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Hybrid estimators for mean aboveground carbon per unit area

Carbon accounting is at the heart of efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. One approach for estimating population parameters for live tree stem carbon entails three primary steps: (1) construction of an individual tree, allometric carbon model, (2) application of the model to tree-level data for a probability sample of plots, and (3) use of a probability-...

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Author(s):

Ronald E. McRoberts; Qi Chen; Grant M. Domke; Göran Ståhl; Svetlana Saarela; James A. Westfall

Year:

2016

Keywords:

Allometric model, Uncertainty analysis, Wood density, Carbon content

Source:

Forest Ecology and Management

Propagating uncertainty through individual tree volume model predictions to large-area volume estimates

Key message. The effects on large-area volume estimates of uncertainty in individual tree volume model predictions were negligible when using simple random sampling estimators for large-area estimation, but non-negligible when using stratified estimators which reduced the effects of sampling variability. Context. Forest...

Author(s):

Ronald E. McRoberts; James A. Westfall

Year:

2016

Keywords:

Measurement error, Parameter uncertainty, Residual variability, Stratified estimation

Source:

Annals of Forest Science

Consequences of alternative tree-level biomass estimation procedures on U.S. forest carbon stock estimates

Forest ecosystems are the largest terrestrial carbon sink on earth and their management has been recognized as a relatively cost-effective strategy for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. Forest carbon stocks in the U.S. are estimated using data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. In an attempt to balance accuracy with...

Author(s):

Grant M. Domke; Christopher W. Woodall; James E. Smith; James A. Westfall; Ronald E. McRoberts

Year:

2012

Keywords:

Forest inventory, Carbon accounting, Tree volume, Climate change, Tree biomass

Source:

Forest Ecology and Management. 270(15): 108-116.

A comparison of above-ground dry-biomass estimators for trees in the Northeastern United States

In the northeastern United States, both component and total aboveground tree dry-biomass estimates are available from several sources. In this study, comparisons were made among four methods to promote understanding of the similarities and differences in live-tree biomass estimators. The methods use various equations developed from biomass data collected in the United...

Author(s):

James A. Westfall

Year:

2012

Keywords:

biomass components, component ratio, forest inventory, tree carbon

Source:

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry

Small-area estimation of forest attributes within fire boundaries

Wildfires are gaining more attention every year as they burn more frequently, more intensely, and across larger landscapes. Generating timely estimates of forest resources within fire perimeters is important for land managers to quickly determine the impact of fi res on U.S. forests. The U.S. Forest Service?s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program needs tools to...

Author(s):

T. Frescino; G. Moisen; K. Adachi; J. Breidt

Year:

2014

Keywords:

wildfires, specified fire perimeter, small-area estimation, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), FIESTA

Source:

The International Forestry Review. 16(5): 408.

Effects of uncertainty in model predictions of individual tree volume on large area volume estimates

Forest inventory estimates of tree volume for large areas are typically calculated by adding model predictions of volumes for individual trees. However, the uncertainty in the model predictions is generally ignored with the result that the precision of the large area volume estimates is overestimated. The primary study objective was to estimate the effects of model...

Author(s):

Ronald E. McRoberts; James A. Westfall

Year:

2014

Keywords:

allometric model, model parameter uncertainty, residual uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulation

Source:

Forest Science. 60(1): 34-42.

An evaluation of the properties of the variance estimator used by FIA

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service currently conducts inventories utilizing the protocols of the national enhanced FIA Program. Due to the permanent locations of the sample plots, the stratification of the population occurs after the selection of sample units, i.e., post-stratification. In situations where the population is of...

Author(s):

John P. Brown; James A. Westfall

Year:

2012

Keywords:

Source:

In: McWilliams, Will; Roesch, Francis A. eds. 2012. Monitoring Across Borders: 2010 Joint Meeting of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium and the Southern Mensurationists. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-157. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 53-58.

Estimating the weight of Douglas-fir tree boles and logs with an iterative computer model.

A computer model that estimates the green weights of standing trees was developed and validated for old-growth Douglas-fir. The model calculates the green weight for the entire bole, for the bole to any merchantable top, and for any log length within the bole. The model was validated by estimating the bias and accuracy of an independent subsample selected from the...

Author(s):

Dale R. Waddell; Dale L Weyermann; Michael B. Lambert

Year:

1987

Keywords:

Models, weight scaling (log), log weights, computer programs/programing

Source:

Res. Pap. PNW-RP-374. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 20 p

An assessment of uncertainty in volume estimates for stands reconstructed from tree stump information

Assessment of pre-harvest stand conditions after unplanned tree removals often requires reconstruction of the stand based on stump information. Prediction of diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) from stump measurements is a common practice because d.b.h. is usually a necessary precursor for estimating diameter distributions and predicting tree volume. Although not a...

Author(s):

James A. Westfall; Ronald E. McRoberts

Year:

2017

Keywords:

Source:

Forestry

Canopy cover estimates for individual tree attributes

In most forest inventory data, it is not feasible to estimate the canopy coverage of trees having certain characteristics due to the lack of information on crown size. In this study, data from the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program was used to assign crown sizes to individual trees using published crown width models. This process effectively links trees to...

Author(s):

James A. Westfall; Randall S. Morin

Year:

2012

Keywords:

statistics, estimation, sampling, modeling, remote sensing, forest health, data integrity, environmental monitoring, cover estimation, international forest monitoring

Source:

In: Morin, Randall S.; Liknes, Greg C., comps. Moving from status to trends: Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) symposium 2012; 2012 December 4-6; Baltimore, MD. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-105. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. [CD-ROM]: 248-253.

FIESTA—An R estimation tool for FIA analysts

FIESTA (Forest Inventory ESTimation for Analysis) is a user-friendly R package that was originally developed to support the production of estimates consistent with current tools available for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) National Program, such as FIDO (Forest Inventory Data Online) and EVALIDator. FIESTA provides an alternative data retrieval and reporting...

Author(s):

Tracey S. Frescino; Paul L. Patterson; Gretchen G. Moisen; Elizabeth A. Freeman

Year:

2015

Keywords:

Source:

In: Stanton, Sharon M.; Christensen, Glenn A., comps. 2015. Pushing boundaries: new directions in inventory techniques and applications: Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) symposium 2015. 2015 December 8–10; Portland, Oregon. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-931. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. p. 72.

Sensitivity of FIA Volume Estimates to Changes in Stratum Weights and Number of Strata

In the Northeast region, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program utilizes stratified sampling techniques to improve the precision of population estimates. Recently, interpretation of aerial photographs was replaced with classified remotely sensed imagery to determine stratum weights and plot stratum assignments. However, stratum weights...

Author(s):

James A. Westfall; Michael Hoppus

Year:

2005

Keywords:

Source:

In: McRoberts, Ronald E.; Reams, Gregory A.; Van Deusen, Paul C.; McWilliams, William H.; Cieszewski, Chris J., eds. Proceedings of the fourth annual forest inventory and analysis symposium; Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-252. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station. 193-197

Image-based change estimation (ICE): monitoring land use, land cover and agent of change information for all lands

The Image-based Change Estimation (ICE) protocols have been designed to respond to several Agency and Department information requirements. These include provisions set forth by the 2014 Farm Bill, the Forest Service Action Plan and Strategic Plan, the 2012 Planning Rule, and the 2015 Planning Directives. ICE outputs support the infor