Reducing the impacts of mechanical thinning in a southwestern forest

Excerpt

Ecological challenges in western forests continue to place a significant burden on land management practitioners. Increased tree densities since European settlement is arguably the greatest ecological challenge faced by land managers in terms of mitigating severe wildland fire behavior, particularly in the once fire-adapted forests of the southwestern United States. Additional and related ecological challenges include reduced understory production and diversity, loss of meadow habitat due to encroachment, and reduced water quantity. Combined, these changes in forest characteristics and ecosystem processes have the potential to negatively impact the conservation of soil and water resources.

Increased tree densities since European settlement is arguably the greatest ecological challenge faced by land managers in terms of mitigating severe wildland fire behavior

To reduce forest density, thinning and harvest treatments have become more commonplace in recent years across the western United States. In forests with large areas to be thinned, or where labor is limited, mechanical thinning techniques may be appropriate. It is well understood by forest practitioners that some level of disturbance is an unavoidable byproduct of mechanical harvesting activities. However, technological developments have expanded the equipment options available to natural resource managers for harvesting in recent decades. New machines, for example …