Forgotten Forest Trial Finds Thinning Boosts Growth, Carbon, and Habitat
A long-forgotten 1980s silvicultural experiment in Victoria, Australia compares clearfell, small patch clearfell, heavy thinning, and unharvested stands. Thirty years on, large clearfell patches regrew vigorously, while heavily thinned forests produced enormous trees and stored as much or more carbon than untouched areas. Thinning also improved fire resilience and created habitat for wildlife like Leadbeater’s possum, found in all silvicultural plots but not in fully unharvested areas. The study argues thinning can deliver wood, carbon, and biodiversity benefits, and cautions that there is no single silver bullet for forest management.
