Craig Blencowe - Building  up the forest - page 2

    It is ultimately necessary to regenerate the stand - allow trees to make a fresh start.  This will be accomplished by removing trees in small groups (one fourth to one and a half acres) where adequate light will encourage sprout and seedling growth.  The small openings will ensure continued presence of Douglas Fir, which would otherwise be lost in a closed-canopy coastal forest.
    On better growing sites, I strive to attain overall long-term annual growth rates of around 4 percent on standing inventories of 25,000 to 35,000 board-feet per acre.  This translates to roughly 1000 to 1200 board feet per acre per year, which seems to be about the maximum production on most Mendocino County timber lands.
    Because it is possible to grow trees faster and cut trees sooner that I do, my management style does not maximize short-term net return.  But that is not what my clients or I really want.  In virtually every case, we are willing to accept less that optimum production where necessary to preserve related forest values.
    My clients are concerned that there be both trees and income not only for them, but also for their children, and their children's children. At the same time, they want to enjoy the immediate non-monetary benefit of an aesthetically pleasing, well-stocked productive forest.  My management style aims to provide that.