Large areas of productive forest land are currently occupied by poor-quality, non-commercial forests due to past fires, repeated insect attack, high-grading (removal of only the best trees), and other factors.

• Site Reclamation, or Backlog Silviculture, is the most common treatment for this type of forest
• Most backlog treatments are labour-intensive

Treatment consists of clearing, preparing, and planting a site to establish a vigorous new forest.

• A manual (chainsaw) salvage cut is first made which fells the existing forest and  salvages any merchantable trees
• Logging debris is then burned or raked to prepare the area for planting
• The area is then planted to complete the treatment
• Since the 1970's, more than 25,000 hectares of productive forest land has been reclaimed in this fashion