Clearcutting is the main way trees are harvested in British Columbia, but other methods are being considered. A study compared productivity and costs of clearcutting and partial cutting in old forests. Costs varied between methods, with group selection being cheaper than clearcutting. Different ways of cutting trees affected how much damage was done to the forest. Mechanized felling caused more damage than manual felling, but grapple skidding caused less damage than line skidding. The study suggests ways to improve planning and reduce costs in forest harvesting.