Role of Forest Inventory and Analysis Data in Determining Wood Availability in New Hampshire

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Role of Forest Inventory and Analysis Data in
Determining Wood Availability in New Hampshire
Coos Wood Availability Conference White Mountains
Regional High School May 7, 2008 Whitefield, NH
Randall S. Morin USDA Forest Service Forest
Inventory and Analysis Northern Research Station
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Outline

• Brief Overview of FIA
• Recent statewide trends
• National context
• Definitions biomass vs. volume
• FIA tools on the web
• Examples / limitations
• Questions/discussion

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Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit
Mission To improve the understanding and
stewardship of the nation's forests through
scientifically credible inventories and analyses
of the status and trends in forest condition, use
and productivity, and by transferring timely
resource information and new technology to the
public This is achieved through annual
inventories of the nations forest resources,
analysis of the inventory data, and
distribution of inventory results.
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FIA Sample Plot Distribution
Sample Intensity 1 sample location
per hexagon (6,000 ac) Inventory Cycle Length
1/5 of the plots measured each year
930 plots in New Hampshire
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Forest Inventory and AnalysisThree 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).

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Forest Conditions 1983

• Forest area for New Hampshire at 87
• Seedling/sapling forests growing into the
  poletimber size-class
• Sawtimber area remained stable

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Forest Conditions 1983
Percent of Cubic-Foot Growing Stock Volume Top
Ten Species
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Forest Conditions 1983

• 86 of forest land was privately owned
• Growing stock volume increased 16 from 1973
• Sawtimber volume increased 26 from 1973
• Sawlog production was up 33 from 1973
• Pulpwood production was up 68 from 1973

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Forest Conditions 1997

• Forest area for New Hampshire decreases by 3
  percent (84)
• Poletimber forests were growing into the
  sawtimber size-class

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Forest Conditions 1997
Percent of Cubic-Foot Growing Stock Volume Top
Ten Species
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Forest Conditions 2005

• Forest area for New Hampshire remains at 84
• Poletimber forests continue to grow into the
  sawtimber size-class

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Forest Conditions 2005
Percent of Cubic-Foot Growing Stock Volume Top
Ten Species
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New Hampshire in a National Context
NH ranks 2 in forest land area (based on of
land area)
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New Hampshire in a National Context
NH ranks 2 in growing stock volume per acre
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New Hampshire in a National Context
NH ranks 3 in sawtimber volume per acre
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Volume
Biomass
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FIA Volume Types

• All live gross volume (cubic feet)
• All live trees 5 dbh larger to 4 top dob
• Growing stock volume (cubic feet)
• All live trees 5 dbh larger to 4 top dob
• Excludes cull trees and cull portion of growing
  stock trees
• Sawtimber volume (board feet)
• All live sftwds 9 dbh larger to 7 top dob
• All live hdwds 11 dbh larger to 9 top dob
• Excludes cull trees and cull portion of growing
  stock trees

Conversion factors available for Scribner, Doyle,
cords, cunits
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All Live Gross Volume
Net volume 5.0 dbh from 1 foot above the
ground to a min. 4.0 inch top dob or to the point
where the central stem breaks into limbs
Cull
Cull
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Growing Stock Volume
Net volume 5.0 dbh from 1 foot above the
ground to a min. 4.0 inch top dob or to the point
where the central stem breaks into limbs
exclude cull trees and cull portion
Cull
Cull
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Sawtimber Volume
Net volume of the saw-log portion of live
sawtimber in board feet, International 1/4-inch
rule, from stump to a minimum 7.0 inches top
d.o.b. for softwoods and a minimum 9.0 inches top
d.o.b. for hardwoods
Cull
Cull
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Forestland Volumes NH 2005

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Volumes Coos County 2005

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FIA Biomass Types

• All live biomass oven-dry weight, total
  above-ground biomass on trees 1.0 dbh or larger,
  from ground level to the top. Includes bark,
  stump, top and limbs but excludes foliage.
• Merchantable stem biomass, total gross biomass
  (including bark) of a tree 5.0 inches DBH or
  larger from a 1-foot stump to a minimum 4-inch
  top d.o.b. of the central stem.

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All Live Biomass
Excludes only roots and foliage
Saplings
Cull
Cull
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Merchantable Stem Biomass
Cull
Cull
Saplings
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Forestland Biomass NH 2005
78
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Forestland Biomass Coos County 2005
74
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Different products different measures
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FIA Data and Tools

• FIADB 3.0
• FIA MapMaker
• Forest Inventory Data Online (FIDO)

http//www.fia.fs.fed.us/tools-data/
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Mapmaker Example

• What is the trend in growing-stock volume since
  1997?
• For Coos County
• For New Hampshire

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Timberland Volumes NH
Timberland Volumes Coos County
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Mapmaker Weaknesses

• No sampling errors produced
• Output options are limited

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Forest Inventory Data Online (FIDO)

• Provides estimates and sampling errors
• Several output options
• Replacement for Mapmaker
• Plans for continuous mapping

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FIDO Example

• The mill in Berlin was consuming approximately 1
  million tons per year
• How much biomass is available in a 40-mile
  woodshed around Berlin?
• How is it distributed by ownership?
• What is approximate annual net growth in that
  woodshed?

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Berlin Woodshed Example
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Woodshed Example

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Another FIDO Example

• How many sugar maple sawtimber trees are in Coos
  County?
• How much confidence do we have in the estimate?

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QUESTIONS?
CONTACT INFORMATIONRandall Morin11 Campus
Blvd., Suite 200Newtown Square, PA
19073610-557-4054rsmorin_at_fs.fed.us