• Forestry in Victoria
• Well Managed Harvesting
  • Sustainable Harvest
  • Timber Allocation
  • Protecting Special Areas
  • Fire Salvage
  • Harvesting Techniques
  • Forest Regeneration
• Timber Release Plans
• Forest Certification
• Forest Science
• Facts and Figures

Harvesting Techniques

Clear Fell

Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash are Victoria's most valuable commercial species. Grown in higher elevations, their physiology is adapted to reproduce after a fire has killed all the adult trees. The Clear fell harvesting technique aims to mimic a natural fire disturbance by removing most of the standing timber in a coupe. After, a regeneration burn stimulates the seeds to sprout, the seedlings do not have to complete with the shading effects of overhead trees.

Many years of science and research has been involved to develop this technique and it is consider the most natural in Ash forests. The habitat requirements of arboreal and land based animals are managed by retaining at least one tree per 150 metres in addition to streamside reserves, rainforest buffers and habitat retention patches.

Prescriptions vary across the State but on average 4-5 suitable habitat trees are required to be retained per hectare. A clearfell coupe is restricted in size to 40 hectares and aggregated coupes are not permitted to be greater than 150 hectares.

It is common that reserves, unharvestable areas and habitat patches created corridors to facilitate animal movement between patches of forest. Additionally, the regenerating forest provides a food source and mosaic of age classes important for forest health and ecosystem resilience.

Seed Tree Retention

A Seed Tree Retention treatment involves removing all commercial trees except those designated for seeding and habitat purposes. This particular type of forest treatment will retain approximately five eucalypt seed trees per hectare.

At the completion of operations, VicForests will conduct a post harvest burn. The area may also be subject to an artificial sowing of eucalyptus seed to supplement any natural seed fall from those trees retained on site. This will ensure that the area is fully regenerated to current specifications following harvesting works.

Thinning

Thinning treatments involve removing the smaller and poorly formed stems from the forest, allowing those trees retained to increase their growth and commercial value over a shortened rotational period.

This particular type of forest treatment will retain approximately 50% of the existing trees at the completion of timber operations.

When used in areas designated as water catchments, this selective harvesting can increase the amount of water produced.