Ontario's Wood Measurement System

The Wood Measurement program is responsible for directing and controlling the measurement of Crown forest resources in the province of Ontario. These responsibilities are carried out under the authority of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA) and include: setting the standards and conducting audits for the movement and measurement of Crown forest resources (scaling), training and certification of Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and forest industry personnel on scaling, auditing, and utilization standards, the determination of volumes/values for harvested Crown forest resources and the management of this information.

Measurement of Crown Forest Resources

In Ontario, no person can remove harvested Crown forest resources (trees) from the place of harvest unless they have been measured. Scaling is the measurement of harvested or standing trees to determine their volume and quality. This measurement provides the means through which Ontario invoices forest companies for Crown charges and collects revenue from the harvest and use of Crown forest resources.

There are several methods of scaling which are approved for use in Ontario:

Cubic Method

All conifer, poplar and white birch of any length may be measured by this method. Timber measured by this method is usually in its final product stage (e.g. sawlogs, veneer, poles).

Tree Length Method

All conifer, poplar and white birch may be measured by the tree length method. This method of scaling is used for harvesting operations where trees are felled, skidded and piled before further processing is done (e.g. cut to length or chipping).

Stacked Wood Method

All conifer, poplar, white birch and grade 2 hardwoods up to and including 2.80 metres in length may be measured by this method. Timber is measured in piles (on the ground or on trucks) and is in its final product stage (e.g. pulpwood, fuelwood).

Cube Grade Method

All hardwood timber, except poplar and white birch, up to and including 5.7 metres in length, may be measured by this method. Timber measured by this method is usually in its final product stage (e.g. sawlogs, veneer). The Scaling Manual provides direction for the measurement of Crown forest resources in Ontario.

Scaling Manual

Mass Method

All conifer, poplar and white birch of all lengths, as well as graded hardwoods, chip fibre and fuelwood, may be measured by this method. Units of mass (weight) are converted to units of volume by using mass/volume ratios developed for each species.

Standing Tree Method

Standing tree measurement is the measurement of standing trees prior to harvesting.

The Scaling Manual provides direction for the measurement of Crown forest resources in Ontario. Scalers must measure Crown forest resources according to the instructions and standards described in this Manual. Certified scalers must be able to identify tree species, recognize defects, identify deductions for various types of defects and provide accurate measurement information according to the Manual. All scalers are required to be certified before they can measure Crown forest resources. All training, testing and certification of scalers is carried out by the Wood Measurement Program.

Wood Measurement Training

The Wood Measurement Program sets the standards for scaling, scaler training and certification, auditing, and forest utilization and is responsible for the hands on delivery of activities.

Provincial Scaling Course

On an annual basis, in partnership with Algonquin College, a Scaling course is held to license scalers for the measurement of Crown forest resources. Course participants should be persons with experience in either scaling or closely related woods work or graduation from a recognized or professional forestry school.

Scaling Refresher Course

In order to stay current with changes in scaling practices and to maintain uniform scaling practices throughout the Province, Scaling Refresher courses are held annually in each Ministry of Natural Resources administrative region. This is also a mandatory requirement to maintain scaler certification in Ontario. Course content is based on implementing and practicing the standards for wood measurement as set out in the Scaling Manual.

Scaling Audit Course

Over 99% of all Crown timber harvested in Ontario is measured by company scalers under the authority of a domestic scaling agreement, or is weighed or measured at a centralized point. The Ministry has instituted a Scaling Audit Program to ensure the Crown’s interests are protected. To ensure that qualified trained personnel are employed in this important audit process, the Provincial Scaling Audit Course was developed. The delivery of the course is coordinated by the Provincial Measurement Unit of Industry Relations Branch.

Utilization Course

Minimum utilization standards were designed to promote good forest management by ensuring optimum utilization of Crown forest resources on harvesting operations. Failure to comply with minimum utilization standards unless otherwise described in the Forest Management Plan is considered a wasteful practice. A Utilization course has been developed and implemented to interpret these standards.

Scaling Audit Program

The objectives of the Scaling Audit Program are to provide assurances to government that the measurement, movement and tracking of wood, from where it is harvested in Crown forests to its use in a mill, are accurately and correctly reported and paid for. It’s a check to ensure all scaling procedures are being followed. The latest edition of the Scaling Audit Reference Manual is the standard to which all scaling audits must conform. The audit program is administered by the Ministry's Regional Measurement Coordinator and/or the Provincial Measurement Supervisor.

Volume/Value Calculations and Data Management

The successful invoicing of forest resources and harvest data information management in Ontario relies on the input of essential harvest data into two computer systems maintained by the Wood Measurement Program in Industry Relations Branch.

Registration

Registration is a corporate computer application that is used to store key information for all forest resource licensees (names, addresses, contact information, etc.) and forest resource licences (licence type, management unit, size, location, etc.). Different licence types have a bearing on Crown stumpage values and invoicing.

Timber Resource Evaluation System (TREES)

TREES is a corporate computer application that calculates and tracks volumes and values of harvested forest resources and is used for the invoicing forest companies for Crown charges. TREES is also a valuable resource tool for forest managers to assist them in their day to day forest management activities.

The following table provides a summary of the volume harvested by year and forest product sector which is tracked by the TREES application.

Invoiced Volumes in Cubic Metres by Year