Clearcutting as a Silvicultural Practice
Purpose
To support the use of clearcutting when applied appropriately by trained forestry professionals,
as a science-based, legitimate, and sustainable forest restoration and regeneration tool.
Scope
Clearcutting is an even-aged silviculture practice appropriate for a wide range of
management goals, including those focused on: timber regeneration, wildlife habitat, forest
resilience, and post-harvest forest recovery and regeneration. That said, clearcutting is not
appropriate in all forest types, nor will it accomplish the desired forest management
objectives for all forested landscapes and forest owners.
Position
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) supports the use of clearcutting as a proven
regeneration method to meet multiple forest management objectives and as a particularly
effective tool to regenerate shade-intolerant tree species, control spread of forest insects and
pathogens, improve the timber productivity of managed even-aged forests, restore stands that
have been mismanaged in the past, and provide early-seral forest wildlife habitat for flora and
fauna. Oversight by professional foresters and other natural resources specialists and adherence
to contemporary, science-based forest management standards (laws and best management
practices) ensure that clearcutting is applied in a manner that addresses ecological, economic,
and social aspects of sustainability.
Approved: February 2025