Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) by my definition simply means utilizing various techniques to improve the quality of your forest, for the benefit of wildlife species or future timber stand production. Timber harvest, through logging whether it is for clear cutting, select cut, etc., is not what we refer to as TSI. When we talk TSI, we are talking about things such as hinge cutting, stump sprouting (mineral stumping), girdling trees mechanically, and often with the addition of herbicide (to kill them). This also includes the hack and squirt method, and others.

I use these TSI methods, listed above, at varying rates. I often find the strategy is dependent on the type of timber we are treating, their size/maturity, stated goal, as well as time of year and stem density. Often that stated goal can encompass various needs as well, for example, creation of bedding, a travel corridor, increased browse, or even nesting. I use TSI as a crucial tool. The various methods I employ can be used to create habitat types across landscapes, to maximize the use of the area. It can also promote travel, bedding, feeding, nesting and brooding.

For instance, a treatment area of TSI that lays adjacent to a high-quality food plot can be an awesome place to “bed deer” or set up a staging area with ample browse. TSI is a great way to remove unwanted trees that aren’t beneficial to wildlife. These types of trees often won’t ever become marketable timber. This specific use of TSI can be compared to weeding a garden.

We simply fell, hinge cut, girdle, and spray the undesirable tree. This will eliminate the competition with our wildlife beneficial or timber trees and further open up the canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. When you allow the forest floor to have more sunlight exposure, it provides new growth creating browse, and cover to various forms of wildlife. It also can be conducted in small chunks, if needed. This can lead to various ages and stages of regeneration throughout the property.

That same effect can be harder to obtain with traditional logging practices. This is due to the landowner needing a large amount of timber to be able to entice a logging crew to cut smaller tracts at the same time. Also, the logistics and schedule of loggers can often become difficult to manage. This can lead to less than optimum outcomes all-around. Utilizing TSI helps us mitigate these issues and put the specific habitat types where we want them. This allows for a much more control, compared to a timber harvest operation.

For all these reasons, we offer all forms of TSI work to our clients. PWM has treated hundreds of acres of timber for our clients and our own farms, for many years.