Preliminary results of the global forest biomass survey

Abstract

Many countries do not yet have well-established national forest inventories, and among those that do, significant methodological differences exist, particularly in the estimation of standing forest biomass. Global space-based LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) from NASA’s now-completed ICESat mission provided consistent, high-quality measures of canopy height and density. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, together with the United States Forest Service, has coordinated an international effort to calibrate ICESat measurements with fi eld measurements of aboveground biomass, and is using these measurements in a model-based estimation context around the world. This effort is called the Global Forest Biomass Inventory (GFBI), and each contributing country to the 2015 Global Forest Resources Assessment will be provided with LiDAR-based, national-level biomass density estimates. It is anticipated that many countries now reporting aboveground biomass using only international defaults will choose to report GFBI numbers. Project methodology will be described in this presentation, and preliminary estimates for cooperating countries will be discussed.

Citation

Healey, S.; Lindquist, E. 2014. Preliminary results of the global forest biomass survey. The International Forestry Review. 16(5): 205.