This allows 0.3 feet for trim. For pulpwood trees, merchantable height is recorded to the nearest foot or pulpwood bolt. Pulpwood bolts vary in length, but are commonly five feet three inches long. The cut-off point for pulpwood trees is usually where the stem diameter becomes as small as four inches or where forks or excessive limbing occurs. A pulpwood tree with a merchantable height of 26 feet would be recorded as having five bolts.
Some volume tables use total tree height as one of the required measurements.
Total tree height is generally measured to the nearest 10-foot interval. A tree with a total height of 67 feet would be recorded as a 70-foot tree. Tree height can be measured with a tree scale stick, Abney level, or any other height measuring device. The ability to estimate height by eye can be acquired with a little practice. Since taper affects tree volume, most volume tables are constructed taking taper into consideration.