6222009

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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

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What is FIA?

• The Census program for the Nations 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 miles2.26 billion
  acres)
• Ground-based data collection
• Collects information for all forest land and
  ownerships

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Forest land is diverse
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Diverse Ownerships
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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

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Topics for Discussion

• How FIA has changed
• The base FIA program (P2)
• Integration of Forest Health Monitoring (P3)
• Filling in the base

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Part I The base FIA
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The Big Change for FIA
Post 1998
Pre 1998
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Summary of Changes
Post 1998
Pre 1998

• 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

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Goals of the New FIA Program

• Create a Nationally Consistent Survey (spatial
  and temporal)
• Improved timeliness of information
• Minimize disruptions (cant start over)
• Integrate FIA with Forest Health Monitoring (FHM)
• Meet data needs of our diverse group of customers

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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

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Hexagon tessellation of a sphere
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Change hexagon size by subdividing nodes with
triangles
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FHM grid of Wyoming (1hex160,000 acres)
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Hexagons for FHM and FIA (1 FHM hex 27 FIA
hexagons)
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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.

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Example of 1 plot/hex
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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

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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.
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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.

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FIA Ground Data Collection(base program, P2)
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FHM (P3, enhanced FIA)
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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.

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Part II. Beyond the Base
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Marginal, Mean, and Inaccessible lands
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Case Study I Alaska
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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

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Testing LIDAR and IFSAR
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Case Study II Nevada
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Aerial photographs and digitization

• 90 forest and woodland plots (3 photos per plot)
  
• Scan at 12u

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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