dominate the forest canopy should be thinned from the forest to allow sunlight to reach the forest floor and promote these species. The thinned trees can either be harvested for profit or left in place for dead ground cover.

However, often times forest thinning is not beneficial depending on the goal the management of the forest. A prime example of this debate is the preservation

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