Timber Cruiser

1. Timber Cruiser Where we are headed

2. Timber Cruiser Skill Set • Map reading and compass use • Species identification (FOR 219) • Tree measurement (diameters and heights) • Defect recognition and determination • Quality determination (grading) • Use of timber cruising tools • Traverses • Elementary use of aerial photography

3. Field Equipment • Compass and GPS • Loggers tape • Dendrometer and Hypsometer • Increment Borer • Flagging and Stakes • Maps, Aerial Photos, Cruising plan • Axe and paint • Data recording device (electronic or manual) • Prism • Calculator

4. Safety Equipment • Boots • Chaps • First aid kit • Hard Hat • Safety glasses • Vest • Radio • Water supply

5. Measuring Trees Part 1 - Diameter

6. Dendrometer • An instrument used to measure trees

7. DBH • Diameter Breast Height • Average diameter at 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) • Easiest to measure, less taper, not height of cut • Outside bark • Uphill side of tree

8. Measuring trees Circumference: Radius: Area: Basal Area(ft2)= .005454 DBH2 basal area of a forest stand can be found by adding the basal areas of all of the trees in an area and dividing by the area of land in which the trees were measured. Basal area is generally expressed as ft2/acre

9. Biltmore Stick Held 25” from eye

10. Tree diameters – Oblong Boles

11. Calipers

12. Using Calipers

13. Sector Fork

14. D-Tape

15. D-Tape scale

16. Tape must be perpendicular to tree

17. Diameter Classes • One-inch diameter class examples • 5-inch class = 4.6 to 5.5 inches • 9-inch class = 8.6 to 9.5 inches • Two-inch diameter class examples • 12-inch class = 11.0 to 12.9 inches • 14-inch class = 13.0 to 14.9 inches

18. Summarizing • Can average DBH for stand and/or by species • After calculating Basal Areas for all trees. You can average the BA for the stand and/or by species • The square root of the mean BA/.005454 is the quadratic mean diameter or the diameter of the tree of mean basal area.

19. Upper Stem Diameters • Needed for tree form, taper, and volume. • Can determine merchantable height. • Need to be able to do this easily, quickly and safely.

20. Spiegel Relaskop

21. Relaskop screen

22. Relaskop compensates for angles

23. Wheeler Pentaprism – optical caliper

24. Measuring Tree Diameters Review

25. Measuring Problem Trees

26. Tree diameters – Oblong Boles

27. DBH Measurement for irregular stems

28. D-Tape for leaning tree

29. Trees growing together To use the one-half diameter method, make two marks opposite each other on the stem at 4.5 feet. Measure the distance between the marks with the diameter tape and double the measurement to determine DBH. Repeat the process for the other tree.

30. Tree Growing on or around an object

31. Abnormality at DBH If these measurements are at equal distance from 4.5 feet, average A and C to arrive at DBH measurement. If point A and point C are at unequal distances from 4.5 feet, interpolate the distances to arrive at DBH measurement

32. Butt Swell Measure diameter above DBH where shape is normal, point A in diagram at right. Measure height to the point where DBH was taken. Determine average taper from comparable trees of the same species in immediate area. Interpolate DBH measurement "C" based on diameter measurement "A", the estimated average taper, and length "B".

33. Broken Tree/Severed Tree

34. Down Tree

35. Split Tree • For split trees, measure DBH with calipers or use the one-half diameter technique. Make two marks opposite each other on the stem at 4.5 feet. Measure the distance between the two marks with a diameter tape and double the measurement to determine the diameter

36. Missing Bark Since DBH includes bark you must estimate what the measurement would be including the missing bark. If all bark is missing, try to get a measure from similar nearby trees.

37. Missing Bark – use Bark GaugeAdd thickness of bark to missing region

38. Catfaces -- Diameter tape (D-Tape). Adjust the tape at a normally rounded position to allow for the catface portion missing. If the tape is not adjusted but is pulled tight, the tape will be straight across the missing portion and the diameter read will be less than it should be. -- Calipers. Measure DBH at right angle to catface. -- One-half Diameter Technique. Use this technique on trees growing together.

39. Additional Measurements Crown Width

40. Crown Diameter • Highly correlated to tree vigor and other measurable parameters. • Helps predict response from silviculture treatments like thinning or fertilization • Useful in ecological studies

41. How to MeasureCrown Diameter Average of Maximum and Minimum diameters Average of Maximum diameter and the one perpendicular to that axis Average of some random width and the perpendicular axis width For highly irregular crowns more than 2 measurements may be averaged

42. Timber Marking How, What, Where, Why

43. Eye Level Mark • Easily seen from a distance • Type of mark may be distinctive for type of tree (i.e. diagonal line for boundary, horizontal line for pulp tree, etc. • Boundary trees marks visible from three sides. • Boundary trees visible from each other.

44. Stump Mark • Survives after operation • Downhill side • Remove loose bark, etc first • Paint into bark furrows and between root swellings • Include tree and soil • Law enforcement ramifications

45. Canceling Prior Work • Black paint used first to hide old paint • All forest service paint contains tracers - Thus USFS paint requires tight supervision, inventory, security.

46. Flagging • May be used when need to identify this tree is temporary or short lived.

47. Tree Numbering – Permanent Plots • Cruise ID number painted on tree • Cruiser initials also • Paint applied towards plot center if part of sample point.

48. Paint Colors