Amount of cords/tree table

[livemusic]

The table linked provides cords/tree using DBH and assumes a 4 inch top. Not sure I understand that. How does a big hardwood have a top of 4 inches? Its limbs spread out and there really is no top, it's a butt log and alot of limbs. What do you think this table is displaying? (If you have another table or a calculator, advise. thanks

firewood DBH table

EDIT: I found the answer. Another site, using the same table, says, "Estimates from this chart assume that you utilize the main stem and all limb wood until limb diameter reaches 4 inches."

[SwampDonkey]

Up here all our standard volume tables are based on 4" dbh minimum and that is 4-1/2' high. 4" top is a throw back to the old 4 foot pulp days up here, a 4-1/2' long stick had to be 4" minimum to be added in the load. There was always 4" of trim on a stick. Most firewood loggers are actually cutting to pulpwood specs. Now a days no one wants 4' pulpwood at the mills. Some pulp mills will now take wood with a 2-1/2" top end.


Your volume/acre there is based on a fixed area, another method is with a wedge prism. The angle of the wedge and the tree diameters determines the plot size. Bigger the trees the bigger the plot, they can be further from the point you view them from to be counted, versus small tree average size that make a smaller plot.

You'll find posts on the forum with methods of sampling standing trees for volume per acre.

Three  80' hard maple 16" dbh will yield a cord, limb wood included. It takes 3.6 m3 to make a cord and a 16" maple is 1 m3 in stem wood, not limbs. Talking dominant tree in the canopy. I had a 36" maple 80' that yielded 2 cords, lots of big limbs. I cut and stacked it. A 36" tree is 4-1/2 to 5 times the tree that is 16" and this was in a yard. Lots more wood in huge yard trees, open grown.

A 90' maple 16" will make half a cord, I'm sure. That kind of height growth in hardwood is extremely rare up my way. Aspen, yes will get to 90', taped some of them as windfalls. But they was over 3 feet through dbh.