Author Description

At Naden Harbour on the Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C., partial cutting and yarding with a Sikorsky S 64-E Sky-Crane helicopter was used to remove old-growth Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western redcedar from environmentally sensitive floodplain sites. A retrospective study of the development of these partial cutting operations was conducted. Four case studies describe the type of floodplain sites on which partial cutting was used. Various forestry concerns about partial cutting are reviewed, including the silvicultural implications, the damage to residual trees, blowdown following cutting, and the protection of important fish habitats. The procedures used to select appropriate sites, mark individual trees, and conduct falling, yarding, and post-logging clean-up are described.