A comparison of sample unit designs in the national inventory of the U.S.

B. E. Borders; G. H. Brister; N. Grahl; B. D. Shiver; C. J. Cieszewski

Treesearch

A comparison of sample unit designs in the national inventory of the U.S.

Informally Refereed

Authors:

B. E. Borders, G. H. Brister, N. Grahl, B. D. Shiver, C. J. Cieszewski

Year:

2000

Type:

General Technical Report

Station:

Northern Research Station

Source:

In: Hansen, Mark; Burk, Tom, eds. Integrated tools for natural resources inventories in the 21st century. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-212. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 20-27.

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Abstract

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service has adopted a new sampling unit for the national forest inventory of the U.S. We compared this new sampling unit with five other sampling units. Data from natural loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands in the Georgia piedmont show that all sample units produce reasonable estimates for the pine overstory in this stand type. However, plot clusters typically used by FIA to sample trees in the 1.0 to 4.9 inch dbh range can produce seriously biased estimates. Use of a single, subjectively chosen "site" tree, as done by FIA field crews, results in serious overestimation of site index for this stand type.

Parent Publication

Integrated tools for natural resources inventories in the 21st century

Citation

Borders, B. E.; Brister, G. H.; Grahl, N.; Shiver, B. D.; Cieszewski, C. J. 2000. A comparison of sample unit designs in the national inventory of the U.S. In: Hansen, Mark; Burk, Tom, eds. Integrated tools for natural resources inventories in the 21st century. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-212. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 20-27.