Glossary of forestry and logging terms
Just as many car salesmen do, dishonest timber buyers and unethical loggers will try to use jargon and inaccurate terms to confuse you and try to trick you into signing a timber sale contract that isn't in your best interest.We're happy to provide this glossary of terms and their accurate definitions to help you understand what you need to know to protect yourself and your valuable timber.
A
Afforestation – Planting trees in an area that was not previously forested.
Agroforestry – A land-use management system that combines the cultivation of trees with crops or livestock to create environmental and economic benefits.
Artificial Regeneration – The process of replanting trees in a forest using seedlings or seeds, as opposed to relying on natural regeneration.
B
Basal Area – The cross-sectional area of a tree trunk at breast height, often used in forest management.
Board-Foot – A unit of measurement for lumber, equivalent to a 12-inch by 12-inch by 1-inch piece.
Broadleaf – Trees with flat leaves, typically hardwoods like oak or maple.
Browse – the tender shoots, leaves, and twigs of shrubs, trees, and woody plants that are an essential part of the diet for herbivorous wildlife, including whitetail deer.
Buck – To cut a felled tree into logs.
C
Canopy – The uppermost layer of foliage in a forest.
Certified Forester – A professional forester who has met specific education, experience, and ethical standards set by a certifying organization, such as the Society of American Foresters (SAF). Certified Foresters typically undergo rigorous testing and continuing education to ensure expertise in sustainable forest management, timber valuation, and conservation practices. This certification signifies a high level of competency and commitment to professional forestry standards. You should never sell your timber without the help of a certified forester.
Clear cutting – A logging method where all trees in an area are harvested at once. We explain more about clear cutting here.
Coppicing – A traditional method of woodland management where trees are cut to promote regrowth from the stumps.
Crown – The upper part of a tree, including the branches and foliage.You
D
DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) – The diameter of a tree measured at 4.5 feet above the ground.
Defects – imperfections or irregularities that diminish the quality, strength, appearance, or value of the timber logs. These defects can originate from natural causes, environmental factors, or mishandling during logging. We explain more about log defects here.
Deforestation – The removal of a forest or trees to clear the land for other uses.
Dendrology – The scientific study of trees and woody plants.
Doyle Scale – A log rule used to estimate the volume of lumber in a log, often applied to hardwood logs. This is the only scale that a buyer should use to measure your trees. If a logger or timber buyer uses another scale, you may be getting scammed.
E
Even-Aged Stand – A forest stand where all trees are roughly the same age.
F
Felling – The act of cutting down trees.
Firebreak – A gap in vegetation or other combustible material to prevent the spread of wildfires.
Forest Management Plan – A document outlining the sustainable practices for managing a forest.
Forest Stewardship – Responsible and sustainable management of forest resources.
Forester – A professional trained in the management of forests.
G
Girdling – Removing a strip of bark around a tree to kill it, often for forest management.
Grading – Assessing the quality of timber based on its characteristics.
Green Wood – Recently cut wood that still contains moisture.
H
Hardwood – Wood from broadleaf trees, like oak or maple.
Heartwood – The dense, inner part of a tree trunk, often darker and more durable.
High-Grading – Harvesting only the most valuable trees in a forest, often unsustainable. This is a common logging scam, and you can learn to protect yourself from it here.
Hinge-Cutting – The practice of performing hinge cuts on multiple trees, often as part of wildlife habitat management to create bedding areas, travel corridors, or food sources for animals like deer.
I
Increment Borer – A tool used to extract a core sample from a tree to determine its age.
J
Jack Pine – A species of pine tree valued for its use in paper pulp and sometimes as timber. It is also important for wildlife habitat.
K
Keystone Species – A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem, often influencing forest composition and health.
Knots – Imperfections in trees caused by the presence of tree branches. Knots can affect the structural integrity and market value of logs.
L
Landing – A cleared area in the forest where logs are collected for transport.
Log Deck – A stack or pile of logs ready for transport.
Logger – A person who fells and transports trees for timber.
Logging Road – A road constructed to provide access to forested areas for the purpose of transporting harvested timber and equipment. These roads are often temporary and designed to minimize environmental impact.
M
Marking – The process of identifying trees for harvest or preservation.
Mature Tree – A tree that has reached its optimal size for harvesting.
Merchantable – Timber of sufficient size and quality for commercial use.
N
Natural Regeneration – The process by which a forest regrows naturally from seeds, sprouts, or root systems without human intervention.
Niche – The specific role or function of a species within its ecosystem, often referenced in forestry for understanding species diversity and habitat requirements.
O
Overstory – The upper layer of trees in a forest.
Over-harvesting – The unsustainable practice of removing too many trees from a forest, often exceeding its natural regeneration capacity. Loggers can cheat you this way buy under-reporting the harvest to you.
Old-Growth Forest – A forest that has reached a mature ecological stage, often characterized by large, old trees, complex ecosystems, and minimal human disturbance
P
Plantation Forestry – The practice of growing trees for commercial purposes in managed areas.
Point of Cut – The specific location on a tree where a saw is applied to make a cut, typically on the stump a few inches from the ground. Many loggers try to scam landowners with this term. We teach you how to protect yourself from it on our Timber Talk blog.
Pole Timber – Young trees of intermediate size, larger than saplings but not mature.
Pruning – Removing branches from trees to improve timber quality or health.
Pulpwood – Timber used to make paper products.
Q
Quercus – The genus name for oak trees, which are significant in forestry for their high-value timber and wildlife habitat.
R
Reforestation – Replanting trees in an area that was previously forested.
Regeneration – The natural or artificial renewal of a forest.
Riparian Zone – The area of vegetation along the edges of rivers and streams.
Root Rot – A disease that attacks the roots of trees, often caused by fungi.
S
Sawlog – A log that is of sufficient size and quality to be sawed into lumber.
Sawmill – A facility where logs are processed into lumber by cutting, sawing, and shaping the wood into boards, beams, or other products. e science of growing and managing trees and forests.
Skidder – A machine used to haul logs from the forest to a landing.
Snag – A standing dead tree.
Softwood – Wood from coniferous trees, like pine or spruce.
Stand – A group of trees growing together in a specific area.
Stumpage – The value of standing timber in a forest.
Sustainable Forestry – Practices aimed at managing forests to meet present and future needs.
T
Thinning – Removing some trees from a stand to improve the growth and health of the remaining trees.
Timber Buyer – An individual or company that purchases standing timber from landowners, typically for harvesting and resale. Timber buyers assess the value of timber based on factors such as species, size, quality, and market conditions. Ethical timber buyers provide fair offers, explain contract terms clearly, and follow sustainable harvesting practices. Their role often includes negotiating agreements, securing timber rights, and coordinating with loggers for harvesting. Many timber buyers in our service area are notorious for being untrustworthy, and we teach you how to protect yourself from the worst ones on our Timber Talk Blog.
Timber Cruise – An inventory or survey of timber to estimate its volume and value.
Timber Sale Contract – A legal agreement outlining the terms of a timber harvest. This is where dishonest timber buyers and sawmills pull most of their logging scams. We teach you how to protect yourself from them here.
Timber Stand Improvement – A forest management practice aimed at enhancing the growth, health, and quality of a timber stand by selectively removing undesirable trees, controlling competing vegetation, or pruning trees.
Timber Tax Basis – The tax basis of timber represents its value for tax purposes, typically the original cost of acquiring the timber or its fair market value at the time it was acquired.
U
Understory – The layer of vegetation growing beneath the forest canopy.
Uneven-Aged Stand – A forest stand with trees of various ages.
Under-bidding – The practice of offering a price for standing timber that is significantly lower than its fair market value, often exploiting landowners who may be unaware of the timber’s true worth. This happens all over the 46 Ohio counties we serve and we teach you how we protect you from it here.
V
Veneer Log – High-quality logs used to produce thin sheets of wood for veneers.
Volume Table – A chart used to estimate the volume of timber in a tree based on its diameter and height.
Timber buyers and loggers use both of these terms frequently to try to cheat you. Learn how they pull their scams here.
W
Watershed – The land area that drains into a particular body of water.
Wildlife Corridor – A strip of natural habitat connecting two larger areas, allowing wildlife movement.
Wildlife Habitat Restoration – The process of improving or restoring natural environments to support wildlife populations.
Windthrow – Trees uprooted or broken by wind. Vast numbers pf trees were killed like this by a derecho in 2022 in Wayne County and again in 2024 in Geauga County. You can sell timber that was knocked down by a storm too.
Wolf Tree – A tree with a large, spreading crown that takes up growing space from other trees.
X
Xeriscaping – Landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation, often using trees and shrubs.
Xylem – The tissue in trees and plants responsible for conducting water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. In wood, xylem forms the structural material used as timber.
Y
Yield – The amount of usable timber harvested from a forest.
Young Stand – A forest stand with trees in the early stages of growth.
Z
Zoning – Regulations governing the use and management of land, including forestry.
Zone Management – A forestry practice that divides a forest into distinct zones based on use, such as conservation, recreation, or timber harvesting, to balance ecological and economic goals