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5.16 Pruning Radiata Pine
Authors: Euan G Mason, Mark DeanPublication: NZIF Forestry Handbook, Volume Section 5 – Plantation silviculture, pp 16, Dec 2023
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry
Abstract: Aotearoa has been pruning plantations for more than 60 years. During that time intensive research has refined the process, and created a new vocabulary along the way. Moreover, it quickly became clear that pruning and thinning are intimately linked. Essentially, forest managers sacrifice volume production to increase value of their pruned plantations, and so spacing management is generally directed towards much lower stockings than those in unpruned stands. Pruned log prices declined relative to prices of equivalent unpruned logs over a long period in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, leading many large corporates, who are very conscious of yearly cash flows, to abandon pruning, but pruning is still very popular on small holdings. Scheduling pruning operations properly is vital in order to maximise the return from a silvicultural regime involving pruning, and using the right techniques and equipment ensures that pruning is both efficient and safe. Both topics are covered briefly here.