Quick Timber Cruise Technique

A new publication from University of Tennessee Forestry Extension specialist Dr. David Mercker and Assistant Professor Dr. Sheng-I Yang entitled “Quick Cruising to Estimate Board-Foot Volume of Standing Hardwood Timber” provides details on ways to conduct a quick timber cruise. Timber inventories are key to assessing value of a stand, tax assessments, management strategies, and more. However, inventories can be time-consuming and expensive.

Many foresters, loggers and timber buyers (and in some cases landowners) have sought a quicker method of estimating the board-foot (bf) volume of standing timber. Sometimes full-scale inventories are not necessary and ballpark estimates are sufficient.

This publication addresses a method of timber inventory often called “quick” cruising that has been used for years in the forestry business. Quick cruising, when done properly, provides users with an estimate of standing timber volume that can assist in making decisions regarding selling, buying, or evaluating timber.

To view the full publication, click here.