A DAY IN THE FIELD
HOW WE OPERATE
W A S HI N G T O N , O R E G O N a n d
C AL IF O R N I A Forest Service staff and interns operate out of one of 19 remote duty
stations. They primarily drive and hike to access our research sites. Some areas are remote enough to require backpacking, and
camping but many of our nights are spent at
home or in small towns. Horses, boats, and
helicopter flights are occasionally needed to get
us closer to the plot. AL A S K A Field work in
Alaska involves the unique challenge of working in a vast area with little to no road infrastructure. Crews spend the summer living on a
boat which moves from the southern tip of the
panhandle out to Kodiak Island. Plot access is
accomplished primarily via a helicopter which is
operated off the boat. HA W AI I Most of the
work in Hawaii is accomplished by local contractors. We partner with the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii to inventory
plots on all islands of the archipelago.
P A CIF I C I S L A N D S The Island groups are
currently inventoried by a combination of Forest
Service staff and local Islands researchers.
Due to the diversity of terrain and geography,
different logistics are used to measure field
plots. Some live and base operations off of
boats while other crews have operated out of
island towns. Access to island plots is normally
by boat, truck, and foot and can be challenging.
Pacific NW FIA
What is it like to collect
FIA Data in the field?
The areas sampled for the Forest Inventory by the PNW
Crews use portable, handheld computers to collect data
Research Station cover a diversity of ecological commu-
in the field and then process the data later using laptop
nities including: temperate rain forests of coastal Ore-
computers to address any inconsistencies or errors.
gon and Washington, redwood coastal forests of Califor-
Each crew travels frequently and independently within
nia; high mountain conifer forests of the Cascades and
their duty station area. Crews can expect to travel away
Sierras; drier ponderosa pine, oak woodland and juniper
from home for a significant portion of the field season.
forests of Oregon, Washington and California; and tropi-
Travel will sometimes involve week-long trips while other
cal forests of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Each crew
times crews may need to spend a month away from
covers a large area, and no matter where you work, you
home.
will see a wide variety of country.
In all areas, work conditions are often arduous. Work
Crews are comprised of 2-3 people; they use maps,
may be performed in inclement weather (cold, heat, rain,
aerial photos, and GPS units to navigate to and find
snow) and on rugged, steep, slippery, and/or brushy
permanent plot locations. Measurements taken by
slopes. Significant amount of on-trail and off-trail hiking
crews include: tree/sapling/seedling data (species, diam-
are required. Backpacking and camping trips are re-
eter, height, defect, insect & disease, damage, etc.);
quired to reach remote places. Crewmembers must
understory vegetation (shrub, herb, grass species and
carry a 45lb pack daily, with pack weights sometimes
percent cover, etc.); down woody material (line tran-
exceeding 60lbs. Exposure to hazards such as poison
sects, litter depth, and fuels measurement, etc.); and
oak, bears, and insects is common. Additionally, some
site index and attributes (site tree selection, slope, as-
travel by helicopter, stock animal, or boat is required.
pect, topographic position, distance to water, etc.).