Tools Used in Forestry Tree Key Dichotomous Key

Tools Used in Forestry

Tree Key, Dichotomous Key

Clinometer Used to measure heights of trees, slopes, and vertical angles

Diameter Tape or Tree Calipers When wrapped around the trunk of a tree, provides readings of tree’s diameter (D=circumference/pi)

Increment Borer Used to extract cores of wood from trees or freshly treated poles, piling, lumber, or timbers to determine growth rate, age and, tree soundness by drilling into the tree or material and extracting the core.

Biltmore Stick Use to determine number of logs in a tree, diameter, and volume and to scale logs.

Compass Used to determine one's location or navigate to a known location

Tree Marking Gun Used to put paint on trees to be removed during thinning and other operations.

Classification of Trees by Size • Seedling: up to one inch dbh • Sapling: 1 -5 inches dbh • Poletimber: 5 -9 inches dbh (softwoods) 5 -11 inches dbh (hardwoods) • Sawtimber: 9 inches and greater dbh (softwoods) 11 inches and greater dbh (hardwoods)

Board Foot Rough wood 1 foot long 1 foot wide 1 inch thick Volume-144 cubic inches before surfacing

Cubic Foot Amount of wood required to fill a space 1 foot wide 1 foot thick 1 foot high

Cord Stack of wood 4 ft X 8 ft 128 cubic feet Actual usually around-75 -100 cubic feet Measurement usually used on fire wood