Program Features
Background
Basic Forest
Inventory:
Phase
1 is a remote sensing phase aimed at classifying
the
land into forest and non-forest
and taking spatial measurements
such as fragmentation, urbanization,
and distance
variables. This
phase has historically been done
using aerial photography, but is changing
to a
system based
on satellite imagery.
Phase
2 consists of a
set of field sample locations distributed
across the landscape with approximately
one sample
location (FIA plot) every 6,000 acres.
Forested sample locations are visited
by field crews
who collect a variety of forest ecosystem
data. Non forest locations are also
visited as necessary
to quantify rates of land use change.
Forest Health Indicators:
Phase
3 consists of a subset of the phase two plots
(approximately
1 every 96,000 acres) which
are visited during the growing
season in order to collect an
extended suite
of ecological
data including full vegetation
inventory, tree and crown condition,
soil data,
lichen diversity,
coarse woody debris, and ozone damage.
Timber
Products Output Studies:
FIA conducts Timber Products Output (TPO) studies
to estimate industrial and non-industrial uses
of roundwood in a state. To estimate industrial
uses of roundwood, all primary wood-using mills
in a state are canvassed periodically.
National Woodland Owner Survey:
The National Woodland Owner Survey helps us
understand who owns the woodlands of the
United
States;
why
these
individuals
and groups own woodlands; and what is the future
of these lands.
National
assessment (Resources Planning Act):
FIA currently provides updates of assessment
data every five years as required by the
Agriculture Research, Extension and Education
Reform Act of 1998 (Farm Bill).
Additional information is available in the FIA
Online Library.
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