Methods were developed to standardize sampling of the Douglas-fir tussock moth. Population density was estimated in terms of the number of eggs or larvae per 1,000 sq. in. of branch area of Abies concolor (Gord. and Glend.) Lindl. The density of eggs and larvae varied significantly in different parts of the tree crown. In an outbreak, egg masses were concentrated on inside branches near the bottom of the crown, but in light populations they were most common on outside branches in the top of the crown. Larvae were found over the entire tree, but they were especially concentrated on foliage in the top. Mean density of larvae in the middle crown was representative of the whole tree. Egg density is estimated from whole branches sampled representatively from three crown levels; however, density of larvae is estimated accurately from 17-in. twig samples taken from just the middle crown. Because eggs are clumped in masses and larvae are dispersed over the foliage, larval density can be estimated with much less sampling than can egg density for the same precision.