Managing Pines for Profit and Wildlife - Virginia Department of ...

Overstocked stands can beprecommercially thinned toenhance profit and wildlife values.(Photo Pat Keyser)▲In eastern Virginia, whereloblolly pine grows naturally,many thousands of seedlings can“volunteer” into planted pines.This creates such a dense standthat little wildlife habitat isavailable, and any real hope offinancial benefits is lost. To correctthis problem, the stand canbe thinned at four to six years ofage using industrial weedeaterswith sawheads. This is referredto as “pre-commercial” thinningbecause trees being removed arenot yet of merchantable size.While the practice is expensive,studies have shown that it morethan pays for itself when used inheavily stocked stands. It alsocreates a great deal of wildlifehabitat at a time when it wouldhave been otherwise unavailable.Another technique that canbe used to accomplish a precommercialthinning is to use asmall bulldozer to take out 8' to10' strips of trees in alternatingrows. This is less desirable thanselecting for individual trees withindustrial weedeaters, but muchbetter than doing nothing.Young pine plantations provide habitat forearly-successional wildlife until they reach crownclosure (the tops grow together). This happensrapidly in heavily stocked stands like this, but canbe prolonged without impacting economic returnsby planting at lower densities (450 trees/acre).(Photo DOF)▲Seven