Small Area Estimation In Forest Inventories New Needs Methods And Tools

Sound forest management planning requires cost-efficient approaches to optimally utilize given resources. Emphasizing the mathematical and statistical features of forest sampling to assess classical dendrometrical quantities, Sampling Techniques for Forest Inventories presents the statistical concepts and tools needed to conduct a modern forest inventory. The book first examines design-based survey sampling and inference for finite populations, covering inclusion probabilities and the Horvitz–Thompson estimator, followed by more advanced topics, including three-stage element sampling and the model-assisted estimation procedure. The author then develops the infinite population model/Monte Carlo approach for both simple and complex sampling schemes. He also uses a case study to reveal a variety of estimation procedures, relies on anticipated variance to tackle optimal design for forest inventories, and validates the resulting optimal schemes with data from the Swiss National Forest Inventory. The last chapters outline facts pertaining to the estimation of growth and introduce transect sampling based on the stereological approach. Containing many recent developments available for the first time in book form, this concise and up-to-date work provides the necessary theoretical and practical foundation to analyze and design forest inventories.

Designed to aid readers in gathering the most reliable quantitative information on forests for the least cost. Thoroughly explains the interrelationships between sampling strategies; discusses forestry techniques of efficient tactics; examines new developments in statistics having immediate applications in forestry and describes related developments that should have relevance in the future. Includes practical methods for dealing with forest data such as tree number, height, diameter and marketable wood. Also contains problem sets.

Provides guidance for woodlot owners on how to conduct and make use of a forest inventory. Sections of this guide cover such topics as: reasons for conducting an inventory; types of inventories; what kind of information to collect and what to measure; designing a forest inventory cruise, including sampling techniques and establishing sample plots; data collection, including measurement of tree diameter, height, and age; compiling forest inventory data; and using the inventory results to apply for monetary incentives in the Ontario Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program. The appendix contains additional tables and figures for use in taking an inventory.

This book reviews the current state-of-the-art within each of the four major themes: science and policy; inventory and monitoring; statistics and modelling; and information and knowledge management, in the context of sustainable forestry. It fosters dialogue across thematic areas concerning both strategic and operational approaches to integrate research on sustainable forestry. It also enhances and encourages international collaboration towards sustainable forestry practice worldwide.

During the 1990s, forest inventories for California, Oregon, and Washington were conducted by different agencies using different methods. The Pacific Northwest Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis program recently integrated these inventories into a single database. This document briefly describes potential statistical methods for estimating population totals, means, and associated sampling errors for these inventories. Differences in estimates using past methods for periodic inventories compared to estimates from proposed methods for a new annual inventory system were generally minor. This document is intended to be a resource for researchers using the 1990s forest inventory data for these states; examples are included to illustrate issues.