Timber Cruise
A timber cruise is a sample measurement of a stand used to estimate the amount of standing timber that the forest contains. These measurements are collected at sample locations called plots or quadrants. Each of these individual plots is one observation in a series of observations called a sample. These plots are generally laid out in some random fashion usually in the form of a line plot survey. Depending on the size of the plot and the number of plots measured, the data gathered from these plots can then be manipulated to achieve varying levels of certainty for an estimate that can be applied to the entire timber stand. This estimate of stand conditions, species composition, volume and other measured attributes of a forest system can then be used for various purposes. For example in British Columbia the sale of Crown timber is a business proposition and both the buyer and the Ministry of Forests and Range (seller) must know the quantity and the quality of timber being sold. The cruise provides the essential data for determining stumpage rates, for establishing conditions of sale and for planning of the logging operations by the licensee.
Read more about this topic: Forest Inventory
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