A common set of harvesting equipment for thinning is compact and light-weight. Labor intensive pulpwood operations are becoming scare. You should expect to see modem mechanized logging operations composed of feller-bunchers and grapple skidders. They are acceptable for selection thinnings, especially if the operators know their jobs and avoid damaging the trees that are left. Selection thinning with a mechanized system is not always cost effective because of the low volumes harvested and the high capital costs.
Combination Thinning Combination thinning combines the row and selection thinning methods.
Rows are removed to allow access to the interior of the stand where a selective thinning is conducted to remove the inferior quality trees. A typical pattern for combination thinning is illustrated in Figure 6. Typical pattern for a combination thinning in a pine plantation. Removing every third, fifth or seventh row allows the equipment entrance to the rest of the stand. The feller-buncher can enter the stand from the corridor, fell and accumulate the marked trees, and carry the bunch to the corridor for bucking and limbing.