Stripcutting

Stripcutting is a silvicultural system used in forestry to harvest timber in narrow, linear strips while leaving unharvested forest between the strips. The method is designed to mimic natural disturbance patterns, reduce soil and water impacts compared to complete clearcutting, and create a mosaic of age classes that can support biodiversity and long-term timber supply. Strips are typically oriented to follow the contours of a slope or to fit landscape constraints, with uncut buffer strips retained to protect soils, waterways, and remaining habitat.

In practice, a stand is harvested in one or more long strips, after which regeneration is encouraged within the harvested zones. Regeneration can occur through natural seeding from adjacent uncut areas or through planting and site preparation within the strips. The width of strips and the spacing between them are planned to balance production goals with erosion control, water quality, and ecosystem considerations. Road access and other operational features are usually configured to minimize disturbance to the unharvested strips and to protect watershed function.

Environmental considerations are central to stripcutting. When properly implemented, it can reduce erosion on slopes, retain some habitat features, and maintain residual cover for soil stability. Critics note that stripcutting can still produce fragmentation and may be less economical or more complex to manage than even-aged approaches, requiring careful planning, monitoring, and follow-up treatments over multiple rotations.

See also: strip clear-cutting, mosaic forest, shelterwood.