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“You
can spend 50 years growing a crop of trees and then lose most of the
profit in 50 minutes…” “SNNAAAAAAAKE!!!” The shout came from somewhere to my right. Exactly where, I couldn’t see. The brush, vines, and clouds of mosquitoes were simply too thick. “Mark?” I yelled. “Mark, are you alright?” “BANG…BANG-BANG…BANG-BANG-BANG,” Mark replied with a rapid series of shots from his .357 Magnum. The gunshots were quickly followed by the violent sounds of thrashing brush. I moved in his direction, pausing once to curse softly after stumbling face first into a thicket of devil’s walking stick. A wall of briars gave way before me and I fell into the clearing Mark had created in the undergrowth. “Mark, are you OK?” I repeated, jumping to my feet, eyes darting around the newly created glade. “Where is the snake? What is it? A rattler? A water moccasin?” Mark was silent. I began to look more closely. And then I saw it…lying on the far side of the clearing…yet unscathed by bullets. I stooped carefully and picked it up around the middle. All six feet of it. A beautiful but deadly specimen of Immitationus snakus. Better known as a tree branch. After “The Incident,” as it became known among the more experienced foresters, Mark and I continued to push through the thick woods. We were measuring and recording the diameter, height, species, product, and grade of trees—cruising timber, in other words—for a landowner preparing to conduct a timber sale. Near sundown we arrived back at the truck. Clothes torn. Skin scratched and bleeding. Ears ringing from the constant buzz of deerflies. Mark threw his tally book into the truck cab and stared at me, expressionless. Although this was the first “real” forestry job for both of us, we had known each other a long time. I knew what he was thinking, because the same thought was in my mind. “There had better be a damn good reason for this,” he said. There
is… Why Cruise? Timber cruising is a physically demanding, technical,
repetitive job that requires training and patience.
Foresters wouldn’t spend the dog days of summer being eaten
alive by chiggers, ticks, and fire ants without a very good reason.
Several of these reasons include:
The
most common motive for cruising timber is to determine the volume and
value of standing trees that will be sold in a timber sale.
Timber Cruise vs. Forest
Management Plan This fall I went backpacking in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness with two good friends. Although the ultimate objective seemed fairly simple—to hike the 39.4 mile Whitewater Loop and perhaps do a little fishing—the actual planning process began last January. We needed to coordinate our schedules, purchase airline tickets, make rental car arrangements, evaluate and replace equipment, and rediscover physical conditioning. (As Brian wrote in one e-mail regarding an equipment list: “If there are any refinements to my list, please don’t hesitate to send them. After all, when I collapse because I am weak and out of shape you will be carrying a third of it!”) A
forest management plan is similar to the overall roadmap you develop
and follow to reach your vacation destination.
Timber harvesting is one of the transportation methods that
gets you to that destination: like
an airplane, for example. Think
of the timber cruise as that final inventory of the backpack or
suitcase contents you perform prior to entrusting the airline
personnel with your luggage. What to Expect--and What NOT to Expect--from a Cruise Unless you own a very small, very valuable tract, do not expect your forester to measure 100% of the trees in your woods. For most forest inventories it is not economically or humanly possible to measure every tree in an acceptable time period. Rather, the timber cruise will be designed according to the timber size and density, area covered, precision desired, number of people available for fieldwork, and the length of time allowed for the estimate. Normally the intensity of the sample increases as: 1) the size of the tract decreases, and 2) the timber value increases (Avery and Burkhart 1983). No reliable timber inventory can be planned until the forester knows the exact locations of all tract corners and boundary lines. If you don’t know for an absolute fact where your boundaries and corners are, expect your forester to spend some quality time both in the courthouse and in the field prior to performing the timber cruise. During the timber cruise, the forester will tally tree species, diameter, merchantable height, product, and grade along with other items of interest to the landowner (cavity trees that offer wildlife potential den or nesting sites, for example). After collecting this field data, expect the forester to calculate volumes using proven volume equations and appropriate units of measure. Some foresters will return to the office and use a spreadsheet or computer program to summarize the data. However, an increasing number of foresters are using electronic data recorders for field measurements. With the appropriate software, the forester can punch a few buttons after the last tree is tallied and quickly learn the cruise results, including whether a few more plots are needed. Expect volume calculations for each product contained in the stand, such as pine pulpwood, pine sawtimber, hardwood pulpwood, and hardwood sawtimber. Product classes may be more specific if markets allow. Expect to receive volume tables illustrating these figures. Some consultants also offer inventory statistics such as standard deviations, variances, and confidence intervals upon request. When timber value is a consideration, expect the forester to consider tree size, species, quality, soil type, topography, access, and market conditions when determining the total value of the timber. Lastly,
expect the time and effort that went into the cruise to pay off. What Can Happen Without a Cruise Many landowners sell their timber for a fraction of its value because they fail to recognize its true value or fail to market it properly. About a year ago I was regaled with a remarkable story that should illustrate this point. A widow lived alone in a modest farmhouse. The back porch roof leaked on rainy days, so she called a carpenter. The carpenter estimated the repairs at $5,000. The woman didn’t have $5,000, but she did have about 50 acres of nice pine sawtimber. She called a timber buyer and told him she needed $5,000 for her timber so she could fix her porch. $5,000 is what she received. By not knowing to get a timber cruise the widow purchased a new roof for her porch. By seeking a timber cruise she could have purchased a new house. There are a variety of stories about unscrupulous timber buyers
rooking widows. But if I
go to a garage sale and spy an extremely valuable antique on sale for
a quarter, is it my responsibility to tell the proprietor what she
has, or the proprietor’s responsibility to know what she is selling?
There are timber buyers with a reputation for fairness and
timber buyers known to take advantage of a good deal when they see it.
The average forest landowner will sell timber once in his
lifetime. Why not make
the most of that opportunity? Maximize
your income by seeking professional assistance, a management plan, and
a timber cruise. How to Obtain a Cruise Timber cruises can be obtained from basically two sources. If you are involved in a forest industry landowner assistance program, you should be able to obtain a cruise from one of the company foresters. Otherwise, the best place to obtain a timber cruise is from a consulting forester. The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) county offices maintain listings of consulting foresters who work in and around their respective counties. Call and talk to your county forester to pursue your options. Landowners with internet access can also visit the VDOF internet website at www.dof.state.va.us. Select “Landowner Assistance” from the home page, then “Consulting Foresters.” Read the information provided, then search for consulting foresters in your area with the characteristics you desire. Before selecting a consulting forester or timber cruiser, be sure to review his or her qualifications to insure that the working relationship will be mutually beneficial and consistent with your objectives. Some consulting forestry companies publish data comparing the volume cruised prior to harvest and the actual volume harvested during the logging operation. Landowners may request this information to judge the consistency and accuracy of the foresters’ cruises. As
a general rule, avoid “walkthrough artists” and “windshield
cruises.” A
“walkthrough artist” will literally walk through a tract taking
mental notations of timber volume and value.
Although experienced individuals can do this with considerable
accuracy, the landowner often has no guarantee that the resulting
offer is fair. A
“windshield cruise” is slightly less industrious than a walk
through. The windshield
cruiser estimates volume and value from the comfort of his pickup
truck while driving down the road.
Windshield cruises are inaccurate because the roadside timber
is hardly ever representative of the entire tract. Literature Cited Avery, T. E. and H.E. Burkhart. 1983. Forest Measurements. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 331 pages. |
