When to
Harvest
As the trees in
the plantations grow and their crowns spread, the competition between trees
increases. When the trees have achieved
the proper height growth, our foresters will
direct the first thinning harvest to allow the remaining trees additional space
and sunlight to continue their wonderful growth.
Depending upon the species, this
first thinning harvest may occur as early as 6 to 8 years after the trees are planted in
the plantations. As subsequent height and crown growth continue, additional
thinning harvests follow a repeating pattern at intervals of approximately each 3 to 5 years.
The actual timing of the thinnings and
the number of trees to be removed at each thinning are
determined by our foresters. The thinnings in the teak tables on our
Projections page are
derived both from our own experience and historical information from
other plantations.
In each thinning our foresters
remove the smallest and least desirable trees to promote the growth of
the remaining straightest and largest trees. It is these superior trees
that are left to grow and yield the greatest quantity of the best
quality lumber. These select trees also
have the greatest likelihood of yielding the veneer-quality logs which bring such a premium
on the world market.
The conclusion of our program
comes with the final harvest of the remaining, select trees. Depending on the growth rate
of the species and their management, this will be from 15 to 25 years. By this time
some of the trees, depending on the
species, may be more than 7 or 8 stories tall.
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