CHAPTER II. 



MEASUREMENT OF FELLED TREES. 



THE methods of measuring the various dimensions of felled 

 trees have been explained in Chapter I. In this place the 

 measurement of the volume will be dealt with. 



Each tree consists of a stem or trunk, branches and roots. 

 These have peculiar shapes of their own, which differ con- 

 siderably ; hence they must be considered separately. 



1. Volume of the Stem. 



If the stem, or trunk, of a tree had a 

 regular or distinct shape, its volume could 

 be calculated direct by means of a formula 

 corresponding to that particular shape. 

 As a matter of fact the stem shows different 

 shapes in different parts of the tree. 



Again, the shape of trees differs widely 

 according to species, the ages of the trees, 

 and the conditions under which they have 

 grown up, whether in the open or in a 

 crowded wood. At the same time, trees 

 of the same species and age, which have 

 grown under the same conditions, generally 

 show shapes which are nearly identical 

 Moreover, experience has shown that each 

 part of the stem shows approximately a 

 constant form. Fig. 21. 



Thus the uppermost part, a, of an 

 undivided stem has generally the shape of a cone, the lowest 

 part, c, that of a truncated semicubical paraboloid, while the 



