Crop Tree Release
Source: PEI Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual (October 2025), pp. 17–18
What it is
Crop tree release frees healthy immature trees that could become high-quality trees, by removing their competitors. The goal is to maximize the growth of veneer- and sawlog-quality trees.
Eligibility
- Crop tree species: sugar maple, red maple on upland sites, yellow birch, red oak, white ash, red spruce, white spruce, black spruce, eastern hemlock, white pine, white birch, largetooth aspen.
- Stand vigour: healthy and vigorous enough to keep growing for at least 20 years.
- Crop trees: at least 100 potential crop trees per hectare, evenly distributed.
What counts as a potential crop tree. It has 2.5 m of clear bole, with at least three sides free of these defects:
| Stem defects | Crown and branch defects |
|---|---|
| Bulges · large burls · cankers · hollow butt log · seams or splits · crook · butt rot · crotch · conks · sweep over 5 cm across the 2.5 m · significant bark or root damage | Dead top · branches on more than two sides · large branches · significant branch dieback in the live crown |
Standards and assessment
| Measure | Standard |
|---|---|
| Release | At least 100 evenly distributed crop trees/ha released on at least 3 sides, in a way that prevents or minimizes epicormic branching on the clear bole |
| Crop trees | At least 30% live crown, able to grow for 20 years, at least 12 cm DBH |
| Wildlife trees | At least 15/ha left and/or created |
| Legacy trees | Kept and not damaged |
| Removal cap | No more than 30% of the merchantable basal area removed |
| Damage limit | No more than 5% of crop trees damaged |
Two ways to use wildlife trees. Girdle them to add stand diversity and, eventually, coarse woody debris. Or release them so they grow and produce seed for natural regeneration.
What counts as damage. Broken limbs and/or bark damage that exposes more than 10 cm² of sapwood on a tree.
Based on the PEI Ecosystem-Based Forest Management Standards Manual (October 2025), pp. 17–18. Where this guide and the manual differ, the manual governs.