What is DBH?

[J Beyer]

What is DBH?  Of all of the posts that I've looked at  , I cannot seem to find a definition of it.  I know it has something to do with the measurement of a tree, just don't know where it is taken or what the letters DBH mean.

JB

[Jeff]

Jeff,

DBH stands for Diameter at Breast Height or about  4.5 feet above the ground level.

The Forestry Forum's Parent site, The Timber Buyers Network, has a pretty extensive glossary of forestry terms if you are interested. The URL for the glossary is http://www.timberbuyer.net/glossary.shtml

It takes a minute to load because it is extensive.

[J Beyer]

Thanks! Just what I was looking for, a glossary of terms used by loggers/sawyers!

You can tell that I'm quite happy with your response.  I'll put the new knowledge   to good use.

[Ron Wenrich]

It should also be noted that ground level is on the high side of the tree.  Not the bottom side or mid side.  That is where your stump will start.  Not a problem on flat land.

Same goes for scaling height.  Start at the high side.

[Bro. Noble]

Jeff,  

I looked at that glossery and found some terms to be missing:

When I was about eight,  My grandad and a sawmill friend of his from Arkansas bought a tract of timber in the Rosevelt National Forest in Colorado.  They set up 5 or 6 little mills ( grandad called them Peckerwood mills) and skidded the timber directly to them with mules.  The mills were set on a slope so that materials could be moved by gravity as much as possible lowering tne need  for backup equipment.  When the timber within skidding distance was cut, they moved the mill ( the crew could do it in a day).  

I was young enough that not much work was required of me.  I spent a lot of time dabbling flies in front of rainbow and spekled trout in the little streams that ran down every meadow.  Although Mom forbid it,  I loved to accompany the skidders and their mules.  The mills were at about 11,000 ft so they skidded from the timber line down a fairly gentle slope to the mill usually not over a couple of hundred yards.

They used a lot of technical terms that I wasn't familiar with,  but kinda got an idea how they were to be used.

I had a big sister that I didn't get along with at all.  It seemed just natural to try out these new words on her.

Mom got mad at me as well as at Dad and Grandad.  Told them if they took me to the mill they'd better do a better job of watching after me.

Grandad told me not to use those skidding terms around girls because they didn't understand anything about sawmilling and to quit chewing the skidders tobacco or we would just get into more trouble with Mom.

Noble

[DanG]

Noble, they's loggin' terms, then they's loggin' with mules terms. Mules don't unnerstand plain ol' loggin' terms, so a feller is forced to use the loggin' with mules terms, which ain't p'tickly suitable fer usin' around folks that ain't familiar with loggin' with mules, cause they don't unnerstand th' loggin' with mules terms. Now, if a young feller gits confused about the differnce between loggin' terms, and loggin' with mules terms, or ain't sure what folks are accustomed to loggin' terms and what folks are used to loggin' with mules terms, he can git hisself into a whole peck of trouble. I hope yer ma and yer sister have come to terms with th' terms, and don't give ya no more grief about it.

[Bro. Noble]

DanG it, Now you tell me!

Noble

[Bro. Noble]

I just thought of a story a neighbor once told me.

He was sitting under a tree, playing with a blue-tailed fence lizard while his Dad was plowing with an old mule.

The mule balked,  Gene told his dad he ought to build a fire under him.  His Dad told him that was nonsense to go away and not pester him.

After a lot of technical talk,  the mule still wouldn't budge,  Gene was getting more interested, but his Dad was starting to lose his humor.

Gene told him he ought to whisper in it's ear.  His Dad told him that was an 'Old Wives Tale' to go to the house.

After more technical talk with no results,  Gene told his Dad it wouldn't hurt to whisper in it's ear.  His Dad told him if it would keep him quiet to go ahead and whisper in it's ear.

Gene got up to the mule. cupped his hand over it's ear and deposited the fence lizard.  The mule left abruptly.

That night Gene's Dad asked him "What the Hell did you tell that Mule"?

Noble

[DanG]

I bet that mule did get some pep in his step!

Reminds me of the farmer that was bringing a wagon load of hay to the barn, when the mule balked. He just stood there, and withstood the most vehement of cussin's,  beatin's with whatever was handy, etc, and just wouldn't move. Farmer finally reached the end of his rope, and built a fire under the mule. Mule stepped right off, just far enough to get the fire under the hay wagon, then he stopped again.  :-/  

[Gordon]

What is DBH? In the backwoods it means.

DBH= DANG BIG & HIGH A nice straight tree ready for harvest

Gordon