Even-aged timber management

In some cases, the practices of even aged timber management are frequently implicated in biodiversity loss and other ecological damage.

This way, the shade-tolerants are given a head start and the shade-intolerants will catch up over time once silviculture treatments are stopped, resulting in an even-aged stand of trees with little vertical stratification.

Even-aged forest management is the harvesting system of choice in many parts of the world because it is often considered to be the only method that is economically viable.

For example, the wild turkey thrives when uneven heights and canopy variations exist and its numbers are diminished by even aged timber management.

Certain tree species of this forest type have evolved over time to regenerate favourably in open, well-lit conditions, while others are adapted to thrive in the shade they produce.

The abundance of coarse woody debris added to the forest floor is beneficial to salamander and snake species, while the release of understory shrubs provides an increase of berry-foraging opportunities for bear and songbirds.