<P> Industrial plantations are actively managed for the commercial production of forest products . Industrial plantations are usually large - scale . Individual blocks are usually even - aged and often consist of just one or two species . These species can be exotic or indigenous . The plants used for the plantation are often genetically altered for desired traits such as growth and resistance to pests and diseases in general and specific traits, for example in the case of timber species, volumic wood production and stem straightness . Forest genetic resources are the basis for genetic alteration . Selected individuals grown in seed orchards are a good source for seeds to develop adequate planting material . </P> <P> Wood production on a tree plantation is generally higher than that of natural forests . While forests managed for wood production commonly yield between 1 and 3 cubic meters per hectare per year, plantations of fast - growing species commonly yield between 20 and 30 cubic meters or more per hectare annually; a Grand Fir plantation at Craigvinean in Scotland has a growth rate of 34 cubic meters per hectare per year (Aldhous & Low 1974), and Monterey Pine plantations in southern Australia can yield up to 40 cubic meters per hectare per year (Everard & Fourt 1974). In 2000, while plantations accounted for 5% of global forest, it is estimated that they supplied about 35% of the world's roundwood . </P> <Ul> <Li> In the first year, the ground is prepared usually by the combination of burning, herbicide spraying, and / or cultivation and then saplings are planted by human crew or by machine . The saplings are usually obtained in bulk from industrial nurseries, which may specialize in selective breeding in order to produce fast growing disease - and pest - resistant strains . </Li> <Li> In the first few years until the canopy closes, the saplings are looked after, and may be dusted or sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides until established . </Li> <Li> After the canopy closes, with the tree crowns touching each other, the plantation is becoming dense and crowded, and tree growth is slowing due to competition . This stage is termed' pole stage' . When competition becomes too intense (for pine trees, when the live crown is less than a third of the tree's total height), it is time to thin out the section . There are several methods for thinning, but where topography permits, the most popular is' row - thinning', where every third or fourth or fifth row of trees is removed, usually with a harvester . Many trees are removed, leaving regular clear lanes through the section so that the remaining trees have room to expand again . The removed trees are delimbed, forwarded to the forest road, loaded onto trucks, and sent to a mill . A typical pole stage plantation tree is 7--30 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh). Such trees are sometimes not suitable for timber, but are used as pulp for paper and particleboard, and as chips for oriented strand board . </Li> <Li> As the trees grow and become dense and crowded again, the thinning process is repeated . Depending on growth rate and species, trees at this age may be large enough for timber milling; if not, they are again used as pulp and chips . </Li> <Li> Around year 10 - 60 the plantation is now mature and (in economic terms) is falling off the back side of its growth curve . That is to say, it is passing the point of maximum wood growth per hectare per year, and so is ready for the final harvest . All remaining trees are felled, delimbed, and taken to be processed . </Li> <Li> The ground is cleared.it is a continous cycle </Li> </Ul> <Li> In the first year, the ground is prepared usually by the combination of burning, herbicide spraying, and / or cultivation and then saplings are planted by human crew or by machine . The saplings are usually obtained in bulk from industrial nurseries, which may specialize in selective breeding in order to produce fast growing disease - and pest - resistant strains . </Li>

Where are plantations generally located and who generally owns them