The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database: Database Description and User Guide for Phase 2 (version 6.1)

Abstract

Authors Background Acknowledgments User Guide UpdatesChanges from the Previous Database Version AbstractThis document is based on previous documentation of the nationally standardized Forest Inventory and Analysis database (Hansen and others 1992;Woudenberg and Farrenkopf 1995; Miles and others 2001; Woudenberg and others 2010). Documentation of the structure of the Forest Inventory and Analysis database (FIADB) for Phase 2 data, as well as codes and definitions, is provided. Examples for producing population-level estimates are also presented. This database provides a consistent framework for storing forest inventory data across all ownerships for the entire United States. These data are available to the public. Keywords:Forest Inventory and Analysis, inventory database, user manual, user guide, monitoringThe use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. BackgroundThe Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) research program has been in existence since mandated by Congress in 1928. FIA's primary objective is to determine the extent, condition, volume, growth, and use of trees on the Nation's forest land. Before 1999, all inventories were conducted on a periodic basis. The passage of the 1998 Farm Bill requires FIA to collect data annually on plots within each State. This kind of up-to-date information is essential to frame realistic forest policies and programs. USDA Forest Service regional research stations are responsible for conducting these inventories and publishing summary reports for individual States.In addition to published reports, the Forest Service provides data collected in each inventory to those interested in further analysis. This report describes a standard format in which data can be obtained. This standard format, referred to as the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB) structure, was developed to provide users with as much data as possible in a consistent manner among States. A number of inventories conducted prior to the implementation of the annual inventory are available in the FIADB. However, various data attributes may be empty or the items may have been collected or computed differently. Annual inventories use a common plot design and common data collection procedures nationwide, resulting in greater consistency among FIA work units than earlier inventories. Data field definitions note inconsistencies caused by different sampling designs and processing methods. AcknowledgmentsIn addition to those listed as authors, the following people provided additional contributions to this document: This particular document, version 6.0.2, has undergone some major updates and reorganization since version 6.0. Many of the updates were made to make this document more accessible to all users. Other changes to this document, such as the addition of hypertext links, are reflective of the ePUB environment and will allow users to quickly access particular section...

Transatlantic wood pellet trade demonstrates telecoupled benefits

“…Timberland is a subset of U.S. forestland that is "producing or is capable of producing crops of industrial wood and [is] not withdrawn from timber utilization by statute or administrative regulation" (O'Connell et al 2014). We therefore define the SE US sending system as the timberlands, saw timber mills, export pellets mills, and transportation systems in the nine states (Fig.…”

Classifying forest inventory data into species-based forest community types at broad extents: exploring tradeoffs among supervised and unsupervised approaches

“…Forest plot observations from across the conterminous U.S. were extracted from the FIA database (FIADB version 6.1;O'Connell et al 2016). The FIA program uses a nationally-consistent, sample-based statistical design to quantify forest conditions across the U.S., and is the primary source for information about the status and trends of U.S. forest resources (Smith 2002).…”

“…Each condition within a plot represents all or a portion of one or more subplots, and can have a different forest type and forest type group assigned to it (O'Connell et al 2016). Therefore, to ensure that our sample units were each labeled with only a single forest type group and ensure our sample units represent a relatively homogenous tree species assemblage, we used the conditions within plots as our unit for classification.…”

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“…and understory vegetation), dead wood and litter (nonliving plant material such as standing dead trees, down dead wood, and forest floor litter), and soil organic matter exclusive of coarse roots and estimated to a depth of 1 meter. Carbon estimates, by ecosystem pool, are based on sampling and modeling; for additional information on current approaches determining forest carbon stocks see U.S. EPA (2015) and O'Connell et al (2014). The level of information available for estimating carbon varies among pools; for example, the greatest confidence is in the estimate of live tree carbon due to the high number of samples and availability of allometric relationships applied to the tree data.…”