Managing Young Forests

About young forests

These shrublands occur in areas where young or mature forests have been cleared and are characterized by the relatively dense growth and vertical structure of young tree and shrub species. In most cases, these shrublands will revert to forest habitat faster than other shrubland habitats. Management is required to maintain young, dense structure.

Where are young forests found?
Timber harvests Other land clearing operations
Typical Plants
Birch Aspen Maples White pine Raspberry Blackberry Blueberry
Typical Wildlife
Woodcock Moose Deer
Knowing when to manage
Young trees are no longer dense and vertical structure is lost Shrub species are becoming less common, area is dominated by tree species
Maintaining young forests
1. Identify/delineate area of existing young forest to be managed
2. Divide the area into management blocks
3. Cut the management blocks on a rotation, every 10-15 years. This way you never eliminate all the habitat at once.
4. Use a brontosaurus or forestry equipment to mow the young forest habitat. Harvesting young forest habitat can often be done in conjunction with a larger forestry operation.
Creating young forests
If you are starting with mature forest, young forest habitat can be created in areas with low timber value. It is often most economical to include this work as part of a larger timber sale as forestry equipment will be needed to cut the mature trees.