LYT WOOD

LYT WOOD

There is an excellent market in Rappahannock County for veneer logs, sawlogs, pine pulpwood, and firewood. As a result, managing a woodlot for timber production is an attractive proposition for the local landowner. However, the owner should recognize that careful management, sometimes of a very intensive nature, is a must if the longterm productivity of the area is to be maintained.

A timber stand is analagous to an agricultural crop. The stand must be properly established by planting or natural regeneration, usually requiring a substantial investment. It must be nurtured and protected (although maintenance of a timber stand is usually limited to protection from fire and grazing). Later, the timber must be properly harvested, and the harvest operation must be timed to coincide with the maturity of the stand and to take advantage of market conditions. Finally, a new crop must be established.

The process just described is called "even-aged management”—the timber stand is composed of trees which are all about the same ager, with possibly a younger age class in the understory. Under very special conditions, it is sometimes possible to manage for an “uneven-aged” stand. This system involves a series of selective cuttings, each one of which removes only a few of the older and larger trees. Some of our mountain timber is best harvested in this manner. However, selective cuttings are usually not applicable in this area for two reasons: (1) Due to past disturbances of the site (by clearing, burning, and heavy cutting), there are acutally very few stands which contain trees of all ages (a prerequisite for selective cutting). (2) Many species do not respond well to this type of treatment. Virginia pine, for example, is very shallowrooted, which makes it susceptible to windthrow if