Editing Clearcutting (section)

==Types==
Many variations of clearcutting exist; the most common professional practices are:<ref>{{cite book |last1= Helms |first1= John A. |title= The Dictionary of Forestry |date= 1998-09-01 |publisher= [[Society of American Foresters]] |isbn= 978-0-939970-73-5 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoffore0000unse }}</ref>
* ''Standard (uniform) clearcut'' – removal of every stem (whether commercially viable or not), so no [[Canopy (biology)|canopy]] remains.
* ''Patch clearcut'' – removal of all the stems in a limited, predetermined area (patch).
* ''Strip clearcut'' – removal of all the stems in a row (strip), usually placed perpendicular to the [[prevailing winds]] in order to minimize the possibility of [[windthrow]].<ref>British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, BC. [http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/SSIntroworkbook/varclear.htm#clear "Clearcut System Variations."] ''Introduction to Silvicultural Systems.'' Based on the published workbook: "Introduction to Silvicultural Systems, second edition (July 1999)." Forest Practices Branch.</ref>
* ''Clearcutting-with-reserves'' – removal of the majority of standing stems, leaving a few reserved for other purposes (for example as [[snag (ecology)|snag]]s for [[wildlife]] [[habitat]]), (often confused with the [[seed trees|seed tree]] method).
* ''[[Slash-and-burn]]'' – the [[Shifting cultivation|permanent conversion]] of tropical and subtropicals forests for agricultural purposes. This is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical forests where [[population growth]] creates land needs from [[smallholders]] in [[developing countries|developing]] and [[least developed countries]]. Slash-and-burn entails the removal of all stems in a particular area. This can be a form of deforestation, when the land is converted to other uses. However, some [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] forest peoples, for example the 19th century [[Slash-and-burn#Forest Finns|Forest Finns]] rotate over the land and it does return to forest and this would be sustainable. Slash and burn techniques are typically used by civilians in search of land for living and agricultural purposes. The forest is first clear cut, and the remaining material is burned. One of the driving forces behind this process is a result of overpopulation and subsequent sprawl. These methods also occur as a result of commercial farming. The lumber is sold for profit, and the land, cleared of all remaining brush and suitable for agricultural development, is sold to farmers.<ref name="environmentalgovernance.org"/>

Clearcutting contrasts with selective cutting, such as [[high grading]], in which only commercially valuable trees are harvested, leaving all others. This practice can reduce the [[genetics|genetic]] viability of the forest over time, resulting in poorer or less vigorous [[offspring]] in the stand.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}  Clearcutting also differs from a [[coppicing]] system, by allowing [[revegetation]] by [[seedling]]s. Additionally, destructive forms of [[forest management]] are commonly referred to as 'clearcutting'.