Adapting the US Forest Inventory and Analysis program to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Adapting the US Forest Inventory and Analysis program to Puerto

Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Thomas J. BrandeisUSDA Forest ServiceSouthern Research Station

FIA, Challenges and Lessons Learned

What is FIA?– History

Challenges and Lessons– Sampling design– Data collection– Coordination and

Logistics– Data processing

Big picture

National FIA Mission Statement

“To improve the understanding and management of our Nation’s forests by maintaining a comprehensive inventory of the status and trends of the country’s diverse forest ecosystems, their use, and their health.”

What does FIA do?

Answer these questions - How much forest exists and

where is it? What type of forest is it and

what does it hold? How is the forest’s health? Who owns it? How is it changing?

What doesn’t FIA do?

Not used as a basis for taxation records

Plot locations are not shared with any other government agency

Who wants the FIA survey information?

Land use planners Urban planners Decision makers from local

and provincial governments Forest resource managers Environmental action groups Businesses that use

resources from the forest General public

How does FIA provide these answers?

Forest inventories– resource bulletins– public data access

Timber product output studies– TPO publications

Forest health monitoring– resource bulletins– special publications

FIA’s goals in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Implement forest surveys tailored to the island’s unique tropical forests

Establish a forest health monitoring network Sponsor R&D into improving island forest

inventory and monitoring Get information about the islands’ forests to the

public

History of Caribbean FIA work

Puerto Rico surveyed 1980 and 1990 by FIA with IITF assistance– Well planned and executed, but limited scope– Resource bulletins and publications

Intensifications in Toro Negro, Las Marias watershed

Planned on 1990 USVI, but never implemented Forest inventory of St. Vincent

Previous Caribbean FIA Objectives and Strategies

“Assess the timber-production potential of the island’s forest resources”

Limited to potentially “productive” forest land “Traditional” forest inventory data collected Analysis focused on:

– Island-wide forest area trends– Forest composition and BA distribution– Timber volume

Setting in 2000

New national system– 5 year cycle– Include forest health– All forests

PR and the USVIs FIA (Knoxville) and IITF

(San Juan) PRCF partner

Challenges – Sampling DesignChallenges – Sampling Design

Challenge - Sampling Design

Systematic sampling Adapting old grid to new grid Loss of old plots unavoidable Larger, more diverse sample area Needed flexibility to expand, intensify Statistically solid and unbiased Panels, how much each year?

50 0 50 100 Miles

80 0 80 160 Kilometers

FIA in the Caribbean

Isla Mona

Puerto Rico

Vieques

Culebra

St. Croix

St. Thomas

St. John

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1980-1990 Forest Inventory

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30 0 30 60 Miles

#Y Forest health monitoring

(X New, single-intensity$T Remeasure, single-intensity

Puerto Rico FIA plots

Supplemental inventories

San Juan Bay Estuary Watershed Urban Forest Inventory

– 109 points

Northern Karst Belt– 94 points

44 forested 26 non-forested Non-access, 10 hazard, 13 camping, 1

denied

Under-represented forest types– Dry, mature– Serpentine– Montane

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30 0 30 60 Miles

$T Upper montane forest intensification(X Dry forest intensification&V Serpentine intensification(X Urban forest inventoryx{ Karst inventory

PR Supplemental Inventory plots

USVI and outlying PR island plots

Caribbean FIA Timeline

Mainland Puerto Rico (2001-2003)– All forest health monitoring plots done in 2001– Even-numbered forest inventory plots in 2002– Odd-numbered P2 plots in 2003

US Virgin Islands and outlying Puerto Rican islands (2004)– All plots on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John– All plots on Vieques and Culebra

Lessons Learned: Design

Systematic grid has worked well

Loss of old plots painful, but unavoidable

Intensification seems to be working for our needs

Challenges – ImplementationChallenges – Implementation

Challenge: Data Collection

Will the FIA national plot design work in the tropics?

What to monitor in forest health?

All new species and forest type codes

All in metric

FIA Plot Layout

Subplot 7.3 m (24.0 ft) radius

Microplot 2.1 m (6.8 ft) radius

Annular plot 17.9 m (58.9 ft) radius

Vegetation plot 1.0 m2 area

Soil sampling area 27.4 m (90 ft) from subplot #1

DWD transect 18.3 m (60.0 ft) transects

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36.5 m (120 ft) between subplot centers

Azimuth #1 - #2: 360°

Azimuth #1 - #3: 120°

Azimuth #1 - #4: 240°

Microplots 3.6 m (12 ft) from subplot centers at 90° azimuth

DWD transects at 30°, 150° and 270°azimuths

Challenge - Data Collection

Plot data– location mapped– physiography, condition classes

Subplot data – Trees with DBH > 12.5 cm– locations mapped– DBH, height and damage – crown class and ratio

Microplot data– Saplings DBH < 2.5 cm– Seedlings with height > 30 cm

identified and counted

Challenge - Data Collection

Forest Health Down woody debris

and fuels Soil measurements

and sampling Crown condition

classification Vegetation structure

and diversity pilot

Lesson Learned - Data Collection

Plot design has worked well– Difficult in very steep terrain

Forest health monitoring appears successful New coding has been difficult to organize

– Species list and synonyms– Physiographic codes not performing well– Forest types still obsolete

Lesson Learned - Data Collection

Where and When– Work in mountains or

karst first during dry season

– Work in dry south coast during rainier season

Get your GPS straight from the start

Challenge - Coordination and Logistics

Hire 2-5 field technicians on 6-month contracts and one data entry technician

Work with 2-3 SRS timber cruisers part of each year

Work on intensification plots the rest of year SRS training and supervision SRS data compilation, analysis and reporting

Challenge - Coordination and Logistics

Vehicles Accommodations and budget Communications (cell phones) Responding to problems Getting data and samples back to office Pay and travel coordination Public relations

Lessons Learned - Coordination and Logistics

Mixed crews only a short-term fix

Field crew from one location best

Supervision from Knoxville okay so far,

Office people must understand field working conditions

Lessons Learned: Coordination and Logistics

Dedicated vehicles with maintenance plan

Very clear work and travel rules

Cell phones for everyone

Public relations efforts paid off

Challenges – Data ProcessingChallenges – Data Processing

Challenges - Data Processing

Normally done differently by FIA Data handling and entry (paper or

electrons?) Editing (logic and error checks) Compilation Final products, questions, answers All must be thought out

beforehand

Lessons Learned - Data Processing

Don’t underestimate this part! Key to future sustainability Consider PDR, but not necessary Skilled personnel in office Early decisions have large impact later on Have it all sorted out before measuring a single

tree

Big picture

Long term commitments Institutional memory Regional cooperation and international

compatibility Complement other efforts

– gain detail otherwise lacking– gain scaling up to landscape level

Collaborations

Thank you – Muchas GraciasThank you – Muchas Gracias

Contact information

Thomas J. Brandeis

Research Forester

Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, TN 37919

(865) 862-2030, (865) 862-0262 fax

[email protected]

Adapting the US Forest Inventory and Analysis program to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Documents

Transcript of Adapting the US Forest Inventory and Analysis program to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands