Sherbrooke Forestry | Pre-Commercial Thinning (PCT)

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We provide a forestry practice called pre-commercial thinning to both private and corporate woodlot owners. We are always looking for more land to be able to treat. If you have some land feel free to contact us for more information.

A little about pre-commercial thinning

If your woodlot contains areas of relatively  young, dense thickets of trees, their rate of  growth can be increased by thinning. This  silviculture treatment, similar to thinning  carrots in a garden, allows the best crop  trees to obtain more sunlight, growing  space, water and nutrients.  

Because the trees have not yet reached a  size where they are commercially  marketable for timber, this treatment is  called pre-commercial thinning (PCT).  Thinning can be carried out in stands of  natural or planted trees that are of similar  age and size.  Trees receive the most benefit from pre-commercial thinning when they are less  than 20 years old and softwoods are 2-6 m  (6-20 ft) tall and hardwoods are 6-9 m (20- 30 ft) in height 

Most tree species native to Nova Scotia can  be considered as acceptable crop trees. Mixed stands of softwood and hardwood  are common in the province, and pre-commercial thinning can be used to help  conserve this diversity.  Where softwood plantations have been  established but have been overgrown by  natural softwood and hardwood trees, it is  preferable to maintain as many healthy  planted softwood trees as possible during  thinning. 

Pre-commercial  thinning is usually  carried out with a  clearing saw, also  called a spacing  saw, which enables  the user to avoid  the back strain and  danger associated  with a chain saw.  Softwood trees are usually spaced to 1.8  m to 2.4 m (6 to 8 ft) between trees  (1,500 to 3,000 trees per hectare or 600  to 1,200 trees per acre).  Choice of crop trees is ultimately up to  the woodlot owner, and long-lived,  shade-tolerant spruce and hemlock are  often chosen over fir and larch. Shadetolerant hardwoods such as sugar maple,  yellow birch and white ash are  commonly chosen over red maple,  trembling aspen and white birch.  Hardwoods are usually spaced 2.4 m to  3.0 m (8 to 10 ft) between trees. Each pre-commercial thinning job will  be unique, depending on tree size,  species, density and ground conditions.  Where red maple is present on a  previously harvested site, it tends to  sprout vigorously from cut stumps.  More than 10 stems can often be found  growing from the stumps: cutting them  may be difficult and usually results in  further sprouting