Canadas National Forest Inventory

1
Canadas National Forest Inventory

• Mark D. Gillis
• Canadian Forest Service
• Victoria, BC
• Contact
• magillis_at_pfc.forestry.ca

2
Federal Role in Forest Inventory

• Research and development
• Inventory of federally administered forest lands
• National Forest Inventory

3
Canadas National Forest Inventory

• What do we have
• Where are we going
• How are we going to get there?

4
National Forest Inventory -What do we have?

• CanFI
• compilation of source inventories
• stand level data provided
• harmonized to national classification scheme
• aggregated to mapsheet, provincial and national
  level

5
CanFI

• 48 source inventories
• National classification scheme
• area and gross merchantable volume
• land class
• ownership and status
• site class
• stocking
• age and maturity
• predominant genus and forest type
• 48,000 aggregation units
• Relational database management system and GIS

6
CanFI Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strengths
• Cost effective
• Process well established and accepted
• Provides detailed, location-specific information
• Weaknesses
• Varying standards and ages
• Lacks capability to derive change data
• Lacks monitoring capability
• Lacks non-timber attributes
• Unknown precision

7
National Forest Inventory - Where are we going?

• Demands for information
• Criteria and Indicators
• Climate change - Kyoto
• Biodiversity
• Productive capacity
• Sustainable development - trade

8
New National Forest Inventory (NFI) -Design
Characteristics

• Sample frame well defined.
• Consistent application across the country.
• Information on all classes of land ownership,
  including protected areas.
• Changes and trend estimates.
• Data standards and definitions.
• Statistically sound design (survey).
• Estimates accompanied by statements of precision.
• Compatible/accommodate ecological classification.
• Allows multiple resource attributes to be
  imported and utilized.
• Data structure facilitates spatial analysis.

9
National Forest Inventory Elements

• A network of sampling points across the
  population
• Estimation of some attributes from remote sensing
  sources
• Estimation of species diversity, wood volumes and
  other detailed data from ground-based sub-sample
• Estimation of change from repeated measurements

10
The NFI Network

• population of the inventory is all of Canada
• potential sampling locations reside on 4 x 4 km
  network
• preferred sampling intensity is a 20 x 20 km
  network of sampling points
• reported by Terrestrial Ecozones

11
National Forest Inventory Design

• Photo Plots Provides estimate of basic
  attribute data
• Sample 1 of landbase
• Sample units will be 2 x 2 km
• Located at network points
• - Aerial photos for treed
• - Satellite data for north

12
NFI Photo Plot (2 km x 2 km)
2 km
2 km
13
National Forest Inventory Design

• Photo Plots Provides estimate of basic
  attribute data
• Aerial photography
• Ground Plots Provide additional information
• Estimates of species diversity, wood
• volumes and other detailed data
• Minimum of 50 plots per Ecozone
• Measurements synchronized with
• photo plots

14
National Forest Inventory Design

• Photo Plots Provides estimate of basic
  attribute data
• Aerial photography
• Ground Plots Provide additional information
• Satellite data Periodic basis - complete
  coverage
• Confirm/Verify the inventory
• Assess major change (harvest)
• Extend the inventory

15
Auxiliary NFI attributes

• From management records, other data sources and
  maps
• land use
• land ownership
• area protection status
• access/human influence
• harvest activities
• disturbances
• species planted
• land conversion

16
Estimation of Change

• NFI will be ongoing
• first measurement over five year period
• remeasurements over 10 year period (1/10 the area
  being covered each year in a statistically
  defensible manner)

17
Specific Output/Deliverables

• CCFM Criteria and Indicators
• Response to Kyoto
• Assessment of biodiversity
• National/International reporting
• Provincial/Territorial overviews
• Change assessment and Audit

18
NFI Status

• Provincial commitment
• Partnerships
• Design and development workshops
• Design document
• Technical studies
• Promotion
• Implementation planning

19
NFI Implementation

• 1998-1999 Develop standards and definitions
  Inventory planning.
• 1999-2000 Develop QA/QC system.
• 2000-2000 Training workshops.
• 1999-2001 Pilot projects.
• 2000-2001 Develop database management system.
• 2001-2002 Evaluate pilot projects and finalize
  design.
• 2001-2002 Produce prototype NFI report.
• 2001-2004 Data collection.
• 2004-2005 Compile and report first new
  plot-based NFI.