Abstract
Forest stands across the inland Pacific Northwest are overstocked from fire suppression, economic constraints, and a lack of management. Overstocked forests have more competition and stress; causing mortality, susceptibility to insects and disease, and less adaptability to climate change. Reducing the amount of competition in the forest by pre-commercial thinning reduces the amount of stress in the forest and provides more suitable resource conditions for forest growth. This thesis examines the important factors controlling forest resource response to pre-commercial thinning across Northern Idaho and Northeastern Washington. An experiment was done to understand how forest resources respond to thinning across a range in forest productivities and densities. In addition, multiple forests were modeled to determine how different estimates of forest stand carrying capacities impact mortality and fuels.