Terms and queries about forestry and the tree crop
LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, is a relatively new remote sensing survey method, using a pulsed laser to calculate an object’s variable distances from the earth surface. LiDAR can be used to complement ground-based tree crop inventory and reduce the overall cost of obtaining area and crop condition data and information.
Cubic metres of timber per hectare.
An inventory of the trees halfway through a crop's life cycle, involving the measurement and analysis of a randomly selected sample based on area, often at an intensity of 1% of total area. The data is used to ‘grow on’ the crop to maturity using computer modelling to give an estimate of log grade and [...]
The actual area of land in the forest that has the treecrop on it.
See Radiata pine.
A forest that has been planted as a crop for eventual harvest. Most plantation forests are replanted following harvest for second and subsequent rotations in perpetuity. The majority of New Zealand plantation forests are planted in Radiata pine (Pinus radiata), an exotic tree species. Plantation forests contrast with indigenous or naturally occurring forests.
A plot is a selected sample of trees within an area. A plot is used during forestry operations (e.g. pruning and thinning) for quality control, or at other times for measuring growth and yield characteristics for record-keeping and projection purposes. Plotting is the process of statistically selecting the number and location of plots to get [...]
Removal of branches flush with the trunk to promote the growth of knot-free timber. There are 1 - 4 prunes (sometimes called 'lifts') that usually occur between 4 and 8 years after planting.
A fast-growing soft-wood tree that grows up to 35 metres and has many commercial uses. It is the most commonly grown tree in New Zealand's plantation forests. It is also known as Monterey pine and is native to California, USA.
Removing competing growth from around young trees, normally by spraying.