is anybody pruning their pine to make clears of the first log? has pruning paid off for anybody taking cre of theor own woodlot or timber stand? thanx for you help and input :)
I beleive pruning pine would be beneficial when the trees are a certain age and height. In some species such as western white pine it is recommended to help deter blister rust disease in the stem, also for clear boles of course. I'm not sure of the optimum time to prune ponderosa pine, but I'm sure there is information with your local forest service office. In BC they had a program for pruning hemlock. It has been shown that pruning spruce and fir introduces rot diseases in the main stem here in the northeast. I assume your trees are spaced well apart , since most pine self pruce well naturally when grown tight (5-7 feet apart).
In NZ it's done all the time with Radiata pine.
Ernie has posted some pictures a while back
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=10874.0
The pruning needs to be done early and in stages. The idea is to leave the knots in a small cylinder around the pith of the log. The rest of the growth is usually clear wood. Swamp's comment about the self pruning is true, but it takes much longer for the tree to shed branches naturally and they leave loose knots on the log. On a 25 year harverst cycle the lower branches are still there ::)
Of course your trees and climate will be different, but you must be able to improve the log quality. Make sure you document, photograph the pruning, it will make it easier to get a good price for the logs if you can show the pruning regime has resulted in a superior log.
Cheers
Ian
My plantations of Super Slash Pine, originally planted at 5 foot intervals in rows 12 feet apart have been heavily invaded by volunteer Long Leaf, original Slash and Sonderegger. the results, so far, have been extremely good. The Super Slash has outgrown the volunteers but has pruned itself to 12-15 feet with tops reaching 20 feet. I have been remiss in not thinning the volunteers but it doesn't seem to have hurt a thing. I am now in period where I should consider thinning every other tree in the rows of Super Slash. More hands own, I'm sure, would have resulted in opening up invasion of Fusiform rust in the Super Slash. While some exists in the volunteers, It hasn't gotten into the "good" trees.
I'm liking this hands off approach more and more.
Prune away... target a knotty core size, say 6" or so, and prove when you pruned. If you can guarantee a knotty core size, then it is expected that a better price will be paid. Documentation can be with pictures of the stand, pruned, with an obvious landmark in them. Maintain a live crown of 50%.
In my part of California, some of the industrial forest plantations are pruned, some are not. It seems to be a marginal economic practice - good investment but maybe hard to justify 40 years from now. From my perspecitive, it also has benefits in reducing the ladder fuels during wildfire. Not to say your plantation would necessarily survive, but it's chances are much improved when pruned. I plan to prune mine, but I'm hardly a major operator.
Ray