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What is Timber Cruising?

2024/02/07
2

After a landowner has determined the goals and objectives for their land (harvesting timber for revenue, creating wildlife habitat, restoring ecological systems, sequestering carbon, etc.), it's time for a timber cruise. It would be nice, but it's impractical for a team of foresters to tour a tract and measure every single tree. Instead, administering a timber cruise reliably estimates a forest's descriptive characteristics, such as volume, weight, carbon, quantity, size, species, and quality of trees calculated from a population sample within a specified error. In addition, foresters are aided by technological advancements in remote sensing, such as LiDAR and drones. Both produce readily accessible high-resolution data and satellite imagery, coupled with enhanced computing capabilities (processing speed, machine learning, AI, software, etc.) and refined statistical techniques. As such, there are specific steps to a timber cruise with various technological benefits and deliverables.

What are the specific steps to conducting a timber cruise?

Just as you might enjoy a walk in the woods and record (even just mentally) your observations, the way a forester cruises timber is similar, but uses several specialized techniques to help them translate those observations into data entries. Just as you would bring a bag filled with snacks, water, and a first aid kit, foresters come prepared with various tools to help them record necessary data. Foresters develop a cruise plan, which helps them know where to stop, collect data and make observations, typically called sampling plots. While in the field, foresters record observations such as tree diameter at breast height (DBH), total height to the top of the tree, merchantable height, and quality. Once the forester has executed the cruise plan, they return to the office with their findings to analyze the data further.

What kind of technology is used on a timber cruise?

Technology is not infallible, as any current and former career professional can testify. You drive through a dead zone, lose your internet connection, or your device has hit its shelf life. This can be especially true in the woods, so instruments in a cruiser's vest are the tried-and-true tools for gathering data. The vest usually includes a basal area factor (BAF) prism, logger's tape (retractable measuring tape worn at the hip), pencil and paper, maps, bug spray, compass, flagging tape, walking stick, rangefinder or clinometer, data collection devise, and a GPS. Despite the occasionally fraught relationship between technology and nature, electronic data collection has become increasingly vital. Foresters are quickly embracing the use of mobile apps and data collection on a tablet or smartphone because these tools improve cruise efficiency and the quality of reportable data. Recent advances in remote sensing can leverage LiDAR and camera-equipped drones and backpacks to aid in tree data collection. Additionally, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming commonplace in processing cruise data to develop forest inventories.

What deliverables can you provide to clients?

Clients interested in final volume/weight per area or total property basis and the corresponding value of the timber are given in a spreadsheet or PDF, which is an easily consumable dataset. Similar deliverables are created for cruises specific to carbon, stating the estimated amount of carbon stored in the trees. For those interested in plot data or remote sensing data, the work-up summaries include tree or species level volume/weight estimates by stand, tract, property, etc. Using remote sensing products such as point clouds or imagery can also be delivered along with derivatives of those data products when developed.

How does a timber cruise help clients make decisions about their property?

Think of your local grocery store. The managers continuously monitor inventory so they know what to stock. At its core, timber cruising provides an estimate of what forest resources you have available to help you make informed management decisions as you develop a management plan. Certain informed decisions could be about harvesting, fertilizing, controlling insects, identifying diseases, controlling competing vegetation, and more. The management plan considers various objectives like maximizing net present value, a particular habitat type, or even carbon. Without a timber cruise, managers are making uninformed decisions that jeopardize the goals of the landowner.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • A timber cruise is a systematic process that reliably estimates a forest's descriptive characteristics, such as volume, weight, carbon, quantity, size, species, and quality of trees, calculated from a population sample within a specified error. Rather than measuring every single tree on a tract, foresters use statistical sampling techniques to develop these estimates efficiently. The cruise gives you an accurate picture of your forest resources so you can make informed management decisions about harvesting, fertilizing, controlling insects, identifying diseases, or managing competing vegetation.

  • Foresters begin by developing a cruise plan that maps out where they will stop to collect data and make observations, typically at designated sampling plots. While in the field, they record measurements such as tree diameter at breast height (DBH), total height, merchantable height, and quality. Once the fieldwork is complete, foresters return to the office to analyze the collected data and produce the final deliverables for the client.

  • Foresters carry a range of tried-and-true tools in a cruiser's vest, including a basal area factor (BAF) prism, logger's tape, pencil and paper, maps, compass, flagging tape, rangefinder or clinometer, a GPS, and a data collection device. Electronic tools such as mobile apps and tablets or smartphones are increasingly used to improve cruise efficiency and data quality. Remote sensing technologies like LiDAR and camera-equipped drones and backpacks also aid in tree data collection, and machine learning and AI are becoming commonplace for processing cruise data to develop forest inventories.

  • Clients interested in final volume or weight per area, or on a total property basis, receive a spreadsheet or PDF summarizing the corresponding value of the timber. For carbon-focused cruises, deliverables include estimates of the amount of carbon stored in the trees. Clients interested in more detailed information can receive plot data, remote sensing data, work-up summaries with tree or species level volume and weight estimates by stand or tract, and remote sensing products such as point clouds or imagery along with their derivatives.

  • A timber cruise functions much like inventory management in a retail setting, giving you a clear picture of what forest resources you have available. With this information, you can make informed decisions that support your land management plan, whether the goal is maximizing net present value, creating a particular habitat type, sequestering carbon, or something else entirely. Without a timber cruise, managers risk making uninformed decisions that could undermine the landowner's goals.

  • Yes, a timber cruise can support a wide range of land management objectives beyond timber harvesting. Landowners pursuing goals such as creating wildlife habitat, restoring ecological systems, or sequestering carbon can all benefit from a cruise. Specific cruise deliverables can be tailored to carbon storage estimates, and the data collected helps inform management plans centered on any of these objectives.