BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 14, 2001 Recent advances in electronic and computing technologies have greatly impacted how forest resources are assessed. The fifth edition of Forest Measurements, by Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor Harold E. Burkhart, retains the principal topics included in previous editions while adding new material on use of electronic devices for measuring distances, electronic equipment for recording field data, global positioning systems for determining locations, and geographic information systems for storing, retrieving, summarizing, and analyzing forestry data. In addition, a book web page is available to supplement, extend, and enhance information in the textbook.

The book is intended for introductory courses in forest measurements. Emphasis is on the measurement of timber, with detailed coverage on measuring products cut from tree trunks (tree boles), measuring attributes of standing trees, inventorying volumes of forest stands, and predicting growth of individual trees and stands of trees.

The book also includes background information on statistical methods, sampling designs, land measurements, and use of aerial photographs. An introduction to assessing range, wildlife, water, and recreation resources associated with forested lands comprises the last chapter. The measurement principles and techniques discussed apply to any inventory that includes assessment of the tree overstory, regardless of whether the inventory is conducted for timber, range, wildlife, watershed, recreation, or other management objectives.

Burkhart, forestry department head in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, is considered the pioneer of biometrics, the study of forest measurements to develop growth and yield models. First published in 1967 by T. Eugene Avery, the text has become the standard forest measurement text throughout North America. Burkhart collaborated with Avery in the production of the third edition (1983) and subsequ
'"/>

Contact: Harold Burkhart
burkhart@vt.edu
540-231-6952
Virginia Tech
14-Sep-2001

Page: 1 2
Related biology news :

1. Huge market for forest moss raises concerns
2. New England forests at greater risk from air pollution
3. Warmer weather, human disturbances interact to change forests
4. Save the rainforest - eat a tree
5. Satellites are tracing Europes forest fire scars
6. Articles on forest fire risks published in BioScience
7. Deserts and rainforests are equally productive during drought
8. New highways drive accelerating deforestation in Amazonia
9. Domesticated tree crops may be the future of forestry
10. Conservation International & SC Johnson invest in Ecuadors rainforest to offset climate impacts
11. Researchers find no safe place to sit in California tick-infested forest