Thinning always linked to timber plantation management. The aim of thinning is to open growth space for the best trees. Thinning will reduce both below and above competition. Some experts argues that thinning cound be used for the early income of timber plantation.
At above competition, trees are receive enough sunlight. If there’re less trees, tress get more sunlight. This is very important at early stage of trees growth. Below competition is described by the number of trees in an area while they get the same source of soil nutrition. So, high competition in below ground are associated with basic needs of tree, such water, natural fertilizer etc.
Thinning is reducing the number of trees in an area. If we used thinning for getting early income, so we can take out a number of good trees. But if we used thinning to maintain the quality of trees, so we can extract some trees which is less economically or unhealty tress. This kind used also for preventing forest fire.
So, there are lots of aims in thinning activity. It is part of timber plantataion management which is practiced very well in Java island of Indonesia. There are teak plantations managed by state owened company in java island for thousand years.
Meanwhile, thinning isn’t applicable in natural forest management. In this kind of forest, thinning will cause increasing of forest fire risk. Thinning in natural forest also will make the ecosystem vulnerable. Practicing thinning in natural forest means extracting timber only.
Natural forest has natural systems to regenerate it self. There are natural mechanisms which allows forest to maintain their growth until the peak, or we call it as climax. Thinning by human will disturb such natural mechanism. In this case, thinning could be perceived as an intervention on natural mechanisms. The implication could be very destructive.
It is questionable to conduct thinning in natural forest. We do not need to do that, since thinning will disturb the balance of natural mechanisms. Even it could make a ecosystem fragmentation. Literature says that fragmentations are responsible for animal extinction. The fragmentation not only imply to the nearest area, but can spread to wider areas. Animals then looking for the best place of available food. Also best places for regenerating.
In general, we must aware what the purpose of thinning and where it will be done. Making forest health is important as well as protecting people. But making our ecosystem sustainable also good reason to prevent thinning action.
