In forestry and silviculture, a sanitation harvest or sanitation cutting is a harvest of trees for the purpose of removing insects or diseases from a stand of trees.[1] Sanitation harvesting is used to prevent the diseases or pests from spreading to other nearby trees.[2] It is a form of intermediate management and is used in order to improve an already existing stand of trees.[3]
^Government of Alberta Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (September 14, 2009). "Woodlot Harvest". Retrieved 2010-04-04.
^"Sanitation Cuttings". Forest Encyclopedia Network. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
Sanitation cutting is done when legally required, for example to prevent bark beetle outbreaks. Or, when economic considerations about preventing potential loss or future losses due to inaction may occur.
