Standing Wooden 12-18" Tall Family Sign- Natural Wood

Woodland owners oftentimes need to measure the merchantable board-pes content (termed "book") of certain trees in their woodland. In order to sell timber, for example, an approximate is needed of the quantity to exist sold. If trees are to be cutting to provide lumber, an estimate of book is needed to determine what size and how many trees to cut. Using the methods described in this article, a woodland owner can estimate the board-foot book in 1 or several copse. If an estimate is needed for several acres, however, it is recommended that the woodland possessor engage the services of an Ohio Department of Natural Resource Partition of Forestry Service Forester, a consulting forester, or an industry forester. Methods needed to accurately and efficiently inventory timber volume on large areas are beyond the telescopic of this publication.

Tree Volume Estimation

In the United states, the most common measure out of lumber volume is the board pes, defined as a slice of wood containing 144 cubic inches. It tin can most easily be visualized equally a board 12 inches square and i inch thick (12" x 12" x i" = 144 cubic inches). Notwithstanding, whatsoever piece of wood containing 144 cubic inches is a lath pes (eastward.g., iii" x 4" x 12"; 2" x 6" x 12"; etc.). The board-foot content of any lath may exist determined by multiplying the length by the width by the thickness, all expressed in inches, and dividing by 144 cubic inches.

The lath foot is likewise the most common book measure out for copse and logs to be used for lumber and veneer. The board-pes volume of a tree or log is an expression of the number of board feet of lumber that can be cut from that tree or log. The lumber volume that can be cut from a tree or a log depends on a great many variables, including how the tree is cut into logs, the dimensions of the lumber, how much of the log is lost in sawdust and waste, and the efficiency of the sawmill and workers. Considering of these variables, the lath-foot volume of a tree or log cannot be measured exactly just is estimated.

Numerous methods (called "rules") take been developed to estimate board-foot tree volume. Two board-foot book rules are commonly used in Ohio, the Doyle and the International 1/four-Inch rules (Tables 1 and ii). Both of these rules provide an estimate of the board-foot content of a tree based on tree-torso diameter breast high and merchantable tree height (discussed after). The Doyle rule is the virtually common rule in Ohio. It is used by the timber industry and many professional foresters. The International 1/four-Inch dominion is used by country agencies and the U.S. Forest Service.

Table ane. Standing Tree Lath Foot Volumes—Doyle Rule
Dbh (inches)	Number of 16-Foot Logs
	1/two	one	1-i/2	2	two-i/two	3	3-1/ii	4
Board Feet
12	20	30	twoscore	50	lx
14	xxx	50	70	80	90	100
sixteen	forty	70	100	120	twoscore	160	180	190
18	60	100	130	160	200	220	40	160
20	80	130	180	220	260	300	320	360
22	100	170	230	280	340	380	420	460
24	130	220	290	360	430	490	540	600
26	160	260	360	440	520	590	660	740
28	190	320	430	520	620	710	800	880
thirty	230	380	510	630	740	840	940	1,040
32	270	440	590	730	860	990	1,120	ane,220
34	300	510	680	850	1,000	1,140	1,300	1,440
36	350	580	780	970	1,140	i,310	1,480	1,640
38	390	660	880	ane,100	i,290	one,480	1,680	one,860
xl	430	740	990	1,230	1,450	one,660	1,880	two,080
42	470	830	1,100	one,370	ane,620	1,860	2,100	2,320
From: Ashley, Burl S. 1980. Reference handbook for foresters. USDA NA-FR-xv. 35 pp.

A comparison of these two volume tables will show that they are not identical. The International 1/4-Inch rule is generally considered to be the all-time estimate of the amount of lumber that tin can really be sawn from a tree or a log nether optimum conditions. The Doyle rule essentially underestimates the book of trees in the smaller bore classes. The International 1/iv-Inch rule should, therefore, be used when the most accurate approximate of yield is important, as when determining how many trees to cut to obtain a specified corporeality of lumber. When marketing timber stumpage, however, the choice of volume dominion is less critical. Defoliation on quantity should not arise as long as both buyer and seller know which dominion was used to guess volumes. Timber stumpage prices are commonly adapted based on which rule is used.

Measuring Tree Diameter

Tree-trunk diameters are measured at breast height (termed diameter at breast meridian or DBH), divers every bit the diameter of the tree four½ feet above ground on the uphill side of the tree. If a tree forks below breast height, each body is treated as a separate tree. DBH tin can be measured with a tree caliper, a Biltmore stick, a tree diameter record, or a flexible measuring tape (eastward.g., material or steel). Tree calipers, Biltmore sticks, and tree-diameter tapes can be purchased through forestry equipment supply companies. The flexible measuring record can be used to measure tree trunk circumference and circumference divided by 3.xiv to make up one's mind diameter.

Table 2. Standing Tree Board Foot Volumes—International 1/4-Inch Dominion
Dbh (inches)	Number of sixteen-Foot Logs
	ane/two	1	i-1/two	2	2-ane/2	3	3-1/2	iv
Board Anxiety
12	30	60	eighty	100	120
fourteen	40	80	110	140	160	180
16	sixty	100	150	180	210	250	280	310
eighteen	lxx	140	190	240	280	320	360	400
20	90	170	240	300	350	400	450	500
22	110	210	290	360	430	490	560	610
24	130	250	350	430	510	590	660	740
26	160	300	410	510	600	700	790	880
28	190	350	480	600	700	810	920	ane,020
30	220	410	550	690	810	930	1,060	ane,180
32	260	470	640	790	940	ane,080	one,220	i,360
34	290	530	730	900	1,060	1,220	ane,380	1,540
36	330	600	820	1,010	1,200	1,380	one,560	1,740
38	370	670	910	ane,130	ane,340	1,540	1,740	1,940
40	420	740	1,010	1,250	i,480	1,700	1,920	2,160
42	460	820	1,100	i,360	1,610	one,870	two,120	2,360
From: Ashley, Burl S. 1980. Reference handbook for foresters. USDA NA-FR-15. 35 pp.

Measuring Merchantable Height

Merchantable elevation is the height of the tree (or the length of its torso) up to which a particular product may exist obtained, usually minus a ane-foot stump height. Merchantable tree heights for sawlogs and veneer are mostly estimated to the height where the torso diameter tapers to 10 inches, or until heavy branching or defects are encountered. The merchantable summit of very valuable trees, such every bit veneer black walnut, may be measured to the nearest foot or two feet. The merchantable height of near other trees is measured in units of 16-foot logs and 8-foot half-logs. Merchantable height measurements are rounded to the nearest half-log. Thus, a tree with a merchantable height of 42 feet would be measured every bit having 2½ logs of merchantable height.

Merchantable heights may exist measured with a number of special instruments designed specifically for tree-height measurements such as clinometers, altimeters, relascopes, or hypsometers. These instruments are available through forestry equipment supply companies. Merchantable heights can also be measured with a long pole if simply a few trees are being measured and they have relatively short merchantable heights. With some practice, merchantable heights in log and half-log units can be estimated quite accurately, especially for copse with short merchantable heights.

Using the Tables to Estimate Merchantable Tree Book

Once the bore at breast peak and the merchantable height of a tree have been measured, Tabular array 1 or ii may be used to estimate its volume in board feet. For example, a 20-inch DBH oak tree with a merchantable height of 2½ logs contains 260 board feet Doyle rule or 350 board anxiety International 1/iv-Inch rule.

When using these tables, information technology is of import to think that simply that portion of the torso that will produce a useable product should be measured. Portions of the trunk or entire trunks that are hollow, excessively kleptomaniacal, rotten, etc., should not be measured. You may hear foresters or buyers talking about gross and cyberspace volume. Gross volume is the estimated tree volume without deduction for defects (i.eastward., the DBH and merchantable heights of all of the trees were measured ignoring defects, volumes were determined, and the volumes were added up). Net volume is the estimated tree book with proper deductions made for defects.

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Source: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/F-35-02

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