Short rotation forestry

Short rotation forestry means growing trees for a short amount of time in order to harvest them regularly for things like paper, energy, and furniture.

When we want to grow trees for short rotation forestry, we typically use fast-growing trees like willows, poplars, or eucalyptus. This way, the trees can grow big enough to harvest in just a few years instead of waiting decades like we would for big, slow-growing trees like oak or maple.

We plant the trees close together in a big field or plot of land, and we water and fertilize them to help them grow quickly. Once they’re big enough – which can be anywhere from three to ten years, depending on the type of tree – we cut them down and use them for things like making paper, generating power, or building furniture.

After we harvest the trees, we plant new ones in their place and start the whole process over again. This way, we can use the same plot of land to grow and harvest several generations of trees in a relatively short amount of time.

Short rotation forestry can be a good way to produce renewable resources like paper and energy in a sustainable way. It also helps us reduce our reliance on nonrenewable resources like oil and gas.