Nurturing Young Trees

We take good care of young trees after they're planted.

• Pruning—Trimming lower limbs when a tree is still small helps produce high-quality, knot-free wood. This "clear" wood is used where appearance counts — in furniture, molding and lumber. Cut limbs are left to decay and enrich the soil.
• Thinning—Removing selected trees from the forest reduces competition for water, nutrients and sunlight. We thin some trees between 25 and 40 years old, when they are large enough to produce lumber and wood chips. This generates some income during the forest's growth cycle.
• Fertilizing—In the Northwest, we fertilize most trees three times over a 40- to 60-year period to enhance growth and improve health. Other plants that provide diversity and wildlife habitat also benefit. We are careful to keep fertilizers out of streams and other bodies of water.