An online calculator has been launched by the Department of Agriculture to allow forest owners and managers estimate tree volume for the main conifer and broadleaf species.

Tree volume is a unit of measurement that details the size of a tree and can assist in determining the value of a tree or forest. Minister of State with responsibility for forestry Andrew Doyle said the tool would allow everyone calculate tree volume using tree diameter and height.

The information for conifer trees was obtained from 38,000 felled trees in experimental plots from 1971 to 2006. The broadleaf tree information was collected non-destructively using a remote diameter scope from over 4,000 trees across Irleand in 2013.

Calculations

The calculator will allow for the calculation of any segment of a tree stem as was as total stem volume. There will also be high accuracy for small groups of trees or individual trees where upper stem diameter and stump diameter are incorporated.

The Minister advised that: “By launching this calculator today, we are endeavouring to provide the best available information to all those involved in managing forests and in providing advice to owners.

“This information on tree size will aid in making an informed decision on whether to fell a forest or retain for a further number of years.

“At a national level, from a roundwood supply and wood quality perspective, the timing of felling is important to allow the production of sufficient quantities of valuable sawlog-sized material to support an expanding sawmill sector.”

Read more

Listen: replanting obligation and red tape raised as barriers to afforestation

Surge in non-farmer forestry in Roscommon and Cavan