Removing all mature, good quality trees from a stand, while leaving inferior trees and less desirable species uncut. Natural regeneration from the retained trees will likely produce a poor-quality stand. High grading should be distinguished from uneven-aged management wherein some (but not all) trees in all diameter classes are removed in order to create a high-quality stand.
The practice of harvesting only the higher value trees and leaving the lower value trees in the woods ("Take the best and leave the rest"). It is frowned upon in this era of sustainability, and much effort is being made to find suitable markets for lower grade logs.
The discarding of a portion of a vessel’s legal catch that could have been sold to have a higher or larger grade of fish that bring higher prices. It may occur in quota and non-quota fisheries.
process by which the best trees have been cut leaving the worst quality behind. Best species and largest stems are taken first leaving poor seed stock for future generations
a type of timber harvesting in which larger trees of commercially valuable species are removed with little regard for the quality, quantity, or distribution of trees and regeneration left on the site; often results when a diameter limit harvest is imposed.
Any number of methods of timber harvesting that harvest the best -formed timber trees and leave undesirable trees. This is a seriously detrimental action to a forest, as it negatively impacts the future structure of the forest. It also loses the landowner money when the value of the future harvests is taken into consideration.
A harvesting technique that removes only the biggest and most valuable trees from a stand and provides high returns at the expense of future growth potential. Poor quality, shade-loving trees tend to dominate in continually high-graded sites.
