Selection cutting is the logging practice of removing mature timber or thinning to improve the timber stand. This system is used to maintain uneven-aged stands to protect forest soils and to maintain wildlife habitat. an intense method of selection cut is called crop tree management the highest grade trees are selected and then "released" by removing lower grade trees which would otherwise compete the selected tree for sunlight and water. The selected tree is frequently pruned for maximum value. Another type of selective cutting, called high-grading targets only the highest-quality trees. This gives higher income at first but results in much lower-quality woodlands. If the best trees are cut removing them from the seedstock, an evolutionary pressure towards lower quality results. High-grading also lowers the quality of the remaining forest by leaving undesirable tree species standing, as well as poorly formed trees from desirable species. This can create conditions where no substantial quality timber will naturally grow for many decades. Selection cutting may include opening up areas to allow tree species that require large amount of light to grow but that are not large enough to meet the legal definition of a clearcut.
