Forestry & Woodland Surveying

We can provide Forestry/Woodland surveys for you. Minimum charge tends to be around £250 for a site visit, and report. These types of surveys are carried out for management purposes. They are mostly used in timber producing operations to:

• Quantify parcels of timber for sale (Most accuracy demanded)
  
• Describe woodlands for a management plan
  
• Monitor trees or stands (Least accuracy demanded)

The methods used are standardised & accountable. The measurement of trees & timber in all forestry situations in the UK are those described in Forestry Commission Booklet 39 Forest mensuration. Considerable experience is needed to choose the correct protocol for a given situation. Booklet 39 starts too far down the road for amenity governed woodlands, but it is essential when any sort of production felling operation is undertaken.

Timber varies in value with age (which mostly relates to optimal size). High value timber demands the most accurate methods of measurement, at the top of this list:

• Felled timber measurement (Most accurate, most expensive).
  
• Single tree measurement (Accurate standing timber measure).
  
• The Tariffing system. (Best approximation).
  
• Fixed plot analysis (for large areas& low value produce)
  
• Variable plot analysis (least accurate, used for large forests)