This field manual contains definitions and procedures used to plan and perform a national forest inventory and assessment following the approach developed by the Forest Resources Assessment programme (FRA) of the FAO. The methodology, based on nation-wide field sampling, has already been tested and implemented in several countries since year 2000 (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Philippines, Cameroon and Lebanon).
The purpose of the national forest inventory (NFI) is to assess forest resources and tree resources outside forest and to provide new qualitative and quantitative information on the state, use, management and trends of these resources. The assessment covers a large range of biophysical and socio-economic variables and thus, provides a broad and holistic view of land use for the country as a whole. In particular, the information will be used to plan, design and implement national and international policies and strategies for sustainable use and conservation of forestry ecosystems, and to understand the relationship between resources and users of the forest and tree resources.
The first part of the manual describes the adopted sampling design and the distribution and configuration of the tracts where measurements are carried out. The second part deals with the forest type/land use classification adopted to carry out the inventory. Recommendations to undertake data collection in the field are presented in the third part. In part four the field forms are described in detail.
The Appendices provide some tools and methods for measuring the variables such as diameter, height, horizontal distance, a guide for the use of Global Positioning System receivers (GPS) as well as techniques and recommendations to carry out interviews and group discussions.
