Timber harvesting has been a practice that’s been around since man started living in permanent houses. Better known as logging, this involves the process of cutting, processing, and transporting trees. Timber harvesting can be performed for a number of different reasons, including to make money, enhance the visual quality of woodlands, foster future woodland growth, and ensure a safe future for wildlife in the area.
Harvesting Preserves The Health Of Woodlands
When you think about cutting down trees, you may think that this is harmful to the forest. The true reality is that timber harvesting is done in a strategic manner to ensure the preservation of the woodlands. Without harvesting, the woodlands can actually be damaging to itself as it gets overgrown. Overgrown woodlands can wreak havoc on the wildlife and flora that live there. By removing trees that meet a select set of requirements, you can ensure that the woodlands do not become overgrown.
About 50 Percent Of Harvested Roundwood Timber Goes Towards Paper And Pulp
Each year there are millions of cubic meters of roundwood that is harvested throughout the country. Some is harvested on private land, while some is harvested on public land. It’s been estimated that about half of all harvested timber is transformed into pulp and paper products. These include products like cardboard boxes, tissue paper, toilet paper, and writing paper. Lumber and veneer products only make up about 19 percent of all products made from roundwood timber harvesting annually.
The Value Of Timber Is Assessed On Five Key Features
When you think about undergoing timber harvesting on your property, you’ll want to know how much you’ll be getting out of it. This is where a forestry consultant comes into play. These individuals will come out to your land and assess the value of timber that can be properly cut down from your property. They will assess the value of your timber based on:
- Age
- Species
- Size
- Distance
- Defects
Softwood Makes Up About 80 Percent Of All Harvested Timber
Softwood trees tend to be more plentiful because they don’t take as long to grow as hardwood trees do. Softwood is perfect for paper, pulp, and lumber. The designation between a softwood and hardwood tree comes from the type of tree. Evergreen trees that spread seeds on the forest ground through nuts and cones are considered softwood trees. Trees that have flowering plants and keep their seeds in an outer casing are designated as hardwood trees. On average, softwood tends to be less dense than hardwood.
It’s A Large Employer
The timber harvesting process requires a lot of hands-on labor and machinery operation. It’s more than just cutting down a tree. The harvesting process starts with cutting down the tree. This is called felling and can be done with a chainsaw. Once cut down, the tree will be bucked. This means that it will have its branches removed. Some newer felling machines will perform the bucking before the cutting.
Once bucked, the trees are transported to the landing area, where they are sorted by species. Trucks will be loaded at the landing area and directed to a variety of destinations, including sawmills and paper mills. In total, the timber industry employs just under one million people every year. This makes it one of the largest manufacturing employers in the entire country. With timber harvesting an ongoing process, there’s no downsizing in the future of this industry. Rather, employees can enjoy the job security that nature brings them.
