North Carolina Land » forestry http://www.nc-land.com information for rural landowners Sun, 15 Oct 2006 00:42:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 What is a Timber Cruise? http://www.nc-land.com/2006/10/what-is-a-timber-cruise/ http://www.nc-land.com/2006/10/what-is-a-timber-cruise/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:59:26 +0000 Rodney http://www.nc-land.com/?p=5 If you have been involved in buying and selling rural land, you may have heard the term timber cruise. Contrary to what it may seem, a timber cruise does not involve driving around in an automobile!Simply put, a timber cruise is a procedure used to determine the amount, value and kinds of forest products located in a stand. A stand could be an entire property, or an area of trees with similar age and species composition. There are several ways to conduct a timber cruise and in North Carolina the two most common types of cruises are the plot cruise and the 100% cruise.During as a plot cruise a forester will measure and record all trees located within a specific area (typically 1/10th of an acre). The layout of the sample plots can be random or systematic.During a 100% cruise, the forester will measure and record every tree within the stand.With larger stands (30 acres or more) it is generally acceptable to complete a sample cruise. For smaller stands or stands with very high value trees, it may make more sense to complete a 100% cruise. A 100% cruise is almost always more accurate than a sample cruise, however for buying and selling land a sample cruise is cheaper and usually acceptable.

Once the cruse is completed, the volume (usually in board feet or tons) of the different species of trees and wood products can be computed. With this information, a value can be placed on the timber.

Keep in mind that a timber cruise is only an estimate. The outcome of the cruise can vary by the cruise method employed, the forester who complete the cruise and the working conditions in the woods. The value determined during the cruise can also fluctuate substantially depending on many several factors, including the timber and housing markets, weather conditions and the working conditions of the property.

 

 

 

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