Designing and Conducting a Forest Inventory - case: 9th National Forest Inventory of Finland (eBook)

Designing and Conducting a Forest Inventory - case: 9th National Forest Inventory of Finland 3
Preface 5
Acknowledgements 7
Contents 9
Chapter 1: Introduction 13
1.1 Climatic Conditions and Forests of Finland 14
1.2 Early Attempts to Assess Forest Resources 14
1.3 The Development of the National Forest Inventories in Finland 17
1.4 The Use of the Forest Inventory Results in Forest Policy 20
1.5 The Use of National Forest Inventory Data in the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol Reporting 22
1.6 The Role of National Forest Inventory in Assessing the Status of Biodiversity 23
1.7 The Content and Structure of the Book, Further Results of NFI9 24
References 25
Chapter 2: Design and Measurements 29
2.1 Field Sampling Design 29
2.1.1 Sampling Simulation 32
2.1.2 South Finland 32
2.1.3 North Finland (Excluding North Lapland) 35
2.1.4 North Lapland 35
2.2 Assessment Units 37
2.2.1 Angle Count Plots 37
2.2.2 Stands 38
2.2.3 Other Assessment Units 38
2.3 Locating the Field Plots 39
2.4 Administrative Information 40
2.5 Land-Use and Classification of Forestry Land 42
2.6 Site Variables 43
2.7 Soil Variables 45
2.8 Drainage Situation 47
2.9 Taxation Class 47
2.10 Retention Trees to Maintain Biodiversity of Forests 48
2.11 Description of the Growing Stock of the Stand 49
2.12 Damages 54
2.13 Silvicultural Quality of Stand 56
2.14 Accomplished and Proposed Measures 57
2.15 Key Habitat Characteristics 58
2.16 Tally Tree Measurements 61
2.17 Epiphytic Lichens 67
2.18 Keystone Tree Species 67
2.19 All Tree Species 68
2.20 Dead Wood Measurements 68
2.21 Equipment for Measurements 70
2.22 A Correction to the Height Measurements of Year 2001 72
2.22.1 The Height Correction Models for the Sample Trees not Re-measured 73
2.22.2 Models for Correcting the Height Increments 74
2.23 Training and Quality Assurance 75
2.24 The Workload and Costs 76
References 77
Chapter 3: Estimation Methods 80
3.1 Estimation of Areas 81
3.2 Estimation of the Current Growing Stock 82
3.2.1 Mean Values per Area Unit 83
3.2.2 Mean Diameters 85
3.2.3 Predicting Sample Tree Form Factors, Volumes and Timber Assortment Proportions 86
3.2.3.1 Timber Assortments 88
3.2.4 Predicting Form Heights for Tally Trees 89
3.3 Estimation of Volume Increment 91
3.3.1 Increment of a Sample Tree 92
3.3.2 Increment of Survivor Trees 93
3.3.3 Increment of Drain 94
3.3.4 Total Increment 95
3.4 Estimation of the Volume of Dead Wood 96
3.5 Assessment of Sampling Error 96
3.5.1 Sampling Error of Ratio Estimators 97
3.5.2 Sampling Error of Total Volumes and Aggregates 99
3.6 Thematic Maps 100
References 101
Chapter 4: Results 103
4.1 The Areas of Land-Use Classes and Their Development 103
4.1.1 Forestry Land 103
4.1.2 Forest Land 106
4.1.3 Land Classes Based on FAO Definitions 107
4.1.4 Land Use-Changes Based on the Observations on the Plot 108
4.1.5 Ownership Information 109
4.2 Restrictions on Forestry and Area Available for Wood Production 110
4.3 Soil Classification and the Areas of Site Fertility Classes on Mineral Soils 111
4.4 Peatlands and Their Site Classes 114
4.4.1 Peatland Area and Its Changes 114
4.4.2 Land Classes of Peatlands 116
4.4.3 Drainage Situation of Peatlands 117
4.4.4 Principal Site Classes and Site Fertility Classes on Peatland Soils 119
4.4.5 The Thickness of the Peat Layer 121
4.5 Tree Species Dominance and Composition 123
4.5.1 The Dominant Tree Species 123
4.5.2 Tree Species Dominance by Site Fertility Classes 128
4.5.3 Tree Species Mixtures 129
4.6 Age and Development Classes 131
4.6.1 The Age Distributions of Stands and Their Changes 131
4.6.2 The Development Classes of Stands and Their Changes 134
4.7 Growing Stock 136
4.7.1 Mean Volume Estimates by Tree Species 136
4.7.1.1 Estimates of Mean Volume of Growing Stock by Age Classes and Development Classes 140
4.7.2 Total Growing Stock Estimates 142
4.7.2.1 Changes in Growing Stock Estimates Compared to Earlier NFIs 143
4.7.2.2 Changes in Growing Stock Estimates by Diameter Classes 144
4.7.3 Volume Estimates of Saw-Timber 145
4.8 Volume Increment 146
4.8.1 Increment Estimates 146
4.8.2 Uncertainties in Increment Estimates and Comparisons with Estimates from Earlier Inventories 146
4.8.2.1 Sampling Error 146
4.8.2.2 Changes in Definitions, Measurements, and Estimation Methods 148
4.8.2.3 Annual Variation in Increment 149
4.8.3 Forest Balance 150
Sec36_4 151
4.8.4 Changes in Annual Volume Increment Estimates since the 1950s 154
4.8.4.1 Changes in Annual Volume Increment by Age Classes on Mineral Soils 156
4.8.4.2 Changes in Annual Volume Increment Estimates on Peatland Soil Forests Since the 1950s and the Effect of Peatland Forestry on the Increment 156
4.9 Protected Areas 158
4.10 Forest Damage 160
4.11 Silvicultural Quality of Forests 164
4.11.1 Silvicultural Quality 164
4.11.2 Methods and Success of Regeneration 166
4.12 Management Activities 167
4.12.1 Accomplished and Proposed Cuttings 167
4.12.2 Accomplished and Proposed Silvicultural Measures 169
4.12.3 Drainage Operations 170
4.13 Biodiversity Indicators 172
4.13.1 Biodiversity Measurements in NFI 172
4.13.2 Key Habitats 173
4.13.3 Dead Wood 175
4.13.3.1 The Volume and Quality of Dead Wood 175
4.13.3.2 Dead Wood in Forests Not Available for Wood Production 180
4.13.3.3 The Volume of Usable Dead Wood 181
4.13.4 Keystone Tree Species 181
4.13.5 Retention Trees 182
References 184
Chapter 5: Discussion 188
5.1 The Development of Volume and Increment: New Estimates from NFI9 188
5.2 Estimation and Error Estimation 189
5.3 Comparisons of the NFI8 and NFI9 Designs 190
5.4 Some Experiences of the New Measurements 191
5.5 Experiences with the New Measurement Devices 191
5.6 Changes in the Design for NFI10 192
References 193
Appendix 194
Index 269