Effects of Partial Cutting on the Incidences of Tree Wounding, Microbial Succession and Tree Mortality

One of the challenges of partial cutting operations is minimizing damage to residual trees. In these types of cuts, large pieces of forestry equipment must be manoeuvred in somewhat confined spaces. Unavoidable wounds to residual trees ultimately result. Tree wounding initiates the complex mechanisms involved in decay. Affected trees are prone to blowdown and breakage at the wound site, and if they survive to rotation age, their end values are diminished due to decay in the wood.

The present study explores the effects of partial cutting on the incidences of tree wounding microbial succession and tree mortality.