Case Study: Idaho Forest Group achieves faster, more accurate stockpile measurement with Pix4D

The secret to measuring material piles: the right tools

Idaho Forest Group, one of America’s largest lumber producers, needed a faster and more accurate way to measure the millions of dollars’ worth of timber and byproduct stockpiles sitting in its yards. Traditional tape-based measurements were slow and labor-intensive, and even small errors could lead to major inventory miscalculations. Vendor Pix4D provided the photogrammetry tools used in this workflow, including Pix4Dmapper.

Using a WingtraOne drone to capture images and Pix4Dmapper to process them onsite, Idaho Forest Group was able to survey about 80 acres per day in just a 17-minute flight, with results ready in roughly two hours. Pix4D’s solution delivered accurate stockpile volumes, helped verify inventory with ground control points, and reduced measurement time by about 80%, while giving the company an on-premise option that worked well for remote mills.

Idaho Forest Group

Aaron Fisher

Technology and Project Manager