Can forest management protect timberlands from natural hazards?
• Through silvicultural techniques such as fertilization, thinning, and weed control, professional forest managers may be able to make timberland more productive and guard it against natural risks. Silvicultural science involves selectively replanting trees that exhibit faster growth ability and greater resistance to disease and deformity, as well as conducting controlled burns to reduce inflammatory undergrowth and harmful insect infestations. As a result of such measures, privately managed lands are less likely to experience forest fires than federally managed public areas, with only a 0.8% risk of damage from natural causes.
