Pacific Forest Products Limited began commercially thinning Douglas-fir dominated second-growth forest on southeastern Vancouver Island with mechanized shortwood systems in 1992. In the summer of 1994, FERIC monitored a thinning operation near Cowichan Lake to determine productivities, costs and impacts to sites and residual stands. The thinning treatment was carried out with a Timberjack 1270 harvester and a Timberjack 910 forwarder.