Forest Metrix vs Cruise Control Comparison: Everything You Need to Know Before Choosing

Forest Metrix is a tablet application for forest inventory and timber cruising, designed to replace the paper tally sheets and hand calculations that foresters have traditionally carried into the woods. Field data collection in forestry is unusually demanding on software: the work happens without reliable connectivity, in wet and cold conditions, with the device held in one hand and a diameter tape in the other, and the data structures involved — nested plots, species tables, log grades, defect deductions, volume equations that vary by region and species — are far more intricate than a simple form. Forest Metrix is built specifically for that context, running natively on a tablet with full offline capability so a cruise proceeds normally miles from any signal. The application integrates GPS for plot location and navigation, the device camera for attaching photographs to plots and individual trees, and background maps and imagery for orientation. Cruise design supports fixed-radius, variable-radius and prism plots, strip cruises, and complete inventories, with plot layouts and sampling schemes configured before entering the field. Tree data capture records species, diameter, height, log grades, defect and cull, damage and any custom attributes the project requires, and ecological and site data such as regeneration, understory vegetation, fuel loading, wildlife habitat features and soil observations can be collected alongside the timber measurements. Volume computation is where the specialisation matters most: the application applies regional volume and taper equations, log rules and merchantability specifications to produce board foot, cubic and tonnage estimates by species and product class, calculating in the field so a cruiser can sanity-check results before leaving the site. Customisation is extensive, allowing organisations to define their own species lists, grade rules, forms and outputs to match established protocols. Data exports to spreadsheets, GIS and forest management systems. Users include consulting foresters, timber companies, land trusts, government agencies and universities. Pricing starts from around USD 800; there is no free version and no free trial.