Most companies that harvest softwoods will eventually implement commercial thinning operations. This report covers the many considerations required to develop the expertise to manage such operations, and examines the most important aspects of this management. Although not all strategies discussed in this report have been the subject of extensive research, they nonetheles represent a pooling of the experience of those companies at the forefront of thinning in the eastern Canada. The report discusses the characteristics of the wood produced by thinning, stand selection, the characteristics of suitable stands, homogeneity of the forest cover, the road infrastructure, inventories, and the logistics required for quality control. The report concludes with a summary of suitable harvesting systems.