Traditional timber cruising samples only 2 to 5% of a forest stand using field plots, then extrapolates volume and composition estimates across the full area, a methodology that's been standard practice for decades but introduces real, unavoidable error into harvest planning, valuation, and carbon accounting decisions. LiDAR-equipped drones have changed what's actually measurable, scanning 100% of the canopy rather than a sampled fraction, and the underlying science has matur
