Marking, counting, cubing of trees

I - What is the marking, counting, and cubing of trees?
II - How to mark, count and cube trees?
III - Why marking, counting, and cubing trees?
IV - Why Planfor ?

I - What is the marking, counting, and cubing of trees?

Marking trees :

All the tree varieties used for lumber production need thinning, except the poplar and walnut tree.
In this, it is necessary to mark the trees to cut and those to keep, while taking into consideration the forester’s objectives of production. As the marking is handmade, it is necessary to clear the plot beforehand. Furthermore, this clearing brings value to the lumber and facilitates all the exploitation works (cutting and skidding).
To define the marking instructions, dendrometry surveys are necessary.
These surveys confirm that a thinning has to be done and give the ratio of trees to cut.

There are different methods for the marking:

• Systematic (e.g., 1 tree out of 3) or selective (according to the quality or the sanitary state of the trees).
• From the top (selecting only dominating trees), from the bottom (selecting only dominated trees) or a little of both.
• Marking the trees to cut or the trees to keep. The most usual way is to mark the trees that need to be cut.

A quality marking guarantees the good long-lasting development of the different trees until the clear-cutting.
According to the varieties and the regions, a single tree can have one or two marks 1m30 high on the trunk, plus one at the foot, to control that the forester does not cut more branches than expected.
There are other practices. For instance, for some planted or sown varieties, the marking is done on 1 line out of 10, so the forester can control the exploitation machines. The marking must be backed by a thinning instruction sheet. For this practice, the owner or his manager have to control the exploitation regularly.
Marking is quite frequent for thinning, as well as counting and cubing is for clear-cutting.

Counting trees :

Marking trees is the only way to count the exact number of trees to exploit. This method is often used for the last thinning with a strong economic value, and for the clear-cutting.
Some foresters carry out a counting as soon as the first thinning.
The counting of trees combined with dendrometry surveys allows an estimation of the quantity of trees to cut and is called “cubing”.

Cubing trees :

Cubing trees consists in obtaining the volume of the trees for sale, or for an estimation.
For the first thinning, unit sales of wood are made (link to Wood selling document), and the cubing is often done “on roadside”. Piles of timber “on roadside” are sorted by groups of products, then they are measured to obtain the volume in stere.
This technique is also used for last thinning or clear-cutting. However, the clear-cutting timber are more often sold as a whole and still standing. (link to Wood selling document)
This implies that the timber has been ‘cubed’ before being put on the market. To estimate the volume of timber wood, the whole lot of trees has to be counted and dendrometry measures are to be done (measures of circumference and height).
For some tree varieties, dendrometry data combined with measure scales directly give the volume of the trees concerned.

II - How to mark, count and cube trees?

Marking trees :

The marking must follow the recommendations determined by both the dendrometry surveys and the forester’s wishes. It must also take into account the sanitary state of the trees.
To be efficient, the marking must be visible by the drivers of the exploitation machines, wherever they are coming from.
In forests with different tree varieties, it is important to determine the varieties to be marked.
This marking is often done with spray paint, but also with a marking hammer or a claw.
When paint is used for marking, it is important to use the same symbols (dots or lines) and the same colour for a whole lot of wood.

Counting trees :

During the marking, measures of circumference are taken with a tape measure or a calliper (manual or electronic forestry compass), at 1m30 from the ground.
All the measures done on site are registered in a counting table. This way, it is easy to know exactly how many trees were marked by circumference or diameter.
In this table are also noted market values estimated on site by dendrometry measures for each circumference or diameter.
This table is then considered the basis to calculate the cubing, that is to say, the estimation of the volume for the whole lot of timber.

Cubing trees :

Cubing consists in evaluating the volume of timber, still standing, or cut, per tree or as a lot.

There are two necessary operations to cube a tree (dendrometry measures):

• Measuring its circumference or its diameter at 1.30 m from the ground.
• Estimating the height which can be sold (which is variable according to the varieties and the circumference at 1.30 m).

The estimation of the volume for a lot of timber is done by adding the cubing of all the trees.
The cubing is done with “scales” or “rates”, such as Chaudé’s or Algan’s rate, and the Lapasse’s scale, according to the varieties and the nature of the trees.
The estimation of the bulk is given in stere.
This concerns fuel wood and most of the unit sales of the product. The stere is a measuring unit for apparent volume. It represents the piling of logs, one metre long by one metre wide and by one metre high. But the logs are more or less cylindrical: even when piled carefully, there is still some empty space between them. In a one-cubic-metre bulk there is wood, but there is also space. One stere of wood actually represents less than one cubic metre of wood.

III - Why marking, counting, and cubing trees?

MARKING and COUNTING is a good way for the forester to control and have a good command of the wood exploitation on his estate, so it matches the production objectives he wants to carry out.

MARKING and COUNTING after DENDROMETRIC MEASURES allows:

• Considering the singularity of the trees.
• Ascertaining the thinning and clear cuts needed before the declining limit of the trees (optimise production).

MARKING for thinning improves the productivity of the trees cutting, which generates a better economic value for a lot of timber.
MARKING is necessary when COUNTING standing trees, with the objective of CUBING the volume and calculating the value of the wood for a sale or for an estimation of a forest estate.
The counting table is a real synthesis of the inventory work done on site. Thanks to this, the forester knows his forest better and can make appropriate decisions.
The market value determined by this process can lead to a sale of standing timber, an inheritance/gift, or a forestry management.

IV - Why Planfor ?

PLANFOR can carry out necessary dendrometry measures and analysis before marking, counting, and cubing works.

• PLANFOR operates in the whole Aquitaine forest.
• PLANFOR can help you determine which forest parcel can produce wood to sell.
• PLANFOR provides his customers with a dedicated service, as well as with an innovative dendrometry analysis tool, to make the right decision at the right time for a good exploitation.
• PLANFOR provides his customers with data, so they are the only decision-makers for their estate.
• PLANFOR employs an experienced team of forest technicians to carry out marking.
• PLANFOR owns up-to-date measuring tools (dendrometry measuring tool, electronic compass), to better estimate the volume of a standing tree.
• PLANFOR employs professional forest managers who can keep track of the exploitation, and of the marking of the trees.
• PLANFOR, under mandate from the owner, can validate the volumes and receive the “roadside” piles of wood for a unit sale of the product.
• PLANFOR can determine the value of a forest and the standing timber capital, whether for a sale or for the estimation of an estate.

Sources :

• CNPF ;
• Vademecum du forestier ;
• Forêt de Gascogne ;
• Forêt Entreprise.