Harvesting Systems for Western Stand Health Improvement Cuttings

A significant percentage of the forested area in the western United States is comprised of stands that have been altered over time by human activities, especially fire suppression, and are now being damaged by droughts, insect attacks, and wildfires. These stands should be returned to a condition where “biotic and abiotic influences do not threaten resource management objectives now or in the future.” This paper compares and contrasts harvesting systems that have recently been tested on the east side of the Cascades, in the Sierra Nevada, and in New Mexico, with the objectives of reducing the hazards of catastrophic change of ecosystem structure and composition, and restoring critical ecosystem processes.