Quaking aspen regeneration from a recent clearcut. (Photo provided by Bill Cook)

Sugar maple seedlings after a thinning operation. (Photo provided by Bill Cook)

Bill Cook

Timber harvest is one of the most regenerative dynamics in our Lake States forests. Without disturbance, forests have difficulty regenerating, maintaining vigor, and optimizing habitat conditions. Harvest provides intentional “times and places” for disturbance which, in turn, maximizes the myriad of forest benefits across a landscape.

The recuperative powers of the forest are nothing short of amazing. I had the opportunity to drive through Yellowstone National Park this summer. The only major sign of the massive wildfires of 1988 are acres upon acres of 20-foot-tall lodgepole pine. OK, there were some charred remains

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