In many ways, caring for and managing woodlands can be viewed as long-term gardening. A typical woodland acre in Kentucky may start out with more than 10,000 small seedlings and over time Mother Nature may thin that acre to less than 100 trees that are considered dominant members of the canopy. This process can be sped up and more targeted if unwanted trees are controlled which can reallocate the growth resources to the retained trees. Deciding which trees to retain and cultivate in your woodland should be based on your management objectives as well as the capability of your woodland. Once you and (hopefully) a professional forester have decided which trees should be favored and retained it may be necessary to control one or more of the remaining trees. Fortunately, there are a variety of techniques that can be used to help you achieve your objectives. You can explore the videos on this page to learn more about controlling unwanted trees and specific techniques that can be used.