Making plans to thin out forest

My days as a tree hugger are over.
Since starting to develop a camp several years ago, I have avoided removing any trees.
I thought that be preserving them, I was doing the right thing.
But last spring a tree specialist from the state came out to the property.
He said that that if you don't thin out the aging trees, the younger growth cannot prosper.
The helpful mentor, Bob Leso, pointed at several conifer trees that were clearly dying.
They weren't diseased.
They were just being deprived of their share of resources because the forest was now so thick.
His observation might have gone past me, except that several of the 50-foot trees were within crash distance from the cabin.
If those dottering pines and spruces were pushed hard by the wind, they likely would ruin by beloved retreat.
So trees that were near the structure were taken down by ace woodsman Bob Daggett.
And now I am planning on which trees to take down this spring.
State officials say that I have a rich variety.
The acreage hasn't been thinned for at least 50 years, so many stand tall and straight.
There are birch, cedar, hemlock, maple (red and sugar), oak (red and white) pine, spruce and poplar.
One reason to take wood this spring is because, as indicated above, new growth will not begin without access to sunlight and water.
Another reason is that the price of timber, especially firewood, is increasing.
Trees taken down in spring could be ready for sale by late fall.
Anecdotal evidence suggests it is selling at more than $200 per cord in Maine, and close to $300 per cord in Massachusetts.
So this spring will be a time of choosing trees to cut.
At one time, this prospect would have been offensive.
But in order to foster a healthy forest, cutting has to be done.

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