What a Forest Inventory Report Should Contain

What is a forest inventory report?

A forest inventory is a survey of the size, number and condition of the trees in an area. For a seller, a forest inventory report is that survey written down for one plantation: how big it is, how many trees stand in it, how big those trees are and what condition they are in. It is the document that turns "I have a good forest" into figures a buyer can price.

The counting guide explains how an owner can check a number. This page is different: it sets out the deliverable, meaning what a finished report should contain, so you can commission one or judge one. Without it, buyers fill the gaps with caution, and caution lowers the offer. Read how standing timber is valued for how the figures turn into money.

How does the sample plot method work?

Counting every tree is slow and often not needed. The usual method is to measure small plots, then scale the result up to the whole block. A University of Arkansas guide for landowners describes the fixed-plot version this way: choose measured areas inside the stand, record every qualifying tree in those plots, work out an expansion factor, and multiply. The guide notes that fixed plots suit reproducible results, and, for general cruising, that several plots should be collected and averaged for the best overall picture of a stand.

Here is an illustration with made-up counts, to show the arithmetic only. Say a block is 10 acres and each plot covers one tenth of an acre. The block then holds 100 plot-sized units. Six plots, spread across the block, hold 22, 18, 25, 20, 19 and 24 trees, which is 128 trees. That is about 21.3 trees per plot, or about 213 trees an acre, and about 2,133 trees in the block. The expansion factor is simply the number of plot-sized units in the block.

• Spread the plots. Place them across the block, such as along straight lines, not only near the road where trees may be better or worse.
• Use enough plots. More plots narrow the margin of error. A report should say how many plots it used, in which blocks and why.
• Treat blocks separately. Different planting years, species or soils should be measured as separate blocks. A mixed average hides the old and the young.
• Record gaps. Patches with dead trees, bare ground or fire damage should be counted in the sample, not skipped.

The more variable a stand is, the more plots it needs. A report that uses one plot for a whole plantation is a guess.

What counts and diameters should the report give?

A buyer needs the number of trees and how they are spread by size. Ask for a table of trees by diameter class for each block. The University of Arkansas guide defines diameter at breast height (DBH) as the diameter of a tree measured 4.5 feet, about 1.37 metres, above the ground, and says that diameter is paired with a tree count to judge a stand. Uganda reports may use a nearby height such as 1.3 m, so the report should say which one it used and apply it to every tree.

A good diameter table has these features:

• Classes of equal width, for example 2 or 5 cm, with the number of trees in each class.
• Separate rows or columns for each block and species.
• A total of living, sound trees, and a separate count of dead, stunted or forked trees.
• The estimated number of trees per acre, with the same figure in trees per hectare if foreign buyers need it.

Do not combine trees that are far apart in size. The price jump between small poles and timber sizes is the most valuable thing in the report. How much is my eucalyptus worth shows how sizes link to buyers.

How is tree height recorded?

Diameter alone does not tell a buyer how long the poles or logs will be. The report should give the height of a sample of trees in each diameter class, not every tree. Heights are usually measured with a clinometer or a measuring app, and the method should be stated. A table of average height by diameter class, per block, is enough.

Ask the surveyor to record two heights where they matter: total height, and the usable straight length before the first major fork or bend. For pole buyers, straight usable length is often the figure that decides the grade. A tall tree with a crooked top may sell as a shorter pole.

Height and diameter together are what turn a count into volume. If the report claims volume in cubic metres, it should name the formula or table it used. A figure with no method behind it cannot be checked.

What map and photographs should it include?

Maps and photographs are the part that stops disputes later. The report should include:

1. A boundary map. Based on a GPS walk of the planted area, with block numbers, the plantation outline, roads, tracks, streams and neighbours' land. Do not copy the area from an old title. The planted area is often smaller than the title.
2. A plot map. Showing where each sample plot was placed, so the check can be repeated.
3. Dated photographs. Each block, the access road, the loading area and examples of the diameter classes. Photos taken with a ruler or a person beside a tree show scale.
4. Condition notes. Pests such as gall wasp in eucalyptus, termite damage, fire scars, previous thinning, pruning and signs of illegal cutting.

Before you publish photos or maps on a listing, remove location data you do not want public. Buyers can ask for exact coordinates when they are serious, after they sign in and book a visit. See how forest listings are verified.

Who can produce a forest inventory report?

There is no single licence we could find that restricts who may measure trees on private land, so quality depends on the person and the method. As of November 2026 your options are:

• Government technical services. The NFA says it offers technical services, for a fee, to help private developers prepare forest management plans. Ask your District Forest Officer what is offered and at what cost.
• A forestry consultancy or trained forester. Ask for a sample report from an earlier job, how plots are chosen, how errors are stated and whether they will walk the boundary with you. A consultancy that also brokers sales has a conflict, so ask how it is paid.
• The buyer's own team. Many serious buyers count for themselves before paying. Your report lets them check against yours, and gives you something to settle differences with.
• You, using a clear method. An owner can count a small stand well. Say plainly that it is an owner's count, and let buyers check it.

Whoever measures, put the person's name, the date and the contact in the report, and have them sign the page that states the method. Our tree value calculator guide takes the figures from the report into a price.

How do I use the report when I sell?

Attach it to your listing, or have it ready when a buyer asks. Use its figures in the fields on our listing form: acreage planted, estimated number of trees, price per tree and tree age. A trees-only sale needs the count and the access route in the contract, and the report is the evidence for both. See selling your trees without selling your land for the block definition clauses that use it.

Buyers use the same document to check offers. The page on checks before buying standing trees shows what they will look for, and forest investment in Uganda explains why investors insist on a count. When you are ready, list your forest, and buyers will find it among the forest listings. The forest trees hub links all the related pages.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Forest Trees for Sale in Uganda: Standing Pine and Eucalyptus
• Sell Your Trees Without Selling Your Land
• How Much Is My Eucalyptus Worth?
• Buying Standing Trees: 10 Checks Before You Pay
• How Standing Timber Is Valued: Per Tree, Acre, m3
• How We Check Forest Listings and Tree Counts