Clearcutting: Good or Bad? By Anthony P. Quadro, Forester Westmoreland Conservation District Greensburg, PA 15601

There has been a lot of negative press lately cutting, which is removing all trees over a regarding the practice of clearcutting. It can selected diameter such as 14 inches (often be a very emotional issue because of per- called “select cutting”), leaves a lot of trees in ceptions about environmental damage. But the woods, and can look better than a clearcut, many of these perceptions are not accurate. but it degrades the long term health of the forest because it does nothing to clear away The principal objective of clearcutting is to the small, elderly, slow-growing “junk” trees. regenerate the forest with healthier trees, not to harvest timber. Timber harvesting is a Clearcuts can be beneficial to wildlife. New secondary objective. In a true clearcut, all of openings grow very quickly into small trees the trees greater than 2 inches in diameter are and berry- and seed-producing shrubs, which cut, as opposed to a commercial clearcut provide both food and shelter for wildlife. where only marketable trees are removed. Clearcutting increases the biological diversity Clearcutting is especially useful in regenerat- of the forest, which enhances the habitat for a ing species of trees whose seedlings cannot variety of wildlife. Some species of wildlife thrive in the shade of a forest understory. actually thrive better in brushy thickets of Shade-intolerant species such as black cherry seedlings and small saplings. need full sunlight for optimum development. Clearcutting is not deforestation. Most of Clearcutting actually mimics openings created the time clearcuts regenerate initially into naturally from tornadoes and fires. dense thickets with thousands of tree seed- Clearcutting does not cause soil erosion. lings per acre, then gradually thin themselves Soil erosion is caused by poorly laid out road out as the stronger trees show dominance and systems, whether or not the forest is clearcut crowd out the weaker trees. Many of Pennsyl- or only partially cut. Clearcutting can be done vania’s hillsides that are densely forested without significant erosion or sedimentation if today originated as clearcuts in the early part roads are pre-planned and built correctly by of the last century. using accepted Best Management Practices to Is clearcutting always the best way to protect streams. regenerate a forest? No, but it is often the Logging companies do not clearcut just best approach in certain situations, especially because it is the most economical way to if advanced regeneration (seedlings) is harvest timber. In fact, many loggers dislike present. It then allows the forest to start over, clearcutting because it forces them to spend usually with the healthiest, genetically superi- time and money cutting trees they have no use or trees outcompeting their slower-growing for. Trees smaller than 10 inches in diameter neighbors. Clearcuttiing is not the only way to are often stunted, poorly formed trees just as regenerate a forest. Other traditional old as the larger trees. They are also likely to silvicultural techniques include the be genetically inferior specimens that have no shelterwood, seed-tree, and selection methods. chance of ever growing to a large size. It is All four are important and viable tools to re- obviously best not to leave them behind as generate a forest. As long as a clearcut has residual trees taking up space in the next been carefully planned using sound forestry generation of the forest. principles, and is carried out using proper erosion-control practices, it is consistent with Clearcutting is ugly—at first. Yes, that’s true, sustainable forest management. especially to the untrained eye. Diameter-limit