Forest Biomass Sampling

Freese (1976) observed that partial knowledge is a normal state of doing business in many professions; the same can be said for the practice of forestry. The complete census is rare, and the sample is commonplace. A forester must advertise timber sales with estimated volume, estimated grade yield and value, estimated cost, and estimated risk. The nurseryperson sows seed whose germination is estimated from a tiny fraction of the seedlot, and at harvest he or she estimates the seedling crop with sample counts in the nursery beds. Enterprising pulp companies, seeking a source of raw material in sawmill residue, may estimate the potential tonnage of chippable material by multiplying reported production by a set of conversion factors obtained at a few representative sawmills.