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Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Michael Williams and Gretchen Moisen Intermountain West Forest Inventory and Analysis Ogden, Utah Ken Winterberger Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis Anchorage, Alaska. What is FIA?.

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Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

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  1. ForestInventory and Analysis Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Michael Williams and Gretchen Moisen Intermountain West Forest Inventory and Analysis Ogden, Utah Ken Winterberger Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis Anchorage, Alaska

  2. What is FIA? • “The Census program for the Nation’s Forest Lands” • One of the oldest continuous natural resource inventories (since 1928) • One of the largest natural resource inventories in the world (3,537,441 square miles=2.26 billion acres) • Ground-based data collection • Collects information for all “forest” land and ownerships

  3. Forest land is diverse

  4. Diverse Ownerships

  5. FIA Outputs and Issues • Current status and trend of U.S. forests • Maps • Carbon sequestration, climate change • Criterion Indicators • Fire/Fuels • Ozone damage and acid rain • Habitat • ………

  6. Topics for Discussion • How FIA has changed • The “base” FIA program (P2) • Integration of Forest Health Monitoring (P3) • Filling in the “base”

  7. Part I: The base FIA

  8. The Big Change for FIA Post 1998 Pre 1998

  9. Periodic survey Slightly Different Sampling Rates Regional Plot Regional Field Manuals Different Database and Analysis Programs Different Estimation Methods Annual Panel survey Standard Plot Standard Data Collection Methods “core variables” Common Database Summary of Changes Pre 1998 Post 1998

  10. Goals of the New FIA Program • Create a Nationally Consistent Survey (spatial and temporal) • Improved timeliness of information • Minimize disruptions (can’t start over) • Integrate FIA with Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) • Meet data needs of our diverse group of customers

  11. Goal 1. Spatial Consistency • Consistent “base” sampling rate of ~ 1 plot / 6000 acres • Utilize as many existing sample locations as possible • Be able to change sampling intensity to meet regional goals • Integrate with existing Forest Health Monitoring program

  12. Hexagon tessellation of a sphere

  13. Change hexagon size by subdividing nodes with triangles

  14. FHM grid of Wyoming (1hex~160,000 acres)

  15. Hexagons for FHM and FIA (1 FHM hex ~ 27 FIA hexagons)

  16. Plots selection rules • 1.if the FIA hexagon contained an FHM plot, the existing FHM plot was selected; • 2.if not, then an existing FIA plot was selected; • 3.if there were multiple FIA plots in the hexagon, the one closest to hexagon center was selected and the others were abandoned; • 4.if there were no existing FHM or FIA plots in the hexagon, a new sample location was selected based on a random azimuth and distance from hexagon center.

  17. Example of 1 plot/hex

  18. Temporal Considerations • Non-overlapping panel survey (i.e., measure x % of all plots every year) • Annual coverage of all large-scale events (e.g., assess hurricane impact) • Ability to change the cycle length • Sub-paneling

  19. Temporal patterns Hexagon panel assignments illustrating the triangular pattern of a 4-panel rotation. Hexagon panel assignments illustrating the parallelogram pattern of a 5-panel rotation.

  20. Summarizing Paneling • Possible to have 3-, 4-, 7-, 9-, and 11 year cycles by connecting nodes with triangles • 5,10 year cycles possible with parallelograms • A sub-paneling system is also used.

  21. FIA Ground Data Collection(“base program”, P2)

  22. FHM (P3, enhanced FIA)

  23. Summary of the sample design • Use auxiliary data (TM, photos,DEM…) for post-stratification of ground data. • Extensive use of FHM framework • Provides National consistency • Allows substantial flexibility for regional issues through temporal and spatial intensification.

  24. Part II. Beyond the Base

  25. Marginal, Mean, and Inaccessible lands

  26. Case Study I: Alaska

  27. Reality Check • 656,425 square miles =421 million acres = 70,000 FIA plots. • Alaska has 1 mile of road for every 42 square mile (1-to-1 in lower 48) • 70 helicopter crews working 90 days for 10 years • N.D. 1 crew,1 Winnebago, 90 days

  28. Testing LIDAR and IFSAR

  29. Case Study II: Nevada

  30. Aerial photographs and digitization • 90 forest and woodland plots (3 photos per plot) • Scan at 12u

  31. Summary • FIA has been transformed from a group of regional inventories into a national program. • FIA data are have a multitude of applications • FIA is experimenting with a number of new technologies of expand and improve our products

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