Terrestrial rewilding

3 Ways of restoring natural processes in forests

3.2 Thinning plantations and allowing natural regeneration

Thinning involves selectively removing trees from dense plantations to reduce competition and allow more light to reach the forest floor. This encourages the growth of a diverse collection of plants beneath the canopy and promotes natural regeneration.

By allowing natural processes to take over, forests can develop a more complex structure and greater biodiversity. Thinning helps transition monoculture plantations into more natural, mixed-species forests.

A dense forest with tall trees covered in patches of white lichen. The ground is lush with green grass, small shrubs, and scattered white flowering plants.

Pyrenean oak and Lygos / Retama monosperma in Sierra de Gata, Salamanca Region, Spain. Credit: Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe.