Cleaning (forestry)

Cleaning is common in softwood plantations, clearcuts, and over story removals, where the desired conifers are over topped by rapidly growing early-successional hardwood species.

Where chemicals are impractical or unpalatable to the landowner, a brush cutter is used to cut competing trees close to the ground.

Most cleanings are conducted at the seedling stage with herbicides in plantations and clearcuts in order to control the species composition and guide the stand to a desired future condition as early as possible.

This treatment is a standard and well developed feature of management on large landbases that produce pulp and softwood lumber for building.

Small woodlot owners often perform this operation in large sapling sized stands that have been acquired from defunct timber companies.

Competing trees at this stage are often large enough to burn, but small enough for fit and properly trained landowners to comfortably handle felling and transporting.

Eastern white pine after weeding (large tree, center) or cleaning (small tree, right). The distinction between these is the height of the crop tree relative to its competitors, which have been removed, but were equal to the height of the larger pine.