Thinning is the selective removal of trees in a a forest.
Thinning is important in forest management but it is important to know why its done and the factors that affect the choice of trees to be thinned. When your forest does not have vegetation at the ground, it is recommended that you do thinning, because this implies that the canopy is too dense to allow sunlight to penetrate through.
When to thin
If there are trees in your forests that have small tree trunks and have few branches, it is advisable that you thin them out.
You can also walk through your forest while making some measurements like the stem girth to find out wether your forest is dense. This data can be compared with data in forest extension publications.
Trees may be grown for between 10 to 15 years and all of them cut at once or regular checks can always be done to remove the damaged and un marketable trees.
The general rule while thinning is that you remove the thin trees and leave the large trees because the large trees are assumed to be healthier then the thin trees.
Importance of thinning
Thinning provides ample space and resources for the remaining trees to grow well.
Increases sunlight penetration that enables growth of more vegetation on the forest floor increasing ecosystem biodiversity.
Thinning creates a healthier forest and improves wild life habitats.
