One industry submission states that 15,000 hectares of lodgepole pine stands have been identified as candidates for commercial thinning. This opportunity should be included in the timber harvesting land base since value-added facilities exist to use it.
An individual maintains the percentage of mature to immature forests (more than 50 per cent) indicates a significant opportunity for commercial thinning. Unless the major timber companies use this opportunity, incentives should be offered to smaller operators to do the thinning, according to this submission.
