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Category: Project

Description: The objective of this study is to develop and test the feasibility of a delayed crop tree release variant of precommercial thinning (CTR-PCT) using a top-cutting method with the Husqvarna 535 fbx spacing saw in a hardwood stand. The CTR-PCT treatment consists of releasing up to 400 high-quality crop trees per ha in a 7- to 12-meters high hardwood stand by cutting only the trees that compete with the top half of crop tree’s crowns, leaving all other trees uncut. Specifically, the objectives were to: (1) Develop a technique that would allow workers to easily navigate the stand as it’s being treated; (2) Develop a technique to monitor the amount of work performed by workers in a context were the presence and clearing of crop trees might not be evenly distributed in a stand (3) Determine time required to navigate the stand and identify crop trees and, time required to release crop trees (4) Determine worker productivity and cost of treatment