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Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) National
QQQuuuaaarrrttteeerrrlllyyy E-Newsletter
April 2013 Volume 8, Number 1
In This Issue A message to our clients………… 1
What’s going on in the world of research?………………………………… 2
Studies in Progress……………… 2 Outcomes from recently held meetings …………………………… 12 Employee Profile
Andy Gray, PNW ………………… 13
Upcoming Events …………………… 14
Safety at Work………………………… 16
Fiscal Year 2012 FIA Business Report
This report is available at: http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/
A message to our clients…
The FIA program is continuing to operate the annual inventory in all
50 states in 2013. Although the FIA program is operating under a
9% reduction relative to fiscal year 2010, the efficiency gains,
mostly related to plot remeasurement, have provided the
opportunity to continue data collection, processing and reporting at
a normal pace. This good news will end in 2014 if funding to FIA is
maintained at current levels or continues to decline.
Such news was highlighted at the SAF sponsored “FIA 2013 National
Users Group Meeting” held March 13 and 14 in New Orleans, LA.
Partners and users were concerned about reduced funding for
implementation of FIA and emphasized several key points. The
recommendations include, maintain the annual inventory in all
states, and extend the remeasurement cycle as budgets dictate.
Efficiencies gained through state partnership agreements for data
collection are at continued risk of reduction. Currently thirty percent
of all program work is accomplished through cooperative grants, and
partner matching funds and personnel. FIA continues to stand as a
unique partnership in measuring and monitoring our nations’ forests.
FIA relies on 600 federal, state, university, and other professional
staff to deliver “the Nation’s Forest Census.”
If funding in fiscal year 2014 is similar to 2013 it is likely FIA will
move to a seven year remeasurement cycle in the east, and
maintain a ten year cycle in the west. It is possible that we may
need to move towards a ten year cycle throughout the entire U.S. if
continued reductions in funding and the ability to match state
partner’s commitments decline over the next several years.
At the Users Group Meeting, partners and users reviewed FIA’s plan
for measuring Interior Alaska. FIA is proposing the use of multi-
stage sampling with several stages of remotely sensed information
and a lower intensity of field plots than normal for Interior Alaska.
With implementation of Interior Alaska remaining as our national
challenge, participants at the meeting viewed the proposed work as
a method to provide information in a region where the standard
annual inventory design could not be justified for economic and
logistical reasons.
Strong endorsements from the User Group Meeting included the
encouragement for FIA to develop a statistical system for annualized
Page 2
What’s going on in the world of research? Northern Research Station
Woodall, C.W., Zhu, K.,
Westfall, J.A., Oswalt, C.M.,
D’Amato, A.W., Walters, B.F.,
Lintz, H.E. 2013. Assessing
the stability of tree ranges and
influence of disturbance in
eastern US forests. Forest
Ecology and Management. 291:
172-180.
Wilson, B.T., Woodall, C.W.,
Griffith, D. 2013. Imputing
forest carbon stock estimates
from inventory plots to a
nationally continuous coverage.
Carbon Balance and
Management. 8: 1.
Seilheimer, T.S.;
Zimmerman, P.L.; Stueve,
K.M.; and Perry, C.H. In
press. Landscape-scale
modeling of water quality in
Lake Superior and Lake
Michigan watersheds: how
useful are forest-based
indicators? Journal of Great
Lakes Research.
Zimmerman, P.L.; Housman,
I.W.; Perry, C.H.; Chastain,
R.A.; Webb, J.B.; and Finco,
M.V. 2012. An accuracy
assessment of forest
disturbance mapping in the
western Great Lakes. Remote
Sensing of Environment. 128:
176–185
Domke, G.M., Woodall, C.W.,
Walters, B.F., Smith J.E.
2013. From models to
measurements: comparing
downed dead wood carbon stock
estimates in the U.S. forest
inventory. PLOS One. DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0059949
forest products output sampling and reporting. Users would like the
national system to look similar to what is currently available in the
SRS-FIA program. Other encouragement surrounding urban forest
inventory included more fully defining the cost and funding
opportunities and uses of the information by partners and clients.
The participants at the Users Group Meeting were concerned that
funding from the core FIA program would be used to fund urban
inventories. FIA program managers indicated that funding for urban
inventory work is linked to appropriations from the Vibrant Cities
Initiative.
Additional interests from the National User Group Meeting include a
desire to expand the information collected for the National Woodland
Owners Survey (NWOS). Some users would like NWOS to extend
beyond family forest owners to include information on all forest
owners including business firms such as Timber Investment
Management Organizations (TIMOs) and Real Estate Investment
Trusts (REITs). Participants also commented on map base estimates
and felt that FIA needs to provide reliable confidence limits, meta
data, and analyses to inform users of product properties and
possible limitations.
National FIA Management will be meeting during the week of June
24th to address challenges to implementing the annual forest
inventory. Implementation of FIA in the coming year is of highest
priority for all the partners of the FIA program.
I invite you to contact your regional FIA
program office, your partner representatives to
the FIA Management Team, and the FIA
national office on the current and proposed uses
of FIA information to enhance partnership
opportunities and implementation of the
program in your state or region of the country.
- Greg Reams, National Program Leader
Studies in progress...
Northern Research Station Study Title: The effect of varying estimation procedures on
downed dead wood carbon stocks estimates using the U.S. national
forest inventory.
Participants: Grant Domke, Chris Woodall, Mark Harmon, Becky
Fasth, and Andrew Gray
Status: In Progress
Results: This study evaluated estimates of downed dead wood
(DDW) carbon (C) stocks calculated using several different volume
formulas, biomass conversion processes, and C concentration
constants for DDW in the most recent FIA inventory in Oregon
(2001-2010). Preliminary results suggest differences as large as 84
percent (79.47 kg) for individual DDW pieces which translate into
potentially large differences at the per-unit-area and population
levels. The differences were driven, in large part, by incorporation of
density reduction factors by decay class, and to a lesser extent,
differences in volume estimates at the outset of the estimation
process. Next steps include the incorporation of uncertainty in each
Page 3
What’s going on in the world of research? Southern Research Station
Coulston, J.W.; Moisen, G.G.;
Wilson, B.T.; Finco, M.V.;
Cohen, W.B.; Brewer, C.K.
2012. Modeling percent tree
canopy cover: a pilot study.
Photogrammetric Engineering
and Remote Sensing. 78(7):
715–727.
Williams, B.L.; Straka, T.J.;
Harper, R.A. 2012. Size of
forest holding and family
forests: implications for forest
management in South Carolina.
South Carolina Forestry
2012(3): 4–5.
Oswalt, C.M.; Oswalt, S.N.;
Johnson, T.G. [and others].
2012. Tennessee forests, 2009.
Resource Bulletin SRS–189.
Asheville, NC: U.S. Department
of Agriculture Forest Service,
Southern Research Station. 140
p.
Interior West Research
Station
DeRose, R.J., Wang, S.-Y.,
and Shaw, J.D. In press.
Feasibility of high-density
climate reconstruction based on
the Forest Inventory and
Analysis (FIA) tree-ring data.
Journal of Hydrometeorology
14(1): 375-381. (doi:
10.1175/JHM-D-12-0124.1)
Goeking, S.A. 2012. Trends in
standing biomass in Interior
West forests: Reassessing
baseline data from periodic
inventories. In: Morin, Randall
S.; Liknes, Greg C., comps.
Moving from status to trends:
Forest Inventory and Analysis
(FIA) symposium 2012; 2012
December 4-6; Baltimore, MD.
Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-105.
Newtown Square, PA: U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Northern
Research Station. [CD-
ROM]:453-460.
phase of the estimation process and scaling tree-and per-unit-area
estimates to the population.
Contact: Grant Domke, [email protected]; 651-649-5138
Study Title: Assessing abundance of forest wildlife habitat by
integrating FIA data, wildlife species-habitat relationships, and
wildlife range maps
Participants: Mark D. Nelson, James D. Garner, and Brian G.
Tavernia
Status: In Progress
Results: FIA-based estimates of wildlife habitat abundance are
easily produced for broad habitat classes (e.g., forest type and size
class) and for some specific habitat elements (e.g., snags, down
wood) over large geographic extents. However, FIA data are not
directly linked to wildlife-habitat relationship frameworks, or to
spatially explicit landscape features (e.g., patch metrics), limiting
their operational use for assessing species-specific habitat
abundance. Our work focuses on developing crosswalks between FIA
attributes, habitat classification systems, and species-specific
wildlife-habitat relationship matrices. Ongoing work is aimed at
continuing to increase the precision of FIA habitat estimates by 1)
increasing FIA plot habitat assignment resolution to include 112 U.S.
National Vegetation Classification habitat groups, 2) incorporating
Gap Analysis Program wildlife species distribution models for over
700 species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptile species
across 24 Northern FIA states, 3) developing, testing, and applying
Habitat Suitability Index models, 4) and constraining habitat
estimates for each species by their geographic range. The
integration of these distinct, yet related, datasets will enable
estimation of wildlife species diversity, habitat abundance, and
spatial distribution with a precision not previously available.
Contact: Mark Nelson, [email protected]; 651-649-5104
Study Title: North-Wide Forest Regeneration Assessment
Participants: Will McWilliams, Randy Morin, Jim Westfall, NRS
research units, NRS State forestry agencies, Pennsylvania Game
Commission, Academia.
Status: In progress
Results: Any assessment of future forest conditions will benefit
from information on regenerative capacity to gauge composition
following stand replacement events, e.g. mortality, harvesting, or
weather. Managers and decision-makers need this information to
evaluate decisions and policies directed toward long-term
sustainability. In response to this need, an NRS region-wide study of
regeneration has been launched. The study includes new protocols
that include the number of all established seedlings, the degree of
establishment, seedling height, and if there are other factors that
limit the seedling survival, such as deer browse or site limitations.
When coupled with other FIA variables describing vegetation
structure, overstory composition/structure, and stocking levels, a full
composite of forest dynamics can be developed.
New information on the status and trends in forest regeneration will
fill a number of needs for scientists and policymakers concerned
about long-term forest sustainability. The results will help guide
efforts aimed at improving forest regeneration and understanding
the complexities of overall forest dynamics. Modelers are interested
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What’s going on in the world of research? Interior West Research
Station
McMurray, J. A., Roberts, D.
W., Fenn, M. E., Geiser, L. H.,
& Jovan, S. (2013). Using
Epiphytic Lichens to Monitor
Nitrogen Deposition Near
Natural Gas Drilling Operations
in the Wind River Range, WY,
USA. Water, Air, & Soil
Pollution, 224(3): 1-14.
Mock, K.E., C.M. Callahan,
M.N. Islam-Faridi, J.D. Shaw,
H.S. Rai, S.C. Sanderson, C.A.
Rowe, R.J. Ryel, M.D.
Madritch, R.S. Gardner, and
P.G. Wolf. In press.
Widespread triploidy in western
North American aspen (Populus
tremuloides). PLoS ONE 7(10):
e48406.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.00484
06.
Schroeder, T.A., M.A. Wulder,
S.P. Healey, and G.G. Moisen.
2012. Detecting post-fire
salvage logging with Landsat
change maps and national fire
survey data. Remote Sensing of
Environment 122: 166-174.
Pacific Northwest Research
Station
Gray, Andrew N., David L.
Azuma, Gary J. Lettman, Joel
L. Thompson, and Neil
McKay. 2013. Changes in land
use and housing on resource
lands in Washington State,
1976-2006. Gen. Tech. Rep.
PNW-GTR-881. Portland, OR:
U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
Research Station. 51 p.
because tree regeneration data at FIA’s large geographic scale have
not been available. So far, the first year of field measurements is
complete and work is underway to develop and apply guidelines for
evaluating regeneration across the region.
Contact: Will McWilliams, [email protected], 610-557-4050
Southern Research Station Study Title: Projecting county pulpwood production using historical
production and macro-economic variables
Participants: Consuelo Brandeis
Status: In Progress
Results: The issue of expected volumes of timber supply and
demand has received significant attention in the literature. Most
research in this area, however, focuses on long-term equilibrium
analysis applied over large geographic areas. The question of
expected timber production for smaller areas, such as a county,
remains less documented. Yet, forecasts of county timber production
can provide planning information useful to forestland owners,
managers, and mill procurement agents.
This research explores forecasting of county roundwood pulpwood
production using models from the vector autoregressive (VAR)
family. We evaluate forecast accuracy from single-county VAR
models to forecasts from a panel vector autoregressive model with
spatial autoregressive lag and spatial error components. The
analysis uses timber products output data collected by the USDA
Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis, Timber Output
Products program for the state of Florida, together with a set of
macro-economic variables. Overall, the panel specifications
significantly reduced the forecast error, with some counties
exhibiting over 50 percent reduction in forecast error. Results reveal
the high degree of uncertainty associated with projected volumes of
county production and support the need for analysis with
disaggregated data to better capture the dynamics across counties.
Contact: Consuelo Brandeis, [email protected], 865-862-2028
Study Title: Longleaf Pine Forests in the South
Participants: Christopher M. Oswalt, Jason A. Cooper, Dale G.
Brockway, Horace Brooks, Joan L. Walker, Kristina F. Connor, Sonja
N. Oswalt, Roger C. Conner
Status: Completed
Results: A new report from the U.S. Forest Service Southern
Research Station (SRS) describes the history and current condition
of longleaf pine in the southern United States. Co-authored by
researchers from the SRS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and
Longleaf Pine Ecosystems units, findings from the report provide a
solid baseline of information that land and natural resource
managers can use in the future to assess the impact of ongoing
longleaf pine forest restoration activities.
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) was once one of the most
ecologically important tree species in the southern United States,
with longleaf pine forests spanning an estimated 92 million acres in
a range that stretched from southwest Virginia to eastern Texas.
Today, even though there’s a lot of interest longleaf pine forest
ecosystems, only 4.3 million acres of longleaf pine forests remain,
with much of this acreage in poor or degraded condition.
Page 5
What’s going on in the world of research? Pacific Northwest Research
Station
Jain, T; Battaglia, M.; Han-
Sup, H.; Graham, R.; Keyes,
C.; Fried, J; Sandquist, J.
2012. A comprehensive guide
to fuels management practices
for dry mixed conifer forests in
the northwestern United States.
Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-
292. Ft. Collins, CO: U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Rocky Mountain
Research Station. 331 p.
Jovan, S., Riddell, J.,
Padgett, P.E., and Nash III,
T.H. 2012. Eutrophic lichens
respond to multiple forms of N:
implications for critical levels
and critical loads research.
Ecological Applications 22(7):
1910-1922.
McIntosh, A., Gray, A. and
Garman, S. 2012. Estimating
canopy cover from standard
forest inventory measurements
in western Oregon. Forest
Science 58(2): 154-167.
Historical and contemporary FIA data were used to present
estimated changes to southern longleaf pine forests, implications for
the conservation of the species, and suggestions for future research.
Though the data show that the population of longleaf pine trees in
the South has declined over the past four decades, findings in the
report point towards potential improvement. Significant challenges
to expanding longleaf pine dominated forests in their former range
certainly exist. However, with targeted research and conservation
efforts, these forests could thrive again across the South.
The SRS FIA program has also partnered with the Regional Longleaf
Partnership Council to evaluate the progress of restoration activities
across the South through a survey developed by state coordination
teams under the leadership of the Forest Service, the Southern
Group of State Foresters, the National Resources Conservation
Service, and state conservation agencies.
Adapted from story originally published in CompassLive here.
Access the full text of the report, History and Current
Condition of Longleaf Pine in the Southern United States.
Contact: Chris Oswalt, [email protected], 865 - 862-2000
Study Title: Non-Timber Output Assessments: Tracking those other
forest products
Participants: James Chamberlain, Southern Research Station FIA,
John Munsell, Stephen Prisley, Tom Hammett, College of Natural
Resources and Environment, Virginia Tech.
Status: In Progress
Results: The FIA program has been assessing timber product
output (TPO) for more than sixty years by canvassing primary
processors of industrial roundwood in each state on a 3-5 year cycle.
TPO assessments track what species are cut, from where they
originate, and the type of products. Recognizing the importance of
non-timber forest products (NTFPs), FIA has initiated an effort to
develop a non-timber product output (NTPO) assessment system to
provide much needed information on this segment of the forest
products industry. The concept is to develop protocols to
systematically monitor non-timber forest production, with an initial
focus on medicinal forest products in Central Appalachia. This is
providing a starting point for developing a replicable output system
that can periodically report on all medicinal NTFP production.
Findings from the analysis will be integrated into a geographic
information system that will spatially depict various aspects of the
medicinal forest products segment. The long-term goal is to create a
mechanism whereby non-timber forest product outputs across the
nation can be tracked regularly and more thoroughly valued.
Already the system is providing valuable insight into the medicinal
forest products harvests of Virginia. One of the first challenges was
to identify the local buyers (primary processors) of these products.
Our initial focus has been buyers of American ginseng root, with the
hypothesis that these primary processors are also buyers of other
medicinal forest products. Results show that this is true; ginseng
buyers reported purchasing more than 26 thousand pounds of
slippery elm bark, black cohosh root, wild yam root, goldenseal,
bloodroot, beth root (trillium), false unicorn, star root, pink lady
Page 6
Category of Links
National Program
http://fia.fs.fed.us
Pacific Northwest
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fia/
Interior West
http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/ogden/
Northern
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/fia/
Southern
http://srsfia1.fia.srs.fs.fed.us/
slipper (orchid), true unicorn root, blue cohosh, and Virginia
snakeroot. Through this effort we are now able to identify from
which FIA inventory units these products originate. In the near
future, this effort will expand to cover the range of harvest for
American ginseng with the goal of quantifying the volumes of other
medicinal forest products harvested in similar habitat.
Contact: James Chamberlain, [email protected], 540-231-
3611
Figure 1: Photo by James Chamberlain. Volunteer citizen scientists harvest black cohosh to examine the relationship between above and below-ground biomass.
Interior West Research Station Study Title: Spring Mountain National Recreation Area Intensified
FIA sampling
Participants: Jim Menlove, Bob Rhoads
Status: Field inventory complete, analysis ongoing
Results: Southern Nevada’s Spring Mountains are an isolated
mountain range surrounded by desert. As such they are home to
numerous indigenous and rare species, including mammals,
invertebrates, and plants. The Spring Mountains are encompassed
by the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (SMNRA), part of
the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Beginning in 2010, SMNRA obtained a 3-year grant to contract an
integrated Inventory and Monitoring program. The basis of the
program was a temporally and spatially intensified FIA inventory. A
7x plot grid was designed, and the inventory cycle for intensified
plots was increased from 10 to 5 years. In addition to core Phase 2
sampling, all plot measurements included the new P2 vegetation
protocols, IWFIA regional P2 down woody material protocols, and
vegetation data were collected on all non-forest plots and conditions.
Also, the old IWFIA regional P2 understory vegetation program was
modified to allow collection of presence/absence data on a list of
plants of special interest to the SMNRA. Plot visits were scheduled by
elevation to maximize the probability of the crews observing these
special plants in bloom.
In addition to FIA, several other inventories were conducted, some
involving scientists from the Rocky Mountain Research Station’s
Grassland, Shrub, and Desert Ecosystems, and Wildlife and
Terrestrial Ecosystems Science Programs.
Page 7
Interior West FIA sampled 3 panels in 2011 and 2012. Due to a late
start in 2010, the 2010 plots were scheduled for completion with the
2011 plots. However, a sizeable portion of the plots were not
completed due to field scheduling during threatened government
shutdown and initial imposition of travel restrictions, and plot access
issues involving law enforcement. During the 2012 field season, all
of the previously scheduled plots, along with the 2012 plots, were
completed (two plots were not sampled due to hazardous terrain).
In 2012, SMRNA failed in a bid to obtain a second 3-year grant to
continue the I&M program. In the end, data were collected on 3 of 5
panels (60%) of the intensified plots. Data were collected on 187
plots over the 315 thousand acres of the SMNRA.
The data from the intensified plots were processed in NIMS, and
exported to an MS Access database in FIADB format, including pre-
loaded queries and reporting tools. The database and training, along
with some preliminary reports, were presented to the SMNRA staff in
March 2013. Meanwhile, base plot data from Nevada from 2004 to
2012 (9 of 10 panels, or 90% of plots) are being processed in NIMS.
When these are available, the base plots on SMNRA (about 50 plots)
will be added to the database and a more complete report will be
prepared using FIA forest compilations and non-forest vegetation
algorithms from the Intermountain Region of the USDA Forest
Service.
Contact: Jim Menlove, [email protected]; 801-625-5426
Study Title: Attribution of Forest Disturbance and Conversion
Processes to Canopy Change Observations
Participants: Gretchen Moisen, Todd Schroeder, Karen Schleeweis,
Chris Toney, Liz Freeman
Status: In Progress
Results: Across the Continental U.S. (CONUS), forests are affected
by many change agents including insects, fire, windstorms, harvest,
and conversion to suburban/urban land use (Figure 2). The number
of remote sensing products on canopy change across the CONUS is
growing, yet few relate their observations to the underlying causal
processes. We built an integrated geodatabase in ARCGIS 9.x using
geospatial and historical tabular data on these major change
processes across the CONUS. We conducted case studies in the six
FIA regions to evaluate the relationship between observations of
forest canopy change from the North American Forest Dynamics
(NAFD) project and possible underlying change processes in the
integrated geodatabase across multiple scales. We found that using
the geospatial process data layers as declarations of “truth” to
attribute causal agents to NAFD forest history maps was problematic
due to data gaps, mismatched definitions and sometimes coarse
resolution of available causal process data. Currently, we are
pursuing an empirical modeling approach to attributing the
underlying causal process, where geospatial process data can make
contributions as predictor layers.
Contact: Karen Schleeweis, [email protected], 302-981-9622
Page 8
Figure 2: The spatial and temporal overlap of fire, insects, wind storms, suburbanization/urbanization, harvest, and forest area in the CONUS. Frequency is calculated as number of events through time and calculated for each process separately. Volume harvested is a cumulative measure. Layers are partially transparent to help visualize how some forest areas
have been subject to many change processes over the last two decades.
Study Title: The Influence of Pinyon Jay Habitat Selection on the
Extent and Structure of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands in the Great
Basin.
Participants: Chris Witt-FIA, Wallace Keck -City of Rocks National
Monument/Castle Rocks State Park, John Boone - Great Basin Bird
Observatory
Status: In progress
Results: There has been increasing regional interest in the reported
expansion and in-fill of pinyon-juniper (Pinus monophylla -Juniperus
osteosperma) woodlands in the Great Basin. Information on the
processes driving any recent expansion or contraction of these
woodlands is valuable to both land managers and climate change
researchers, because pinyon-juniper woodlands cover vast areas of
the region. Seed caching by pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus
cyanocephalus) is the primary distribution mechanism for the heavy,
wingless seeds of single-leaf pinyon pine. Many seeds that are not
recovered and consumed by the jays germinate and contribute to
regeneration of disturbed stands, the stand density of existing
woodlands, and the expansion of woodlands into new or formerly
occupied shrublands and grasslands. Hence, to predict how and
where pinyon-dominated woodland expansion and in-fill will occur,
there is a need to understand what physical cues pinyon jays follow
when selecting seed cache locations. In 2012, Interior West FIA
initiated research in an effort to better understand how pinyon jays
influence the distribution and structure of woodlands dominated or
co-dominated by single-leaf pinyon pine in the center and at the
northern extent of the tree’s geographical range. Fieldwork was
Page 9
conducted in and around City of Rocks National Monument in
southern Idaho and near Great Basin National Park in eastern
Nevada. Additional pinyon jay data collection will take place in the
Desatoya Mountains in west-central Nevada in 2013.
Pinyon jays were captured, tagged, and affixed with radio
transmitters to document the birds’ feeding, caching, nesting, and
roosting preferences. Initial results suggest that pinyon jays prefer
open, sparsely stocked pinyon–juniper woodlands and the
shrubland/pinyon-juniper woodland ecotone for seed caching.
Nesting and roosting sites appear to be closer to cache sites than to
foraging sites. Pinyon jays appeared to avoid fully-stocked pinyon
woodlands unless the trees there were producing a large seed crop,
in which case the birds would use them for foraging. In 2013, FIA
field crews will measure forest structure at these observation points
using standard FIA data collection protocols. These data will be used
to describe and compare habitat features of the three locations.
General habitat preference models will also be developed to assist
wildlife and resource professionals with pinyon woodland
management.
Contact: Chris Witt, [email protected], 208-373-4370
Pacific Northwest Research Station Study Title: Tapping FIA forest health data to assess impacts of
atmospheric pollution on forest ecosystems
Participants: Christopher Clark (EPA), Edith Allen (UC –Riverside),
William Bowman and Sam Simkin (U of CO), Jennifer Phelan (RTI
International), Beth Schulz and Sarah Jovan (PNW-FIA), Charles
Perry (NRS-FIA), Linda Pardo (NRS), Linda Geisler (R6-NFS), among
others.
Status: In progress
Results: Atmospheric deposition of pollutants, especially nitrogen
(N) and sulfur (S), is known to impact the condition of forest
ecosystems. Sensitive lichen and understory plant species that are
adapted to low nutrient conditions can be reduced or extirpated with
elevated N deposition. Deposition of N and S can have an acidifying
effect, impacting lichens, plants, and trees both directly and
indirectly through damage to foliage and alterations to soil
chemistry. Existing soil conditions are influential in determining the
degree of impact from additional N deposition. A number of
researchers have discovered FIA’s P3 data, consistently collected
over large regions, to be critical for assessing impacts of pollutant
deposition and the changing climate on forest resources. No other
resource nationally exists with which to support these multi-agency
and multi-stakeholder efforts. With recently available modeled N
deposition across the U.S., it is possible to identify areas with steep
N-deposition gradients, facilitating the detection of ecological effects.
Lichen and tree crown data have been used to assess the response
of lichens and trees; these, along with the vegetation and soils
indicators, will be used to further examine forest ecosystem
responses. In one study led by the University of Colorado and the
University of California, FIA understory vegetation and lichen data
are being used to detect threshold changes in species diversity from
N deposition across large spatial gradients. In another study led by
EPA, FIA tree, soil, and understory vegetation data are being used to
develop calibrated models for Northeastern forests to examine the
interactive effects between nitrogen deposition and climate change
on forest dynamics. Both of these will be part of a national synthesis
Page 10
in support of the 2013-2015 review of the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS), scheduled to begin this summer.
Contact: Beth Schulz, [email protected], (907) 743-9424.
Figure 3: Byoria spp. mix on Larix. This genus includes many of the most sensitive oligotrophs we are finding in the 1,200 lichen plots from NRS-FIA.
Study Title: Forests adapting to and mitigating climate change
effects: An inventory of urban forest conditions in the Pacific Coast
States
Participants: John Mills, Paul Ries (Ore. Dept. Forestry), Samantha
Gill and Richard Thompson (Cal Poly), Temesgen Hailemariam (Ore.
State U.), David Nowak (NRS), and collaborators from state
agencies in California, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Status: In progress
Results: Urban trees are the hardest working trees in America –
they beautify our neighborhoods while reducing pollution. Numerous
studies have quantified the health and social benefits provided to
city dwellers by the urban forest, but beyond studies for individual
cities, we lack data regarding the broader picture for these resources
on the West Coast. In early 2010 the PNW Station partnered with
the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and California Polytechnic
State University (Cal Poly) to secure a $1.8 million American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to install 1,000 FIA plots in
the urban areas of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and
Washington. The study’s objective is to assess the health of the
trees and forests in urban areas of these 5 states and provide
estimates of the extent, cover, wood volume, and diversity of the
urban trees and surrounding vegetation while providing a baseline
against which to measure their ability to adjust to climate change.
Protocols for field sampling followed those implemented for FIA
urban inventories conducted in Colorado, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Working with our partners, contractors were hired and trained to
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Contact Us Greg Reams National Program Leader
Forest Inventory & Analysis USDA Forest Service National Office
1601 North Kent Street, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: (703) 605-4189
Fax: (703) 605-5131 Email: [email protected]
Brad Smith Associate National Program Leader Forest Inventory & Analysis USDA Forest Service
National Office 1601 North Kent Street, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: (703) 605-4190
Fax: (703) 605-5131
Email: [email protected]
install plots on the FIA sample grid where it intersected the 2000
Census map of Urbanized Areas. The plots adhere to standard FIA
4-subplot layout for tree measurements. Data were also collected on
landuse types, vegetation and ground cover (including impervious
surfaces, buildings, etc.), tree disease and damage, and
impediments to growth such as impeding sidewalks, utility wires,
and poor tree care.
The project is currently in the analysis phase associated with
producing state-level reports. We are coordinating iTree modeling
efforts with Dave Nowak at the Northern Research Station to
quantify the ecosystem service benefits produced by urban trees,
including the volume of various air pollutants captured, the benefits
of rainwater interception, the carbon sequestered, and tree
structures that contribute to habitat and shade which also buffer
homeowner heating and cooling costs.
Having a baseline of urban forest conditions will help local resource
managers and planners understand and articulate the contributions
urban forests make to the quality of life for residents. Over the
longer term, monitoring will help to determine if and how urban
forests are adapting to changing conditions, and could shed some
light on potential mitigations.
Contact: John Mills, [email protected], (503) 808-2076
Figure 4: Relative tree density and relative species diversity based on the average number of trees and tree species found on urban FIA plots by state.
Study Title: Monitoring selective logging in western Amazonia with
repeat LIDAR flights
Participants: Hans Andersen, Steve Reutebuch, Robert McGaughey,
Marcus d’Oliveira (EMBRAPA-CPAF-ACRE), and Michael Keller (USFS
Institute of Tropical Forestry)
Status: In Progress
Results: The objective of this study was to test the use of repeat
flight, airborne laser scanning data (lidar) for estimating changes
associated with low-impact selective logging in natural tropical
forests in the Western Brazilian Amazon. Specifically, we
investigated change in area impacted by selective logging, change in
tall canopy area, change in lidar canopy structure metrics, and
change in above ground biomass (AGB) using a model-based
statistical framework. Ground plot measurements were only
available from the time of the 2010 lidar acquisition. A simple
Page 12
differencing of the 2010 and 2011 lidar canopy height models
identified areas where canopy over 30 m tall had been removed.
Area of tall canopy dropped from 22.8% in 2010 to 18.7% in 2011,
a reduction of 4.1%. Using a relative density model (RDM) technique
the increase in area of roads, skidtrails, landings, and felled tree
gaps was estimated to be 17.1%. A model-based statistical
approach was then used to estimate the uncertainty of the changes
in AGB between the acquisitions. The change in mean AGB for the
entire study area was -9.1 Mg ha-1 ± 1.9. The change in mean AGB
for areas newly impacted in 2011 was -17.9 ± 3.1 Mg ha-1 while the
change in mean AGB for non-impacted areas was significantly less at
-2.6 ± 1.1 Mg ha-1. These results provide corroborating evidence of
the spatial extent and magnitude of change due to low-intensity
logging in tropical forests with heavy residual canopy cover.
Contact: Hans Andersen, [email protected], 206-221-9034
Outcomes from recently held meetings...
Northern Research Station
2012 FIA Science Symposium
The 2012 FIA Symposium took place Dec. 4-6, 2012 in Baltimore,
MD. The conference was attended by approximately 180 scientists,
managers, and natural resource professionals from around the
world. Attendees were able to listen to 12 plenary speakers and to
choose from nearly 130 presentations in concurrent sessions.
Approximately half of the presentations were delivered by FIA
scientists and 30% were given by University researchers. The theme
of the symposium was “Moving from Status to Trends” in recognition
of the availability of FIA data from multiple points in time. In
addition to the theme of monitoring forests over time, other issue-
based topics included climate change, wildlife, fire, bioenergy,
geospatial extensions, integrating remote sensing and GIS
applications, statistical and related quantitative solutions to
emerging needs, and many others. The Proceedings are available
online here - http://treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/42307
Pacific Northwest Research Station
PNW-FIA Washington, Oregon, and California Data Collection
Personnel Hold Annual Spring Field Training
Forest Inventory and Analysis field crews from the Pacific Northwest
states gathered in Portland, OR at the Station Director’s office for a
week-long administrative, technical, and field protocol training
session in early April. Tri-state training has been held in a similar
fashion since 2004 with the objective of assuring WA, OR, and CA
Data Collection staff have the information necessary to function
efficiently from their duty stations and remote locations, and to
provide a forum for communicating a consistent message regarding
administrative systems and field protocol. Quality Assurance staff
and the Data Collection Leadership Team tailored FIA-specific
administrative and protocol training for this event to improve skills
vital for collecting complete and accurate forest inventory data.
Approximately 50 data collection team members and over 20
collaborators or instructors participated in the training.
Page 13
There were indoor and outdoor sessions including a field trip to the
Tillamook Forest Center (facility use graciously donated) where our
data collectors and analysts had hands-on practice with fuel
transects, tree damage protocol, and fuel bed type coding.
Employee Profile
Pacific Northwest Research Station
Andrew Gray
Research Ecologist
I began working with Forest Inventory and
Analysis in late 1998, and one of my first
tasks was to help implement the new
nationally-standardized plot design on the
west coast. I was also assigned as the
Washington state analyst. It had been so
long since our last periodic measurement
of the state that it was decided to do a
rapid close-out of the periodic inventory
before implementing annual. So I became
steeped in the details of the old and new
designs as well as getting into the nuts
and bolts of compiling a change inventory. I
try to apply this knowledge and my research background while
serving as a team leader for the Vegetation Monitoring Science and
Applications team.
I grew up overseas in Spanish-speaking countries before my family
relocated back to the Pacific Northwest. Other than a year and a half
in Chicago and a well-cultivated travel bug I’ve had little reason to
Figure 5: Collage of PNW FIA Data Collection staff participating at Spring Training.
Page 14
leave the region since. I received a B.S. in Environmental Studies at
University of Washington in 1985, and an M.S. in Forest Ecosystems
at UW in 1990 studying fire effects and recovery. I received my
Ph.D. in Forest Ecology at Oregon State University in 1995 studying
tree seedling establishment and plant response to canopy gaps, and
have lived in Corvallis ever since. From this home base, I enjoy
exploring new places (aka trying to get lost), hiking, skiing,
mountaineering, guitar-playing, bicycle commuting, Sudokuing,
reading, and sampling fine Northwest beverages.
Much of my research in FIA has been focused on testing and
applying the wealth of information our dedicated staff collect and
compile to policy-relevant and ecological questions. Topics have
included invasive plant distribution, land-use change, classification
and analysis of late-successional forest structure, canopy cover
prediction, and patterns of tree mortality in relation to climate and
forest health. More recently I’ve become engrossed in assessing
drivers of change in live and dead carbon stores and assisting with
the national effort to develop regionally-appropriate biomass
equations. The life of an analyst in FIA includes developing/refining
field protocols, developing/updating growth and mortality equations,
refining/improving compilation and estimation algorithms, designing
special studies to meet client needs, producing core statistical tables
and interpretations, fielding data requests and resource questions
from clients, addressing timely policy-relevant questions, and
investigating fundamental causes of forest condition. There’s always
more interesting questions and data than there is time to analyze it,
but I feel honored and energized to have the opportunity!
Upcoming events…
Event Location/Objectives Date
Peruvians to
visit
Minnesota
Location: Saint Paul,
Minnesota
Objectives: NRS will be
hosting a meeting with
inventory leaders and
specialists from Peru. The
focus will be on evaluating
strategies for processing
and analyzing data
collected in a pilot study
conducted in the upper
Amazon basin by the
regional government of
Loreto, Peru. For more information
contact: Andrew Lister,
[email protected], 610-
557-4038 and Pat Miles,
[email protected], 651-
649-5146
April 29 - May 3,
2013
Page 15
Nevada FIA
User Group
Meeting and
Database
Workshop
Location: Carson City,
Nevada
Objectives: Nevada
stakeholders are invited to
participate in development
of the upcoming statewide
report for Nevada. The
first day will consist of
special issue identification
and development of the
report outline. On the
second day, we will hold a
workshop on the use of
online and stand-alone FIA
data access tools.
Although the data used in
the workshop will be
specific to Nevada, the
methods and tools will be
of interest to any FIA data
user. An optional field trip
to Nevada woodlands is
planned for the third day.
For more information
contact: Jim Menlove,
John Shaw,
May 7-9, 2013
Pacific
Northwest
Research
Station -
Alaska Client
Meeting
Location: Anchorage,
Alaska
Objectives: This meeting
is scheduled for Alaska
clients and includes a FIA
data workshop. Clients will
receive updates on the
PNW and national FIA
program. Presentations
will highlight the current
use of FIA data. The data
workshop will cover how
the data are collected and
provide hands-on
experience using the data
and databases.
May 15-16, 2013
Page 16
Safety at work…
Interior West Research Station Distracted Driving-A Message from Your Program Manager
Like many of us, I got my driver’s license when I was 16 years old
and I’ve been driving ever since. I have some 30 plus years of
experience under my (seat) belt. In that time, technology has
advanced significantly. We’ve gone from cars with lap belts to three-
point seat belts; cars with no airbags to driver’s side airbags to side
curtain airbags throughout; and from a world with only landline
phones and AM/FM radios to touch tone phones and eight tracks to
Smart(er than me) phones and MP3 players the size of a matchbox,
but who needs that when you have an iPhone? My point is, while the
safety of our vehicles has progressed, so has the technology vying
for our attention. Our human nature tells us; “I’m a good driver; I
can use the phone and drive safely,” but the facts tell us otherwise.
In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a
distracted driver and an additional 387,000 people were injured in
motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.
18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-
affected crashes.
In the month of June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages
were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50% from June 2009.
(CTIA)
Drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to
get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Monash
For more information
contact: Glenn
Christensen,
(503 808-2064) or Sharon
Stanton,
(503 808-2019)
Forest
Inventory and
Analysis(FIA)
National
Management
Team Meeting
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Objectives: The FIA
National Management
Team comprises FIA
Program leadership with
State and other Agency
partners. They will meet
to make recommendations
and decisions regarding
strategic planning and
implementation of various
FIA Program national
elements.
For more information
contact: Michael Wilson,
June 25-27, 2013
Page 17
Forest Service Safety Website
Please click on the following link
for the Forest Service safety
website. It contains lots of
safety information, as well as
the links to other good safety
websites.
http://www.fs.fed.us/safety/
University)
Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving
while not distracted. (VTTI)
Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road
for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent at 55 mph, of driving
the length of an entire football field, blind. (VTTI)
Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than handheld
use. (VTTI)
Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain
activity associated with driving by 37%. (Carnegie Mellon)
So what is distracted driving? Distracted driving is any activity that
could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of
driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander
safety. These types of distractions include:
Texting
Using a cell phone or Smartphone
Reading, including atlases, maps,, and aerial photos
Using a navigation system (GPS, SPOT)
Watching a video
Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player
Grooming (you’ve seen THAT person)
Eating and drinking
Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive
attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.
What about the use of a hands-free device to talk on a cell
phone while driving? I’m glad you asked. So far, the research
indicates that the cognitive distraction of having a hands-free phone
conversation causes drivers to miss the important visual and audio
cues that would ordinarily help you avoid a crash. So what about
conversations with passengers? Adult passengers often actively help
drivers by monitoring and discussing traffic. Passengers tend to
suppress conversation when driving conditions are demanding.
Driving has become one of the most frequent risks we encounter in
the Forest Service. As a Program, we cover more than three-
quarters of a million miles a year, not to mention all the miles we log
in our personal lives. Make your safety and the safety of your
passengers a priority. Commit yourself to following our Executive
Order and FS cell phone and electronics policy on and off the job.
Check out the next article for more on the effects of cognitive
distraction.
Sources: www.distraction.gov,
http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Documents/Dstr
ct_Drvng_White_Paper_Fnl(2).pdf
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”
