Mechanical strip-thinning of aspen: projected effects on timber supply and preliminary assessment of impacts on birds and small mammals

The mechanical strip-thinning method was used to accelerate the growth of young aspen stands in an attempt to reduce temporal fluctuations in timber availability. The effects of this method on birds and small mammals were also determined. In general, the results show that the method is a promising technique for increasing timber supply, increasing the area available to be set aside for habitat management as extended rotation forest, or both.