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1. DEFINITION - Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) consists of
practices designed to produce more and better quality wood
products off a given area by improving the quality and species
composition of the stand and by increasing, or at least
preventing a decrease in, the rate of growth of the residual or
crop trees in the stand. This is usually done through a process
of cutting or deadening undesirable vegetation which is
competing for sunlight or other elements necessary for growth
with the desired or crop trees in the stand, or which has a
degrading effect on the stand. Timber stand improvement may be
commercial in which salable products of value at least equal to
the cost of the practice are harvested, or it may be non-
commercial in which there is no harvest of products or such
harvest is not sufficient to pay the cost of the practice.
Essentially, the purpose of TSI is to make available the proper
growing space for the best trees in the forest by favoring them
and limiting competition. A side benefit is salvage of trees
which might otherwise be lost through mortality.
2. Conditions necessary for successful TSI:
a. There must be a residual stand which is suitable for
economical production of wood products.
b. The benefits of increased quality or growth derived from
removing competing vegetation must be significantly
greater than the cost of carrying out the practice.
c. Only that vegetation (usually trees or vines) competing
with crop trees is removed.
d. The stand must be protected from wildfire and grazing by
livestock.
3. TSI may include:
a. Release of crop trees from overtopping or undesirable
trees or vines.
b. Thinning overcrowded stands by cuttings designed to
regulate stand density.
c. Pruning of branches off the butt log of the tree to
improve lumber quality.
d. Cleaning young stands to insure a higher proportion of
more desirable species as the stand matures.
e. Sanitation cuts removing diseased or insect infested
trees to prevent infection of other trees in the stand.
4. Methods of TSI:
a. Felling of undesirable stems-cut trees must not be left
lodged in crop trees.
b. Girdling-by cutting a ring at least 2 inches wide,
through the bark and into the wood completely around the
stem to be deadened.
c. Frill girdling with chemical-by cutting a frill of
overlapping axe cuts completely around the stem and
treating the frill with a chemical mixture.
d. Basal Spray-for stems under 4 inches in diameter by
spraying the lower 18" to 24" of the stem to the point
of run-off with a chemical mixture.
e. Foliage Spraying-applied during the growing season when
leaves are fully developed (usually June 15th to August
15th) foliage is thoroughly wet with a mist spray of brush killer.
f. Pruning-cut lower limbs off with a saw as close to the
trunk of the tree as is practical without damaging the
trunk. Trees should be pruned to a height of 9, 11, 13,
15, or 17 feet. 100 to 150 crop trees per acre should
normally be pruned to be economically justifiable except
in the case of high value trees such as black walnut
where it is practical to prune even a single tree per
acre. This should be done during winter but may be done
at other seasons during the year. In no case should
more than 1/2 the living crown be removed during any
pruning operation. At least 1/3 the total tree height
should be left in living crown.
Methods "a"through "d" may be applied at any time during
the year.
5. Pesticide Application:
a. In cases where pines are cut in pine stands, stumps
should be treated by sprinkling with borax to prevent
infection by root rotting fungi.
b. Since herbicides are very difficult to remove from spray
containers, any sprayer which has been used to apply
herbicide should NOT later be used to apply pesticides
to desirable crops.
c. All pesticides should be applied in strict accordance to
label directions.
d. Commercial applicators of pesticides must be licensed.