Chapter 9 - Glossary of Timber Terms - Hardwood Timber Industry
ACRE - A unit of land comprising 43,560 square feet.
AGE, ROTATION - Age at which a stand is considered to be ready for harvesting under the plan of management.
ANNUAL RING - A tree's layer of wood growth for one year. Annual rings can be seen o the cross sections of tree stems or branches.
B.F. - This is an abbreviation for "board feet."
B.M. - This is an abbreviation for "board measure," which usually refers to the board feet of lumber.
BOARD FOOT - A unit of measurement represented by a board, which is typically unfinished and unsurfaced, 1 foot long, 1 foot wide and 1 inch thick. In practice, the working unit is 1,000 board feet, which normally is abbreviated MBF.
BOARD FOOT, LOG SCALE - A unit of measure of the content of a log determined using a log rule; also the common unit of measure of timber volume.
BOARD FOOT, GREEN CHAIN TALLY - A unit of measurement represented by unfinished lumber as it comes from the saw.
BOLE - The trunk of a tree; typically where the usable wood is located.
BOLTS - Short logs or sections of a large log, usually less than 8 feet long.
BUCK - To saw felled trees into smaller units, such as logs or bolts.
BUTT - The base of a tree; the large end of a log.
C.F.I. - An abbreviation for Continuous Forest Inventory, a system of periodically monitoring the forest for growth, volume, composition, and mortality of the forest stands.
CARRIAGE - The frame for holding a log while it is being sawed. The carriage also advances logs toward the saw line after a cut has been made. It travels on tracks.
CHERRY PICKER - A piece of machinery, generally attached to a truck, loading dock, etc., which is used to load and unload logs.
CLEARCUTTING - A process of removing all merchantable trees from an area in a logging operation.
CONIFER - Usually an evergreen tree that bears cones and needle-shaped leaves. Coniferous trees are known as softwood trees, and softwood lumber is produced from them.
CONVERSION COSTS - Costs of converting standing timber to a saleable product. Conversion costs include: costs of felling trees, removing limbs, bucking, skidding, loading logs, and transporting logs.
CORD - A unit of measurement of stacked wood (typically pulpwood). The standard cord consists of a pile of wood whose pieces are 4 feet long stacked 4 feet high by 8 feet long, containing 128 cubic feet of space. A long cord is a cord containing wood pieces longer than 4 feet; pieces 5 feet long result in 160 cubic feet of space. A common unit of measure of timber.
CORE - 1. The inner layer(s) of plywood; it is commonly of low quality material. 2. That portion of a veneer bolt remaining in the lathe after rotary cutting in veneer production.
CRIBBAGE - Rough cut lumber often used in coal mines for support purposes.
CROWN - The upper part of a tree, including branches, foliage, etc.
CRUISE - To survey forest lands for the purpose of locating and estimating volumes and grades of standing timber.
CYCLE, CUTTING - The planned intermission between harvesting operations within the same stand.
D.B.H. - This is an abbreviation for Diameter (of a tree) at Breast Height; diameter of a tree at 4 1/2 feet above the ground.
DECIDUOUS - A deciduous tree is one that loses its leaves in the fall.
DECK, LOG-1. Area or platform on which logs are placed. 2. A pile of logs. 3. Portion of a sawmill on which logs are held before they are sawed.
ECOLOGY - The science of the relationships between plants and animals and their environment.
EVEN-AGED - A term to describe a stand in which the individual trees are relatively the same age.
FELLED TIMBER - Timber which has been cut.
FIREBREAK A barrier used to stop or check wildfires which may occur. The barrier can be natural or constructed.
GIRDLE - To encircle the stem of a living tree with cuts with the intention of killing the tree. The cuts are made to sever the bark and cambium. The tree dies by preventing the passage of nutrients. Toxic materials may be injected into the tree through the cut also.
HARDWOOD - Generally trees which have broad leaves - deciduous trees. Lumber from hardwood trees is referred to as hardwood lumber.
HEAD SAW - The main log cutting saw in a sawmill.
HEARTWOOD - The inner core of a wood stem; usually darker in color than the outer sapwood.
INCREMENT BORER - An instrument with a hollow bit, similar to an auger. It is used to extract cores from trees to determine growth, age, etc.
INTOLERANT TREE A tree incapable of growing in the shade of or in competition with other trees.
KILN DRY - A process of drying lumber by the controlled application of heat.
LOG - 1. A verb meaning to cut and deliver logs. meaning a segment of a tree. 2. A noun meaning a segment of a tree
LOG RULE - A table which shows the estimated amount of lumber which can be sawed from logs. One must know the log's length and diameter to use a log rule. The tables are divided into four groups as follows:
1. Diagram rules
2. Formula rules
3. Actual Output rules4. Hybrid rules
MARKING - The process of identifying trees which are to be cut and sold.
OLD GROWTH - Also known as first growth timber or virgin timber. It refers to a forest in which little, if any, cutting has been done.
OVERCUT - The excess of the quantity of timber cut from a tract over the estimated quantity on the tract.
OVERRUN - The excess of the lumber sawn from logs over the quantity estimated that could be sawn.
OVERSTORY - Refers to trees in a stand forming the upper crown cover.
PEELER The log used in the manufacture of rotary-cut veneer.
PULPWOOD - Wood that is cut primarily to make wood pulp, which may be manufactured into the following: paper, fiber, paperboard, etc.
REFORESTATION - The replenishing of an area with forest trees. It can be a natural or artificial process.
RELEASE CUTTING- The process of cutting large trees which over-shadow smaller, usually younger trees, thus allowing the younger trees to grow better.
REPRODUCTION - The process of renewing a forest. It can be artificial, renewed by direct seeding or planting by man, or it can be natural, renewed by self-sown seeds, sprouts, etc.
ROT, HEART Decay found in the heartwood of trees.
SAPLING - A young tree 2 to 4 inches D.B.H.
SAPWOOD - The light-colored outer ring of wood in a tree. It consists of living cells, and it is necessary to conduct water and minerals to the tree crown.
SAWTIMBER Trees from which sawlogs may be cut. Sawtimber stands generally are stands where sawtimber-sized trees are the most important component.
SAWYER - The person who controls the sawing of sawlogs into lumber.
SCALER - The person who determines the volume of logs.
SCALING . The process of determining the volume of logs. Measuring the dimensions of the logs is part of the process.
SECOND-GROWTH - The new timber which develops after removing old-growth. Old-growth may be removed by cutting, fire, or other cause.
SECTION - A unit Of land measurement generally equaling one mile square or 640 acres.
SEEDLING - A young tree grown from seed that is smaller than a sapling.
SEED TREE . A tree that produces seed; usually trees left during logging to provide seed for reforestation.
SELECTIVE LOGGING OR CUTTING The selective removal of a single tree or small groups of trees during a timber harvesting operation. These trees may be removed because they are mature, large, or diseased.
SEVERANCE TAX A state excise tax. It is levied on timber cut.
SITE - An area generally chosen for its ecological factors and ability to produce timber.
SKID - To pull logs from the stump. The logs are pulled to a skidway, landing or mill.
SKIDDER - A four-wheeled or other self-propelled machine which is used to skid felled trees or logs. Also, one who skids logs.
SLASH - The woody debris remaining on the ground after logging: slash includes branches, bark, chunks, cull logs, uprooted stumps, and uprooted trees.
SOFTWOOD - Generally trees which have needle or scale-like leaves, conifers. Also, see Conifer.
STAND - An aggregation of trees occupying a specific area of land and sufficiently uniform in species, composition, age, density, and other conditions so as to be easily distinguishable from the forest or other growth on adjoining areas.
STAND, MIXED - A stand in which less than a specified percentage of trees forming the main crown canopy consists of a single species.
STAND, PURE -A stand in which at least a specified percentage of trees forming the main crown canopy is of a single species.
STOCK, GROWING - The total trees in the forest.
STUMPAGE - Standing timber (from an exploiter's point of view).
STUMP-WOOD - The resinous stump and root of longleaf or slash pine. It is often used to extract turpentine and rosin.
THINNING - A selective cut in an immature stand. A thinning is performed to increase both the rate and quality of growth, to improve composition, to promote sanitation, to improve yield, and to recover usable materials.
TIMBER For federal tax purposes, it is the wood in standing trees which is available and suitable for exploitation and use by the forest industries. See, IRM 4232.4-121(3).
T.S.I. - Timber Stand Improvement is a term generally applied to intermediate cuttings in a stand that are not part of a major harvest; it is done to improve stand conditions.
UNDERRUN - The amount by which lumber sawn from logs is less than the estimated quantity expected to be sawn; descriptive term indicating this condition.
UNDERSTORY - Trees in a stand which grow under the trees forming the main crown canopy.
EVEN-AGED - A term to describe a Stand in which there are significant differences in thee age of the trees and three or more age classes exist.
WEED TREE -A tree with little value, if any.
YIELD, SUSTAINED - The quantity of timber a forest can produce continuously under a given plan of management; a continuous production of timber with a balance between growth and harvest.