72 THE WOODSMAN’S HANDBOOK. 
STRIP SURVEYS. 
The principle underlying the use of strip valuation surveys is 
the measurement of trees on narrow strips distributed systematically 
over the forest and covering, in the aggregate, a specified propor- 
tion of the total area. In the practice of the Forest Service of the 
United States Department of Agriculture the strip surveys are one 
chain or 4 rods wide and 10 chains or 40 rods long, so that each 
covers just one acre, and thus the tree measurements and forest 
descriptions of each acre may be kept distinct. 7 
A crew of at least three men is required to lay off the strips. 
One, a tallyman, carries a notebook or tally sheets, and records 
the species and their diameters as they are called out by two 
calipermen; he also makes any necessary descriptive notes. The 
strip is measured lengthways with a surveyor’s chain—that is, 
stretched on the ground. The tallyman carries the forward end 
and one of the calipermen the other. The trees within an esti- 
mated distance of 33 feet (one-half chain) on each side of the chain 
are then calipered. Then the crew moves forward another chain 
length and the process is repeated until 10 chains have been 
measured. 
If there are four men in the crew one man lays the direction of the 
strip with a compass and carries the forward end of the chain, two 
men caliper the trees, and the fourth makes the records. The com- 
passman directs the work of the crew, and sees that the calipering 
is accurately done, that no unsound trees are measured, and that 
the calipermen keep within 33 feet of each side of the chain; also 
he make the observations for the descriptive notes, which he dic- 
tates to the tallyman. As itis difficult for the compassman to direct 
the course and at the same time make observations of the character 
of the forest and oversee the work of the others, a fifth man is some- 
times added to the crew. This enables the leader of the crew to 
devote his whole attention to directing the work and making the 
descriptive notes. 
If the trees are to be counted and not measured, two men in the 
crew are sufficient, one to do the counting, the other to manage the 
compass and the forward end of the chain, to record the counts, 
and to take notes on the forest. 
