Patch cutting

An essential part of silviculture from a forestry point of view is the way in which tree stocks are harvested. Clearcutting is one of the silviculture practices which have become the subject of debate due to the large scale deforestation involved.

It involves the non-selective felling of all, or at least most, of the trees in a forested area. This has obvious effects on local ecosystems because of the wholesale destruction of natural habitats in addition to the inescapable aesthetic effect of large scale landscape denuding. The patch cut, although technically a variation of clearcutting, is a far less intrusive method of harvesting timber with greatly reduced latency for the forests as a whole.

Patch cutting involves the complete removal of all trees from an even-aged area of forest no larger than 1 hectare. Not only does this create less of a visual disturbance but it also can preserve the habitat as a whole. Once the trees have been cleared, the rejuvenation process can be managed using natural or artificial methods such as seeding or planting new trees. A patch cut also allows for the regeneration process to focus on shade tolerant tree species which is generally only possible with selective cutting systems.

Patch cuts are, however, easier to clear and rejuvenate than selective cuts due to the complete removal of trees which creates even-aged re-growth. Individual patch cut areas will typically be part of a series of areas cleared at the same time. The office of the Milford Daily News in downtown Milford. Find out what's happening in Milford with free, real-time updates from Patch. Let's go! Thank Reply 2 Share. The rules of replying: Be respectful. This is a space for friendly local discussions.

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