This is called forest management. Kind of Darwinism at its best. The trees compete against each other for the sun. The weaker die, the stronger grow very healthy.
The weaker ones need to be regularly thinned and hauled away.
When they stay, they are perfect fuel for forest fires! Forest fires are nature own way to thin the forest!
Unfortunately, lots of misguided “environmentalists”, media types and lawyers disrupted this cycle and created the disaster we are in now.
Luckily, some of these people are, grudgingly, admitting their errors and letting proper forest management take over.
Too late, too slow!
The enviros are slowly backing off and grudgingly letting proper forest management take over.
The problem now is the disaster they caused!
They drove most of lumber companies out of business, they destroyed wood processing industry.
So there is lack of workers skilled and willing to do the hard job of lumberjack. And when the wood is harvested, there is lack of industry to make use of it!
And the forests are so overgrown, it is hard to make even a dent!
If you plant pines, take out a row in 5 years, spurs better growth of the pines. Just did first 250 acres of 525. Did 2 clear cuts and planting. Next year is the other side of the road in two sections.
The return for the volunteer pines was pretty substantial, I may not be alive for the first cut but this’ll be legacy for the kids.