What practice can result from the need to manage forests after significant damage to trees?

The practice that results from the need to manage forests after significant damage to trees is salvage cutting. This method involves the removal of trees that have been damaged by natural disasters such as storms, wildfires, or pest infestations. The goal of salvage cutting is to recover economic value from timber that would otherwise decline in quality and to prevent additional damage from pests or disease to the remaining healthy trees.

Salvage cutting can also help to restore the forest and initiate the regeneration process by allowing more light to reach the forest floor, which can promote the growth of new plant life. This approach is particularly vital in damaged areas where unremoved trees might hinder the recovery of the ecosystem.

Other practices like thinning and prescribed burning may be relevant in forest management but are typically preventive or remedial actions undertaken before or in the initial response stages of ecosystem recovery. Clear-cutting is largely applied for different management goals and is not specifically a response to significant tree damage.