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An Overview of the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program
The FIA program collects strategic (state or multi-county level)
data on the:
Status
Trends
Resource conditions including forest health
Note: This is for ALL forest lands in a consistent fashion across the U.S.
Legislative Perspective
McSweeney-McNary Act of 1928
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1978
1988 Forest Ecosystem and Atmospheric Pollution Research Act
The Farm Bill (Agricultural Research Extension and Education Reform Act) of 1998
Current FIA MissionCurrent, comprehensive inventories and analyses of all US Forests (i.e. all ownerships).
Annual forest inventories in all States.
National core program that includes additional data beyond the core which are used to address specific regional/local needs.
Standardized plot layout and sampling grid.
QA programs to verify data quality and verify accuracy of our estimates.
Conduct inventories with State and Federal partners. Establish information needs and cooperatively implement inventories.
A New Plot Design…
Comparison Previous Plot Layout with Current Plot Layout
Overlay Plot Layout
102
104
103
105
106
107
108
109
110
1
2
34
Subplots 1- 4Distance between centers 120 feetAzimuth 1-2 =360 degreesAzimuth 1-3 =360 degreesAzimuth 1-4 =360 degreesRadius Subplot – 24.0 feet Microplot – 6.8 feet
Subplot 101-105Subplots 101-103From 66' tosubplot subplotcenter center Azimuth101 102 0o
102 103 0o
103 104 120o
104 105 180o
105 106 180o
106 107 240o
107 108 300o
108 109 0o
109 110 0o
Terminology as a Result of Annual Inventories
Cycle – a sequential number assigned to a set of plots, measured over a particular period of time from which a state estimate using all possible plots is obtained. Relevant for periodic and annual.Subcycle – a number incremented from 1 to n where n is the number of years it takes to complete a Cycle. Relevant for annual only.Panel – FIA plots are assigned to 1 of 5 Panels in order to spatially and temporally distribute plot measurements.
Phase 3Subset of P2,
with additional Variables: soil, ozone, etc
Phase 2Field data collection:
tree species, height, diameter, land use, etc
Phase 1 Forest area estimates ~ based on photo interpretation
*Highest sampling intensity
The Three Phases of the FIA Program
One out of every 16 Forest Inventory Plots is also a Forest Health Plot (Phase 3)
OzoneSoilsDown Woody Material
Crown Condition and HealthLichensUnderstory Vegetation Structure and Diversity
Inventory Relationships
Operational level
State inventories
Local Inventories
for management
FIA National BaseStrategic level
ResolutionSpatial, semantic and temporal.
Invasive Species
A regional measurement
Additional Components of FIA
Timber Product Output Surveys
National Woodland Owner Survey
Tropical Island Survey
Utilization Studies
Comparison of the Past and Present
Previous Current
Timberland Inventory Forestland Inventory
Timber Information Forest and Forest Health Information
Aerial photography w/field visits
Remote Sensing w/field visits
Regional National
Periodic Annual
Internet links:
National database available at: http://www.ncrs2.fs.fed.us/4801/FIADB/
Information specific to Southern states: http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us/
Electronic copy of publications available at: http://www.srs.fs.fed.us/pubs/
National FIA web site: http://fia.fs.fed.us/
Plans for Mississippi
Planning to work cooperatively with MIFI for Phase 2 and Phase 3 data collection in MS.
Current budget projections for FY06 should allow for MS implementation.
The remaining question – Remeasure the old variable radius plot?
Current Grid for Mississippi
Phase 2
Phase 3
Plots under the old grid and the new annual scheme
146Difference between Surveys
727Dropped
5370Total
1994 Survey
5224*Total
581New
4643Re-Measure
Annual Inventory
*348 of these are Phase 3 Plots
Remeasuring old plots and installing new plots
Advantages:Some estimates of growth, removal, and mortalityLinkage with previous plot data although limited
Disadvantages:Crews need to understand 2 plot designsRe-locating plot installed 12-16 years agoMaintain current PDR program and hardware for 5-7 more yearsMaintain current processing system for 5-8 more yearsExplaining growth, removals, and mortality results may be difficult
Only installing the new plots (no remeasurement)
Disadvantages:Possibly no growth, removal, and mortality information for 8 more years
Advantages:Quicker and simpler
Crews only have to establish new plots plus don’t have to relocate old plots
Can use National PDR and data processing programs
Discussions and/or Questions?