Silvicultural Treatments
Following the development of a forest management plan, our specialized staff can continue to assist landowners in attaining their silvicultural objectives.
Reforestation and Plantation Maintenance
Reforestation is the activity of planting for the production of timber.
The objective density of planted stems varies depending on species. Density is 2000 plants/hectare for Spruce and White Pine, over 1800 plants/hectare for Red Pine, between 500 and 1100 plants/hectare for Hardwoods and over 1000 plants/hectare for Hybrid Poplar.
Species are chosen in accordance with soil types, drainage and their resistance to insects, disease, and animals (ex: White-tailed deer grazing).
Plantation Maintenance consists of two treatments: mechanical clearing and pruning.
Mechanical maintenance of plantations consists of clearing herbaceous and woody competition species away from planted species. This is achieved using a brushsaw. The goal is to ensure that the plants receive the most sunlight, water, and soil nutrients as possible in order to achieve optimal development and growth. This treatment is completed done during the first five years following reforesting.
Pruning can be defined as the cutting of live or dead branches on the lower section of the trunk. There exists two different types of pruning for two different goals.
The first type of pruning is done in young pine plantations, between 5-15 years old. This is done as a preventitive measure as it lowers the risk of fungal infection; blister rust on White Pine, and Scleroderris cankers on Red Pine. It also reduces the risk of damage caused by snow and ice.
The second type of pruning is performed when the trees have reached a height of 10 metres. This is usually done between the ages of 20 to 30, after the first commercial thinning.
This second pruning consists of cutting low branches, up to 4 metres high, to a maximum of 300-500 stems/hectare. The selected trees will display the best height to diameter ratio and potential to produce high quality lumber. The treatment is done using a pruning saw mounted on a 3 metre pole. The goal of this treatment is to ensure that branch knots remain tight within the wood grain ultimately producing high quality wood.
