Gene GeRue wrote:
> I have a friend who is taking the next step, improvement forestry. He
> low-grades, that is, he only cuts trees that are imperfect, leaving the
> finest specimens to spread their seeds.
My concern would be a decrease in genetic diversity over time. It's
possible that strains with less-than-perfect forms have resistance to
diseases or pests that the "finest" specimens lack. Your friend could
be selecting against certain traits that could prove beneficial in the
future. Plant breeders still go to wild stock for genes to provide
desirable characteristics for plants long domesticated.
Furthermore, the imperfect trees are often the ones having what we would
call defects, such as weak crotches that eventually result in cavities,
that likely benefit other organisms. I much prefer a mixed forest
containing many imperfect specimens to the monotony of an "improved"
stand, from both an aesthetic and forest health standpoint. I'm sure
that almost any forester would disagree, but a forest ecologist might
not.
Doug Fields
