The shelterwood system involves several steps: control of competing understory vegetation, the shelterwood selection and final harvest cut. (Warnell School of Forest Resources)

The increased interest in shelterwoods for regeneration of spruce has led to an interest in how harvester productivity in shelterwood cuttings compares to productivity in clear felling. (Journal of Forest Engineering)

Forests can be regenerated by removing all but the best 40 to 60 trees and cutting the smaller, more poorly formed trees in what is called a shelterwood cut. When scattered large trees are left in a shelterwood cut, some tree species which are intermediate shade-tolerant trees such as northern red oak are favored. (Virginia Department of Forestry)