If salvage is not possible, cut the trees and leave them. Once the infested trees are cut, the beetle's life cycle is broken. The final harvest cut should be made only after the stand reaches maturity. Most loblolly pine stands reach economic maturity at about age 35. This is the age when the maximum financial return can be realized.
All merchantable timber is removed at one time with the clearcutting method.
All that is left is debris and unmerchantable trees, and these must be eliminated by site preparation prior to replanting. With this method, it is easy to rapidly and efficiently convert the site to a new timber stand. The seedtree method is very similar to clearcutting except that seedtrees are left to provide natural regeneration for the area. A second cut is required to remove the seedtrees after the new stand is established. A disadvantage of this method is that the seedtrees, which must be the best trees in the mature stand, are at risk from lightning and windthrow for several years.