Forest Thinning Services

Our handcrew provides fuels reduction and forest stand improvement services primarily through cut, pile, and burn techniques. We deliver a light touch utilizing chainsaws and small burn piles as we reduce congested understory and midstory vegetation.  Our selective thinning specifically targets ladder fuels, over-crowded vegetation, and vegetation competing with healthy overstory specimens. Our crew is well versed in the local vegetation and make their thinning decisions with an eye towards species diversity and vigorous healthy trees. 

 

Forest thinning services can be a standalone service, or done in conjunction with our other land stewardship services. The handcrew is commonly used in preparation for prescribed burning to treat the perimeter of the burn unit and, depending on the budget and desired outcomes by the client, thinning operations can continue throughout the total burn area. 

 

There are various approaches to cut, pile, and burn, depending on the season, and if there are additional stewardship services planned.  Typically, during May-October our thinning jobs entail making burn piles for winter burning, or in preparation for a prescribed burn. From November-April, during “open burning season” we tend to cut and burn slash as feeder piles in place and during the same general season as the thinning.