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1. To define terms associated with

harvesting timber.
2. To explore the methods in which
timber is harvested.
3. To identify timber harvesting
products.
4. To determine the equipment used in
the harvesting of timber.

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• Includes the following:
– harvesting layout: the designated pattern of
land where harvesting will occur
– Best Management Practices (BMPs):
structural, nonstructural and managerial
techniques designed to prevent or reduce
water pollution.
– topping: the practice of removing large
branches or trunks from the top of a tree’s
canopy

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• Includes the following:
– Streamside Management Zones (SMZs):
land and vegetation areas adjacent to lakes
or streams which are managed in order to
maintain water quality, aquatic habitat,
wildlife, production and other goals
– felling: the act of harvesting trees
– bunching: the act of grouping or piling felled
trees together
– skidding: the process of dragging logs from
the harvesting site

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• Includes the following:
– loading: the process of placing logs onto
a cargo vehicle
– hauling: the act of transporting logs from
the harvesting site to the point of delivery

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• Are dependent on the following:
– soil type
– slope
– water conditions
– wildlife habitat
– recreation
– needs of the landowner

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• Include the following:
– selection
– shelterwood
– seed tree
– clear-cut
– mechanical

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• Is a system in which the
forest is cut at regular
intervals
• Requires only a small
amount of trees to be cut at
one time by the following:
– group selection
– single tree selection
• Is the most difficult of all
methods
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• Includes the following advantages:
– continuous forest
– periodic flow of income
– growth and development of shade
adapted species

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• Includes the following
disadvantages:
– costly to set up and put into
action
– income generated slower
– logging costs are higher
– roads must be available for
transportation until the
harvest is complete

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• Uses partial cuttings over a certain period of
time to gradually remove the entire forest
• Allows the regeneration of desirable tree
species in order to establish a new forest
• Includes the following steps:
– first partial cut – allows for light to reach
forest floor and encourages regeneration
– second partial cut – cuts the remaining
overstory trees and allows for more light to
reach the growing trees
– third partial cut – all overstory trees are cut
and removed, therefore the forest consists of
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only new growth
• Includes the following advantages:
– allows for regeneration of
desirable species
– adaptable to favor certain tree
species

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• Includes the following disadvantages:
– expensive to set up and operate
– income generated slower
– logging costs are higher
– roads must be kept open until the process is
finished
– young growth can be damaged from
continued harvesting

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• Is the same as the shelterwood
method except fewer trees are left
• Requires two cuts
– first cut – removes almost all the
trees, and the trees left behind
supply seeds for new growth
– second cut – the seed trees are
removed once the new seedlings
have been established
• Is commonly used for loblolly and
white pine species

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• Includes the following advantages:
– allows for selection of genetically superior
stands
– seed trees can be used for insurance after
the second harvest
• Includes the following disadvantages:
– seed trees can be easily damaged by wind,
lightning strikes or insects
– limited to forests with species that can
withstand the elements in which they are
exposed to after the cut

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• Is the oldest method of forest regeneration
• Removes all the trees in the forest and creates a
new even aged stand
• Produces harsh visual results
• Is commonly used to remove diseased or insect
infested trees

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• Has been developed in recent years to reduce
unwanted visual results in the following ways:
– harvested areas are shaped to blend in with
the landscape
– buffer strips are left to provide wildlife habitat
and protect water quality
– seed roads and landings are created to cover
exposed soil

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• Are the actions used by loggers to
remove trees from the site of harvesting
to another location, such as a timber mill
• Vary depending on the following:
– size and type of trees
– tools and equipment available
– location of the harvesting site

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• Include the following:
– tree-length logging – trees are felled, de-
limbed and topped at the stump
– full-tree logging – trees are felled and
transported with tops and limbs intact, then
de-limbed, topped and bucked at another
area
– cut-to-length logging –trees are felled, de-
limbed, bucked and sorted at the stump area;
used for larger trees

Bucked: The process of cutting a felled and de-limbed tree

into smaller logs. 20
• Include the following advantages:
– speeds up the process of harvesting
– allows for a structured and organized
harvesting
• Include the following disadvantages:
– very dangerous
– may remove nutrients and soil cover from the
site of harvesting, incurring long term
damage
– Leaves debris which may lead to potential
forest fire hazards
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• Include the following:
–pulpwood
–sawlogs
–specialty wood products

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• Consists of trees grown with the specific
purpose of supplying soft timber used in making
paper products
• Is in greater demand for new uses as a bio-fuel
• Is usually obtained from four types of woody
materials:
– open-grown trees, or those with a large amount of
branches low on the trunk
– dead or diseased trees
– tops, or branches, from trees used as sawlogs
– trees which are too small to be used as sawlogs

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• Are the parts of the tree which will be processed
at a sawmill
• Consist of timber which will be processed into
lumber
• Account for the most financially important part of
the tree
• Differ from pulpwood in that they are larger in
diameter, straighter and have a lower frequency
of knots

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• Are products created from logs cut specifically for
that purpose rather than from commercial lumber
or plywood
• Were first made in local shops by rural craftsmen
who specialized in making a product that could not
be purchased from a store
• Include the following:
– baseball bats
– baskets
– clothespins
– paddles and oars
– picture frames
– skis
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– wooden furniture
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• Includes the following:
– saws – blades used to harvest trees
– feller-bunchers – large machine which cuts
down the tree then lays it with other felled
timber
– pre-hauler –machine used to gather the
processed bunches
– skidders – vehicle used to move logs over
rough terrain

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• Includes the following:
– whole tree chippers – large machines used to
reduce whole trees into smaller parts, such
as wood chips or sawdust
– loaders – vehicle used to load logs, wood
chips and other materials onto another piece
of machinery
– hauling vehicles – the vehicle used to
transport logs from the cut site to another
location

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• Soil type, slope, water conditions, wildlife
habitat, recreation and landowner need’s are all
factors that must be considered when
determining which timber harvesting method to
use
• The clear cut method removes all trees from the
forest while the selection method allows for
continuous growth
• The shelterwood and seed tree methods both
require multiple cuts
• Pulpwood is now being used as a bio-fuel in
addition to being used to make paper products
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1. The act of harvesting trees is also
known as ___________?

2. __________ a system in which the

forest is cut at regular intervals.

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3. An advantage of the shelterwood
method is that it allows for regeneration
of desirable species
a. true
b. false

4. The process of cutting a felled and de-

limbed tree into smaller logs is also
known as ________.

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5. Which timber harvesting method
requires two cuts?

6. Name two specialty wood products.

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7. Which of the products of harvesting is
now being used as a bio fuel?

8. Hauling vehicles are used to load logs,

wood chips and other materials onto
another piece of machinery
a. true
b. false

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9. Sawlogs consist of timber which will be
processed into lumber.
a. true
b. false

10. Name two mechanical methods of timber

harvesting.

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• (1998-2009). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from
Idaho Forest Products Commission:
http://www.idahoforests.org/
• Sargent, M.S. and Carter, K.S., ed. 1999.
Managing Michigan Wildlife: A Landowners
Guide. Michigan United Conservation Clubs,
East Lansing, MI. 279 pp.
• Virginia Department of Forestry. (1997-2009).
Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Virginia.gov:
http://www.dof.virginia.gov

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Project Coordinator: Production Manager:
Meghan Blanek Dusty Moore
Kellie Pond
Brandon O’Quinn Executive Producers:
Graphic Designer: Gordon Davis, Ph.D.,
Ann Adams Jeff Lansdell

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CEV Multimedia, Ltd.
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