Our objective is well-managed, diverse forest landscapes that provide a sustainable flow of wood fiber and a reasonable return on investment. To achieve this objective, we must regularly harvest and regenerate those forests.

Harvesting Systems

Timber harvesting systems vary depending on management objectives, forest type, forest stand conditions and state legal requirements. The regeneration harvesting systems used on MWV forestlands include selection, seed tree/shelterwood, and clearcutting.

Our planted stands are regenerated via clearcutting. This allows us to replant these sites with improved seedlings that will provide increased productivity through insect, drought and disease resistance and improved growth characteristics. In naturally regenerated stands, clearcutting allows us to favor shade intolerant tree species that are typically faster growing and often of higher value. This harvest technique can be an important management technique for restoring poor quality stands to greater productivity.

In 2010, our average clearcut harvest size was 55 acres, and we harvested 11,620 acres using this method. Other regeneration harvesting on MWV lands included 72 acres of seed tree/shelterwood harvests and 2,087 acres of selectively harvested stands, mainly natural hardwoods.

Harvest Criteria

During 2010, we thinned 16,314 acres of trees on highly productive sites in order to increase the size and value of the remaining trees at the time of a regeneration harvest. Thinning forest stands provides some revenue during a longer rotation cycle and concentrates future growth on the remaining trees - increasing their size, quality and hopefully their value.

We strongly believe that our ecosystem-based approach to land management is the right path. Ecosystem-based forestry allows us to focus intensive wood production on some lands, while promoting wildlife habitat and biodiversity on other sites - a system that contributes to sustainable forestry in our areas. By consistently harvesting and regenerating our forests we provide a dynamic range of forest conditions across the landscape. This promotes a wide range of forest habitats, enhances the health of our forests, and enables them to resist epidemics of insects and disease. Even so, we will continue to explore refinements to our harvesting systems.

Reforestation

MWV quickly reestablishes the forest after a harvest to ensure we will have a supply of wood far into the future and that future generations will have forest values they want and forest products they need.

Our commitment is that all areas harvested will be reforested within one to five years. In 2010, 8,834 acres were successfully regenerated through the use of one-year-old seedlings improved through selective breeding.

Factors that can affect the speed of reforestation include the time of year when the harvest operation is completed, the ease of preparing the site for the new trees, weather, and environmental factors. Sometimes we deliberately delay reforestation to allow residue to decay naturally so it can be left dispersed across the site. During our 2010 regeneration cycle, 2,812 acres that had been previously harvested were reforested by natural regeneration relying on seeds and stump sprouts, and the following acres were planted:

Acres successfully regenerated during 2010:

  • Within 1 year of final harvest: 3,008
  • Within 2 years of final harvest: 4,623
  • More than 2 years after final harvest: 1,203
  • Total for 2010: 8,834

Within five years after harvest completion, 100 percent of our sites have been successfully regenerated.