The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program in the Northeast

Charles T. “Chip” ScottProgram Manager

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Northeastern Research Station

Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA

Outline

Why are we here? What is FIA? Farm Bill Mandates FIA Organization FIA’s Three Phase Approach Implementation Status NE-FIA Products and Services Measuring Sustainability Future Direction

Purposes of this Meeting:

To inform our users about FIA, the changes in the Program, the data and analytical tools available, and our publications.

To stay in touch with our FIA users to meet their needs as we are able.

To get feedback on the draft FIA Strategic Plan

Forest Inventory and Analysis

To advance the understanding and management of the forests of the Northeast by monitoring the status and trends in our forest ecosystems

Part of US Department of Agriculture …

… Forest Service

… Research and Development Implemented in collaboration with States In operation for 75 years

Northeastern FIA

Responsible for 13 states

Sample all lands Conduct

measurements on 93 million acres of forest land

1998 Farm Bill Mandates

1998 Farm Bill was a response to user demand for more timely and comprehensive information about the sustainability of US forests

US Congress directed FIA to develop a Strategic Plan on how changes would be implemented

Appropriations have increased yearly

1998 Farm Bill Mandates

Periodic inventory => continuous inventory Irregular cycle => fixed cycle Non-National Forest lands => all forest lands Less consistency => more consistency

1998 Farm Bill Mandates

Current estimate focus => monitoring focus Narrower scope => broader scope (FHM) Self contained => partnerships Periodic reports => 5-year analytical reports

National Organization

FIA Management Team– Representatives from 3 State regions– 2 National Forest System representatives– Forest Health Monitoring Program Leader– FIA Program Leader and Managers – Meets 3 times a year & calls every other month

FIA Executive Team meets yearly National FIA Users’ Group meets once each year 5 Bands (Data Acquisition, Information Mgt., Analysis,

Statistics, Remote Sensing)

Regional Organization

NE-FIA Regional Management Team– Representatives from each State– National Forest System representative– Forest Health Monitoring Regional Manager– NE-FIA Program Manager

Meet once each year NE-FIA Users’ Group

NE-FIA Organization

Program Manager – Chip Scott

•Data Collection – Dave Alerich

•Information Management – Tom Frieswyk

•Analysis – Will McWilliams

•Techniques Development – Mike Hoppus

Forest Inventory and Analysis:Three Phase Sample

Phase 1 – Remote sensing for stratification into forest and nonforest.

Phase 2 - Nationwide system of sample plots, 1 every 3 mi (6,000 ac).

Phase 3 – 1 of 16 Phase 2 plots measured for extended suite of ecosystem data (96,000 ac).

Forest Inventory and AnalysisMethods

Phase 1 – Remote sensing for stratification into forest and nonforest.

Forest Inventory and AnalysisMethods

Phase 2 - Nationwide system of sample plots

Grid / Cycle / Subcycle

Same grid across country NE-FIA has two cycles:

– 7-year federal cycle– 5-years in ME, PA, NY and DE– 5-years for Phase 3

Divide grid by number of years in Cycle to create that 5 or 7 annual Subcycles

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four

Year Five

Five-Year Cycle

Phase 2 Interpenetrating Design

1 2 3 4 5 11 2 3 4 5 1

4 5 1 2 33

4 5 1 2 33

Forest Inventory and Analysis:Three Phase Sample

Phase 1 – Remote sensing for stratification into forest and nonforest.

Phase 2 - Nationwide system of sample plots, 1 every 5 km (6,000 ac).

Phase 3 – 1 of 16 Phase 2 plots measured for extended suite of ecosystem data.

Measurements

General plot and stand descriptive data is collected on various portions of the plot.

The subplot is where the basic tree measurements ( with a DBH of 5.0 inches and greater) are collected including crown condition and damage symptoms, growth, mortality, and quality measures of the tree for use.

Information relating to regeneration is collected on the microplot for trees with a DBH less than 5.0 inches (seedlings and saplings).

Measurements – Phase 3

The down woody material transects (line samples) are used to gather information on trees and tree branches.

Soil samples are analyzed in at a laboratory for basic soil nutrient parameters, pH, and soil aluminum. Other descriptive information are used to estimate potential soil erosion.

Also ozone bioindicator plant data are collected on their own network of plots.

Measurements – Phase 3

The lichen plot is used to collect voucher specimens and estimate of abundance.

The vegetation plots are used to identify all vegetation to the species level and also the height zone that the species occupies in the stand. Information on exotic or introduced plants can be extracted from the species list from each plot.

Forest Inventory and Analysis:Other Program Components

National Woodland Owner Survey.

Timber Products Output.

Special Studies – regional assessments, special problems.

State Last Periodic Annual Started

Connecticut 1998 2003

Delaware 1999 2004

Maine 1995 1999

Maryland 1999 2004

Massachusetts 1998 2003

New Hampshire 1997 2002

New Jersey 1999 2004

New York 1993 2002

Ohio 1991 2001

Pennsylvania 1989 2000

Rhode Island 1998 2003

Vermont 1997 2003

West Virginia 2001 2004

Implementation Status

Northeastern Annual Inventories1999-2004

ME

OH

WV

PA

NY

VT

NH

MA

CT RI

NJ

MD

DE

2001

2002

2003

1999

2000

2004

States with Full Annual FIA in FY 2004

Implementation Status

Portable data recorder, data storage, compilation, and reporting systems are being developed (http://fia.fs.fed.us/tools-data/)

National sampling design and estimation methods for Phase 2 being published

Phase 3 estimation methods being developed Quality Assurance data now on our website:

www.fs.fed.us/ne/fia Forest area, forest type, and biomass are being

mapped nationally

National Biomass Map

0 – 20

20 – 30

30 – 40

40 – 50

50 – 90

90 – 130

> 130

Tons/acre

To Reporting and Beyond

Completed first annual cycle in ME and first year of remeasurement. First 5-year report on web – a collaborative effort with Maine Forest Service.

Completed first 5 years in Pennsylvania and are analyzing the results for analytical report.

Working on 2-year (40%) results for New York Collecting taper data on standing trees to reduce

need for merchantable heights and flexible utilization standards.

Computed fragmentation statistics across NE

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

Count of Core

ForestPatches

1 10 50 100 500 1000 5000 10000 >10,000

Patch Size (acres)

Count of Core Forest Patches per Patch Size Class

SIZES OF FORESTED PATCHES – CREATED USING SATELLITE DATAAND FOREST FRAGMENTATION ANALYSIS METHODS

NE-FIA Products

Report on status and trends in the Nation’s forested resources:– Forest area, extent, composition.– Tree growth, harvest, mortality.– Wood volume, biomass, carbon.– Forest health, sustainability.

State annual reports and 5-year comprehensive analyses

FIA Services

Consultations and assistance in obtaining, interpreting data (Spatial Data Services)

Collaboration in research using FIA data. Assistance to our partners (NFS, S&PF,

and States) and to other customers:– data analysis and reporting– developing forest inventory and monitoring

programs.

FIA Products Online databases

How is FIA Addressing Sustainability?

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is changing to meet international, national, regional, and State forest resource information needs.

The changes enhance our ability to monitor the sustainability of our forests, including components of change

How is FIA Addressing Sustainability? National Level

Montreal Criteria and Indicators report on attributes, such as area change

14 of 67 indicators, and 9 more in progress For example, FIA monitors:

– forest area by forest type– standing volume and removals– erosion on forest soils– ozone damage– forest biomass and carbon

How is FIA Addressing Sustainability? State Level

FIA produces comprehensive reports on all aspects of data collected, including:

•Volume by species and diameter class

•Ownership•Productivity•Disturbance

•Growth-to-removals ratios

•Stand structure•Species composition•Regeneration

Future Direction

Nation-wide maps and localizing estimates Scaling-up research results on impacts, such

as air pollution and climate change. Also scaling up Phase 3 to Phase 2 (and Phase 1)

Expanding FIA to other treed lands, such as in urban areas and riparian zones

Strategic Plan for next 5 years being developed

The 2005 Symposium will emphasize international contributions and collaborations and will include keynote and invited speakers from Canada, Europe, and other countries. Presentation topics include sampling, modeling, estimation, remote sensing, mapping, ecological analyses, forest health, sustainable forest management, and analytical reporting. Abstracts for contributed papers may be submitted until 30 June 2005 to Ron McRoberts at rmcroberts@fs.fed.us

http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4801/regional-programs/Inventory/meetings/symposia/default.asp

7th Annual Forest Inventory and Analysis Symposium3-6 October 2005

Portland, Maine, USA

Questions?

For further information, contact:Chip Scott

Northeastern Research Station

11 Campus Blvd., Suite 200

Newtown Square, PA 19073

610-557-4020

ctscott@fs.fed.us

fia.fs.fed.us

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Please give us your input!

We, the Northeastern Forest Inventory and Analysis (NE-FIA) Program, are interested in knowing if we are meeting your needs for forest inventory data and what we can do to improve our organization. We want your feedback in two areas. This section focuses on the NE-FIA Program in the 13 northeastern states. By answering the questions below, you will be helping to improve the performance and efficiency of NE-FIA. Thanks!

Name (optional):_____________________

Affiliation (mark all that apply):State forestry agency ٱ Other federal/state agency ٱ Private consultant ٱ Forest industry ٱUniversity ٱ _______________________ :Other ٱ

1. What FIA products and services do you use?

2. How does FIA affect your decisions and understanding of forest resources?

3. How effective is FIA at responding to your data requests and questions regarding data use and interpretation?

4. How easy is it to contact us, and do we respond in a timely manner?

5. Do you have any suggestions for improving FIA?

We want to know your thoughts on the draft National FIA Strategic Plan. The outline of it below provides you with spaces for comments. Your comments and insights would be greatly appreciated.

Current Program StatusDefinition of the Base Federal ProgramImplementation Status

Federal Base Program Adjustments for 2006 and BeyondUpdated estimates of forest area Changes in Staffing Plans Distribution of National Roles to the Regional Units

Base Federal Program Plans for the Next Five Years

Enhancements

Topic Area CommentsPriority

Techniques Research

Synchronize Phase 2 and Phase 3 Plot Schedules

Partnerships with Other Federal Programs

Increased Use of Remote Sensing and Spatial Techniques

Increased FIA Analytical Capability

Sustainability Assessment

Legacy Data Recovery Project

Enhanced Tropical Forest Inventory

Additions

Topic Area Comments Priority

Increase Intensity of the Base FIA Program to 15% or 20% Nationwide

Land Use/Land Cover Change Analysis

Urban Forest Inventory

Rapid Assessment Teams

Other Treed Land Inventory

Wildlife Habitat Monitoring

Inventory and Monitoring of special forest products