CHAPTER VII 

 FOREST MENSURATION* 



1. GENERAL 



Forest mensuration is that branch of forestry which has to do with 

 the measurement of the contents of standing timber, felled trees, and 

 logs, and the calculation of rate of growth and future yield. It is 

 important to determine the amount and volume of standing timber 

 for the conduct of logging operations and plans of forest management. 

 For the purchase, sale, and exchange of standing timber, an appraisal 

 of the amount and value of the timber is necessary. A study of 

 growth is essential to estimate the future yields of planted or naturally 

 grown forests. Until recently, timber tracts were frequently sold for 

 a lump sum. With the rising value of timber and forest products, a 

 more scientific method of determining values has become necessary. 



Standing limber is referred to as timber, stumpage, merchantable 

 timber, or by various other terms. The determination of the amount 

 and value of standing timber is often known as timber estimating, 

 cruising, and land-looking. 



2. UNITS OF MEASURE 



The units of measure of timber generally used are the board foot, 

 the cubic foot, and the cord. The board foot is the unit of measure 

 of lumber; it consists of a board 1' square and 1" thick. A cord is 

 a stack of wood 8' long, 4' high, and 4' wide, and is used in measur- 

 ing pulpwood, fuelwood, acid or chemical wood, and many other forms. 

 A cord contains 128 cubic feet gross measure, and from 70 to 100 solid 

 cubic feet of wood, depending upon the size and shape of the in- 

 dividual pieces. In some parts of the country, as in the southern 



* Because of the necessity for brevity, this subject is treated in a very ele- 

 mentary manner. For an extended treatment of the subject, see "Forest Measure- 

 ment" by H. C. Belyea, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1931 ; "Forest Mensura- 

 tion" by Chapman and Demeritt, J. B. Lyon, Albany, N. Y., 1932; and "Forest 

 Mensuration" by Bruce and Schumacher, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New 

 York City, 1935. 



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