Forests of Delaware, 2017

Abstract

This publication provides an overview of forest resources in Delaware based on inventories conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Northern Research Station. From 2004-2013, FIA employed an annual inventory with a cycle length of 5 years, measuring data on 20 percent of all sample plots each year in Delaware. Beginning in 2014, FIA is on a 7-year cycle, inventorying 14 percent of all plots annually. For the 2017 inventory, estimates for current variables such as area, volume, and biomass are based on 397 plots (140 forested) collected from 2011-2017. Change variables such as net growth, removals, and mortality are based on 377 samples (124 forested) collected in 2006-2011 and resampled in 2011-2017. Estimates from earlier annual and periodic inventories are shown for comparison. See Bechtold and