Estimating Board
Feet
1) Find the DBH and merchantable height of
the tree (instructions on separate handouts).
Merchantable height is the height of the tree
trunk up the point where it has heavy
branching or defects.
2) Since DBH and height are measured in
centimetres and metres, you need to
convert your measurements to inches and
feet. Round DBH to the nearest 2 inches
and height to the nearest 8 feet.
Conversions:
1cm = 0.39 inches
1 foot = 12 inches
DBH (inches) = DBH (cm) x 0.39
Height (feet) = height (m) x 100 x 0.39/12
3) Use the table below to estimate board
feet.
A board foot is a commonly used
measure of lumber volume. It is 144
cubic inches, more easily visualized
as a 1 inch thick 12 x 12 inch piece
of wood. The board foot volume of a
tree or log is an estimate of how
many board feet can be cut from it.