{"id":5,"date":"2019-07-24T14:59:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T14:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8009\/stories\/?p=5"},"modified":"2024-09-23T13:09:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:09:04","slug":"what-is-a-timber-cruise-in-forestry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forestrycareers.com\/stories\/what-is-a-timber-cruise-in-forestry\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do foresters “cruise” timber?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cruising timber is a critical tool in forest management, informing an entire forestry company about its inventory. In this article, three foresters explain how cruising works and why it’s so important.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

What happens on a timber cruise, and why is it important in forest management? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A timber cruise is an essential tool used by foresters to determine the value of a specific area of land, including the trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about how this process works, we talked to three Rayonier employees, including Florida Resource Unit Leader Rick Piagno, Timber Marketing Manager Rusty Cobb and Resource Land Manager Kyle Purvis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT EXACTLY IS A TIMBER CRUISE? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt a basic level, timber cruising involves collecting information like tree measurements on specific plots,\u201d says Rick, who\u2019s based in Hastings, Florida. \u201cThis allows the company to calculate how much monetary value we have in the trees and land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That information is critical to the company’s budgeting and planning, but it has to be obtained in a way that makes sense financially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We can’t measure every single tree. That’s just not possible, and it would be way too costly even if we could do it,” adds Rusty, who’s based in Yulee, Florida. “We take a statistical sample instead, collect the data, and run that through some analysis software that gives us a good estimate for how much volume of wood is out there in a particular stand.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A stand is a community of trees that are uniform in age, species and condition. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
It wouldn’t be realistic to measure every tree in our forests, but we still need to understand the volume of wood they will contain in the years to come.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The First Type of Cruise is Called Timber Cruising<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rick says there are two types of cruising: \u201cThe first I\u2019ll refer to as timber cruising, which is primarily used prior to harvesting a stand or group of stands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith this type of cruise, we measure tree diameters and heights, then class each tree as to the product it will likely be merchandised as\u2014such as pulpwood, sawtimber, etc.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pulpwood<\/strong> trees have a smaller diameter than the larger sawtimber trees. They’re used in everyday products like paper, the LCD screen on your phone, bath products like lotions and soaps, diapers, and thousands of other products. You can learn more about why it’s in so many products in our #ItStartsWithTrees<\/a> article series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sawtimber<\/strong> logs have a larger diameter with few flaws. They provide the wood used for planks, boards and other lumber used in building houses, fences, furniture and other wood products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the tree diameters and heights are recorded and classifications are determined, Rick says, \u201cthis information is first used to estimate the volume of timber in each product class, then used to value the timber.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Forester
Rusty measures the height of a tree in one of our research forests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Second Type of Cruise is Called Inventory Cruising.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInventory Cruising is generally done at specific ages in a stand\u2019s life. This information is used and maintained in our system so we understand what volume is available at any point in time\u2014primarily in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rick likens it to a store owner inventorying their merchandise so they know how much of each item they have in stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rusty adds that an inventory timber cruise plays an important role in planning for the future. The data is entered into growth and yield models to project what the forests’ wood supply will be in years to come, when the trees reach maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says inventory cruising is also done close to harvest time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That way we know real accurately what to expect for pricing” when the trees are harvested and weighed, he explains. “That’s how we budget each year, based on those cruises.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He demonstrates an inventory cruise in the video below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n