Illinois's forest resources in 2001

Abstract

BACKGROUND The North Central Research Station' s Forest Inventory and Analysis (NCFIA) program began fieldwork for the fifth forest inventory of Illinois in 2001, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This inventory initiates a new annual inventory system in the State. Onefifth of the field plots in Illinois are measured each year under this system. As a result, the current inventory of the State' s forest resources will not be fully implemented until 2005. However, because each year' s sample is a systematic sample of the entire State and because timely information is needed about forest resources in Illinois, estimates have been prepared from data gathered during the first year of the inventory. Due to the limited number of field plots measured, future estimates using data from this report are subject to change when ensuing annual inventories are completed and data compiled. The results presented are estimates based on sampling techniques. As additional inventories are completed, the precision of the estimates will increase and additional data will be released.