Proper spacing is the most frequently ignored principle of forest management that I see cruising timber in this region. Most stands (especially plantations) are overcrowded, producing tall skinny trees that stagnate and fall to wind, disease or simple starvation.  It takes only about 15 years for trees to fully occupy an area, so thinning is needed about every decade or two. 

Planting trees in a field is like growing 10 puppies in a box with a supply of enough food for one adult size dog.  For a while they all grow well and are healthy and happy.  After a while they grow larger and start to fight over the available food.  Smaller ones get sick and die.  You can fill in the details - you know what will happen.  People don't seem to realize that trees go through the same thing as the puppies in the box.  You wouldn't treat a dog that way, so why do people treat their trees like this....  If you plant trees you have a responsibility to care for them.  Careful and regular thinning is the first step.

1/3 - Crown Width/Tree Height
Crop trees should have a crown width at least one third of the total tree height.  Crowded trees will have narrow sparse crowns that don't support good growth.  The 30 foot tall cherry tree in the middle of the photo has a crown width of ten feet.  These trees will need thinning soon to keep the ratio from dropping too low.  Besides just crown size, look at the fullness and apparent health of the leaves.  A crop tree should look good and be well proportioned. Dead branches lower on the stem are normal and should be pruned if within 17 feet of the ground to encourage the growth of clear wood.

1/3-Crown Height/Tree Height
Crop trees should have live branches extending down from the top at least one third of the total tree height.  Less crown leads to slow growth, and more crown produces a bushy tree with knotty logs of lower value.  The open grown cherry tree on the right has live branches nearly to the ground.  This is a good wildlife or aesthetic tree, but will not be a good timber crop tree.  Open grown trees can produce a very valuable butt log if the tree is pruned when small.  Tree spacing is the determining factor.

1/3-Prune only 1/3 of live branches from a tree.
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