"Forests must be cut so they are always young, and nature can flourish." Critics call this idea scientifically flawed.

Clear-cutting in both US federal and state forests is widespread and controversial. Currently, the Early Successional Habitat Creation Project (Early Successional Habitat Creation Project) developed by the Forest Service has provided a new explanation for clear-cutting: that it creates opportunities and is beneficial to local flora and fauna, which has in turn sparked passionate debate. It could be said that almost every northern US state east of the Great Plains (from Michigan to Maine) has experimented with implementing this type of "clear-cutting for the benefit of nature."

The basis of the project (idea) is the thought that clear-cutting can, in a managed and well-considered way, imitate natural disturbances, such as insect infestations or storms (which topple old trees). This is how a so-called early successional habitat is formed – a place (or places) where young trees and shrubs dominate, which is where animals that require such habitats love to stay.