Trees felled.
A Timber Harvest Plan (THP) is a document that details the planned logging operations and the measures that will be taken to minimize the environmental impacts of these operations. In many regions of the world, a logging plan is required before logging can proceed, and these documents are open for public comment before they are approved. The public comment period allows interested persons to protest the logging plan before it is finalized, and may result in the plan being blocked or material changes to the plan.
A timber harvest plan includes the details of a planned logging operation.
Logging is a delicate business and also a very profitable business. In many nations, the costs of wood are constantly increasing due to the decrease in available wood and the increasing demand for forest products. The awareness of wood as a vital economic resource has led to the desire to protect it as an ecological resource, as trees are a valuable part of the natural environment. In addition to simply looking beautiful, trees help protect watersheds from erosion and provide habitat for various animals. Trees also condition the soil and remove carbon dioxide from the air.
Watershed erosion is a concern for logging planners.
Centuries of logging around the world have drastically changed the natural environment. Europe, for example, was once covered by forests, and today only a fraction of these trees remain. Also North America, which was a densely forested forbidden land when the first explorers arrived. The long-term impacts of logging on the natural environment began to be noticed in the early 18th century, but serious forest management did not begin in most regions until the 20th century.
The introduction of the timber harvesting scheme had a great impact on the timber industry. Previously, owners could cut down as many trees as they wanted on their land, without thinking about the long-term impact and effects on neighboring owners. A timber harvest plan forces a timber company or property owner to think about the environmental impacts of logging and provide a clear list of ways to mitigate those impacts. The document includes a projection of which trees will be felled and when, how and where access roads will be cut, and which watercourses may be affected.
A licensed professional forester cooperates in the development and submission of a felling plan. The forester may use other professionals, such as a specialist who focuses on the animal species in the area, to ensure that the felling plan is complete and carefully designed. The forester is also responsible for obtaining accurate topographical information on where the property in question begins and ends, and will mark selected trees in the area for inspection. Once the ranger has signed the document and the public comment period has ended, a regional forestry department will either approve or deny it.
Environmental activists tend to keep an eye on pending logging plans in their region to be aware of logging in potentially controversial locations. Landowners in heavily forested regions are also interested, as they may be negatively affected by logging in their area. If approved, registry operations typically begin on the site within a year.