FOREST INVENTORY



     A forest inventory is often termed a “timber cruise”.  A timber cruise is an
     inventory of a forest stand to determine the quantity of forest products that
     can be derived from the stand.  In addition to timber quantity, a cruise
     often contains information about species composition, age, tree quality,
     site quality, topography, and operability for logging.  It also can include
     data on growth, down woody material, snags, understory vegetation, and
     other resources.  

     Click here to view or download a sample inventory report.  The report was
     developed by Northwest Forestry Services for one of its clients, but the
     names, dates, and legal descriptions have been changed.

     Northwest Forestry Services has cruised or examined over 800,000 acres
     of forestland in the Pacific Northwest.  Resources examined range from
     reproduction to old growth.  Assignments have ranged from a few acres
     to tens of thousands of acres.

     A “typical” cruise report includes a Property Description and Timber
     Inventory Data as detailed below.  Some cruises contain additional
     information, as described under the “Other Inventory Data” heading.



PROPERTY DESCRIPTION  
TIMBER INVENTORY DATA  
OTHER INVENTORY DATA  



   Description of Methods –
         including cruise method (variable radius plots, fixed area plots, etc.), sampling intensity, log
         lengths (minimum, maximum, and preferred lengths by species and sort), minimum scaling
         diameter, minimum merchantable log, and minimum merchantable tree

   Per Acre and Average Tree Data –
         including species composition, average diameter, basal area, number of trees, number of logs,
         and cubic and board foot volumes

   Log Quality Data –
         including breakdown of volume by species, log sort, and log grade

   Sampling Error of the Volume Estimate




KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER  





11825 SW Greenburg Road, Suite 200, Tigard, Oregon 97223-6466 | tel. 503.684.8168
Toll Free: 1-800-783-6818