Forestry

A suitably qualified forestry expert can examine plot locations, sampling methods, tree species, diameter and height measurements, stand density, acreage, volume calculations, maps, and the assumptions used to extrapolate sampled measurements across a tract. Forest inventories are used to measure forest condition, growth, mortality, removals, and other changes over time, while timber cruising provides sampling and measurement data for estimating timber volume.

The analysis may consider the condition of the stand before treatment, management objectives, species composition, stand density, regeneration, thinning or harvesting practices, and subsequent forest development. The appropriate treatment depends on the particular forest and management objective. The Forest Service describes silviculture as managing the establishment, growth, composition, and health of forests and recognizes multiple silvicultural systems rather than a single management approach.

Useful materials may include forest-management plans, timber cruises and inventories, stand maps, GIS files, aerial or satellite imagery, silvicultural prescriptions, timber-sale or harvest documents, logging plans, tree-marking records, photographs and video, reforestation records, contractor documentation, equipment and activity logs, and historical management records. Preserving original spatial and inventory datasets can be especially important when stand boundaries, timber quantities, harvesting areas, or changes in forest condition are disputed.