Shelterwood cutting

Shelterwood cutting removes part of the old forest stand to allow for a natural establishment of seedlings under the cover of the remaining trees.

Subsequent cuttings give the new seedlings more light and fully pass the growing space to the new generation.

[2] This cut is also not needed if thinning has been implemented throughout the life of the stand, treatment which has the added benefit of building resilience to windthrow.

[5] Establishment cuttings removes enough trees to allow sufficient light into the stand for the desired regeneration while avoiding providing enough to encourage the growth of undesired vegetation.

[2] This added light also allows the remaining trees to increase their growth rates and seed production.

[2] Further, in some cases, trees are planted after the cut to increase species diversity, introduced improved stock, or create denser regrowth.

[7] This unintentionally damages some of the regeneration which is sometimes desirable as it helps to thin the regrowth, increasing the growth rates of remaining trees.

[4] These will continue to grow and may be harvested several decades later, or may be left to die of old age and contribute ecological values to the site.

Since multiple rounds of cutting are required and since care must be taken to avoid damaging trees being retained costs can be higher than in other systems.