2.4. Pre-commercial and commercial thinnings
The most important management practice in an established stand is the control of the species distribution and the
amount of growing stock with pre-commercial and
commercial thinnings. The goal of the stand density control
is to concentrate the growth and yield of the growing stock
on the most vital and economically valuable trees.
In commercially managed forests, thinning regime usually
includes at least one pre-commercial thinning, and from one
to three successive commercial thinnings during the
rotation. The number of thinning operations varies according to site type, tree species, and geographical location.
The amount of merchantable wood as well as the net present
value of the income obtained from a thinned stand during
the rotation is significantly greater than that of an unthinned
stand (Fig. 3).