This area was high-graded a couple years ago.  Steve Puffer of Shutesbury is going back now to cut the large, low-grade pines that were left behind, plus some more low-grade smaller trees in order to release the better crop trees.

A tree in the middle of this clump was marked and cut to release the surrounding trees from competition.

Looking up from where that tree was cut to show the additional growing space created for the surrounding trees.

Another area with smaller pines that have been thinned out to give the better trees more room to grow.  This property was pasture, then a grazed woodlot up until about thirty years ago.  It was selectively cut in some areas about fifteen years ago.  Notice the advance pine regeneration in the foreground that resulted from that cut.

Another view from below from about the middle of the above group of trees.  The crowns on these trees may be too small to benefit from the additional space created by the thinning.  Ideally, such thinnings take place while trees still have at least a quarter of their total height in live crown.