Why should everything that is harvested from forests in WNC have a value?  No one disagrees that small diameter trees and shrubs have value and can be used for something, but used enough to create a market?  Without a market, the time spent harvesting these materials can never be recovered and this is precisely why, once felled, they are usually left to rot.  This has been accepted in many cases in hopes of leaving this energy, this matter, to be recovered by the forest.  Often this is the right idea, but usually it depends on what the expectations are for the use of the forest.  On the flip side, this energy is also there to be used in the case of a forest fire.  This material is often removed before a prescribed burn can occur in an effort to keep temperatures in check.

When approached from a land owner’s perspective, how can I best maintain the value of my forest (property)?  Should I maintain it like a garden, weeding out the things that should not be there and creating better space for those things I want to prosper?  If so, what should I do with the things that are to be removed?  In the old days, you would find a use on your property, maybe fencing, tool handles or firewood.  Now firewood is an option, maybe mulch.  Usually, it is put in the landfill or burned (biomass).

Who would benefit if there was increased demand for these materials?  Right now there are companies on a national scale that use these types of small diameter materials.  Even locally, there is a market for materials that have historically been used for farming, furniture and building.  With a stagnant housing market, there are fewer new construction projects.  There is however a growing demand for natural, custom products made in the United States and the internet has opened up local markets providing access to these products.  So, the obvious beneficiary would be the business owner moving these products.
Who else?

• Land owners would be able to recoup some of the money spent in maintaining their forestry plan and/or a healthy forest 
• The loggers, graders, gatherers or laborers would increase their income by being able to sell the materials that are taken out of the forest
• The manufacturers/craftspeople/workers that turn these materials into usable materials and products
• Stores that sell the local products

Do the forests benefit?  I think so if harvested properly.