Many people think of trees as entities that operate independent of human involvement, but there are many cases where intervention can foster significant improvements, both in the interest of economics and general health. One such method of intervention is called “thinning.” While on the small scale this term refers to the selective removal of branches to improve a tree’s overall health, on a larger scale it denotes a selective removal of whole trees from certain areas of a landscape.
Thinning is most often applied in areas where overcrowding intensifies competition between neighboring trees. This strenuous competition can be detrimental to particular “underdog” stands of trees, especially where environmental factors such as drought, insect infestations or extreme temperature come into play. Read more
