Dump the Doyle
The Doyle log rule is a time-honored tradition that is best honored in memory, not in practice. Arguments such as “everyone understands the shortcomings” and “small logs should be undervalued" will not hold water in today’s market. Everyone from the landowner to the mill suffers from the Doyle’s well documented inadequacies.

Form Class Volume Tables Aren’t What We Think They Are
Many people are under the impression that the Mesavage and Girard (1946) form class volume tables have a single fixed top diameter for all trees, although opinions on what that diameter might be differ widely. I have been asked many times to convert the tables to a 8 inch or 6 inch or some other fixed top diameter from the fixed top the individual thinks they are using now. But, the form class volume tables do not have a fixed top diameter. Top diameter varies by DBH, merchantable height, and form class. Using them as though there is a fixed top diameter will cause inaccurate volume estimates.