Abstract An unbiased direct estimator of total basal area for a stand is presented; stand area need not be known. Sampling can use horizontal point samples or fixed-area plots distributed on a regular grid or randomly selected. The sample space extends beyond the stand boundary. The estimator for basal area makes no distinction between plots whose centers are interior to the stand boundary and plots whose centers are outside. Only trees within the stand boundary are tallied. For horizontal point sampling, the estimator is the product of the sample tree count, the basal area factor, and the area per grid point, with the latter being derived from grid spacing. This method avoids the complexities associated with most other estimators designed to minimize or eliminate edge bias. The proposed method may require more sample points to achieve the same level of precision as competing estimators. FOR. SCI. 50(4):512–517.