Orchard Rainbow Winter Thinning

Researchers compare prescribed burns with the effects of forest thinning.

In 2001, the Orchard Rainbow plot was thinned. Plots are thinned during the winter, so as to limit the impact of falling trees on the vegetation below. Some of the thinned plots will also be burned in future prescribed burns. Forest growth data will be compared between a) plots only thinned, b) plots only burned, c) plots thinned then burned, and d) plots burned then thinned. Which method do you think will be most effective at reducing fire hazards and promoting healthy forests?

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