Tree thinning neglected

FOREST owners are neglecting their trees, with 69% of their plantations overdue for thinning, according to the National Forest Inventory.

Thinning, or removing weaker, deformed or failing trees, improves the stem quality of the better trees.

Thinning is a grower’s most important tool to manipulate development of a plantation, and quality and log size of the final crop. But it is being neglected by landowners attracted into forestry by generous EU grants for planting and annual premium payments.