Harvesting
To ATF, what is left on the site is much more important than what is removed from the site.
Regeneration is key...
When the decision is made to harvest a forest, ATF is immediately interested in regeneration and the steps that will be taken to insure that a high quality young forest is set to replace the older forest that is harvested. We consider a whole host of factors, such as tree species, tree value and markets, availability of loggers and equipment, desires of the forest owner, quality of the site, and others, to select an appropriate method of regeneration.
Forestry is long term...
Sustainable harvest practices are those that take into consideration regeneration and the long-term well-being of the forest. In a sustainable harvest, either the best trees will be left standing until a new forest of younger, healthy trees begins to grow underneath it, or everything will be removed so there is no vegetation left to compete with the young sprouts and seedlings. ATF almost always chooses the first type of harvest.