Aren more trees better than fewer trees?
No. In the southwestern ponderosa pine forest research shows there were, on average, between 20 to 60 trees per acre. Trees must be sufficiently thinned and spaced to allow reestablishment of native grasses and periodic low-intensity fires. Fewer, clumped trees allow grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs to become reestablished. It is the wide variety of plant life that existed in the pre-European settlement forest that will contribute to increases in the number and diversity of insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Research has shown that there is a negative exponential relationship between tree density and herbaceous vegetation production; therefore, leaving excess trees can greatly decrease herbaceous production. In addition, inadequate thinning has the potential to increase the intensity of wildfire and undermine the goal of reintroducing low-intensity fires.
