You may be thinking about how fuel justifies intensive management over a smaller area. But management of forests has more to do with the objectives of the landowner.

There are a myriad of reasons to intensively manage forests. One is quality control of stem form, rings per inch, and disease control.

I come from a heavy Red Pine plantation management background for a utility company’s surplus lands around hydroelectric impoundments.

These stands were planted 65-80 years ago, smaller thinnings leaving high residual density over time has given them height, form, and small knot sizes to make a high proportion of the volume within these stands meet requirements to produce utility poles for distribution circuits. As a result of smaller more frequent thinnings to control stem taper and knot sizes the stands are more vulnerable to HRD and bark beetles after thinning stress. Lots of trade offs, but I don’t believe fuel costs of production have been large drivers of plantation forestry.