Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) –
What is it and how does it impact me?
Andrew Hartsell, Research Forester ahartsell@fs.fed.us
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
USDA Forest Service
Southern Research Station

Presentation Goals/Outline
What is Forest Inventory & Analysis?
The history of FIA
Why should we inventory forests?
So how does this impact me?
How do we do what we do?
How is the FIA data used and distributed?
Forest statistics for Mississippi

What is FIA?
FIA stands for Forest Inventory and Analysis.
It is a science and research program operated by the USDA
Forest Service
Simple definition – “The Nation’s
Forest Census”

The FIA program collects strategic (state or multi-county level) data on the:
Status,
Trends, and
Resource conditions, including forest health for ALL forest lands in a consistent fashion across the US

History
1876 – Congress assigned a Special Agent under USDA to assess state of Nation’s forests
1877 – USDA publishes report on forest conditions
1905 – US Forest Service is created and Gifford Pinchot is named the Nation’s first Chief Forester
1912 – FS Chief Graves identifies principles and guidelines for timber surveys
1928 – McSweeney-McNary Act establishes Forest Survey
1931 – Forest inventory begins in the southern US in MS
1938 – Field work and reports for MI, WI, and MN are completed in the northeast
1958 – USDA Timber Resource Review published; first national level report
1967 – USDA publishes “Forest Survey Handbook” (4809.11)
1998 – Agriculture Research, Extension, and Education
Reform Act (Farm Bill) passed

Why?
Forest inventory and monitoring systems provide reliable baseline information that reveals how forests are changing over time and informs decisions about the future of forest resources.
The system that you design and implement depends on the size of area you are interested in making decisions.

At the stand or woodlot level, helps a forest landowner:
Know the health of the forests on their property.
Find out how much timber is available for sale.
Aid in estate planning and property sales.
Compute insurance claims after wildfire and other extreme weather events.

At the landscape level, helps land managers and policymakers:
Make policy decisions about resource management at the multi-county, state, and/or regional level.
Prepare and adapt for future fire conditions, climate change, and/or insect/disease threats.
Inform economic development decisions.
Assess wildlife habitat suitability.
Understand the implications of land use changes.

How does FIA help local landowners?
State and local government agencies use FIA data to attract business to their states and to assess forest damage after major disasters
Industries use FIA to locate their operations
(mill locations), plan their harvesting zones, and use data for their own research and public relations.
Congress, universities, and NGOs use FIA data for a host of purposes such as climate change, detecting land use changes, alterations in habitat, funding, public relations, support for other scientific studies, etc.

How do we do what we do?
The nation is divided into four areas:
Southern, Northern, Intermountain, and Pacific Northwest.
Each region manages four separate programs that fall under the FIA umbrella: FIA field plots, Timber
Products Output (TPO), Forest Health, and Landowner Survey questionnaires.

FIA Zones of Responsibilities
PNW has responsibility for other Pacific
Islands
SRS has responsibility for PR and US VI

Field crews and plots
Majority of time and resources are allocated to collecting tree and plot data by field crews
What most people associate with FIA
Longest history
Follows the same guidelines across all regions and is laid out with a nationally consistent grid, plot design, data collection, and processing systems

And a nationally consistent plot grid

Measurements on all FIA Plots
Basic tree measurements – species, size, condition, number/type of defects, etc.
Plot descriptions – forest type, ownership, general size class, etc.
Area descriptions – slope, elevation, location (coordinates and political descriptions), etc.

Measurements on all FIA Plots
Plots are revisited every 5-10 years.
The same information is then collected.
Changes in volume and land-use along with growth, removal and mortality rates can be computed from this data.

Field crew composition
Historically (pre 2000) mostly federal with help from individual states
Today most data collection is performed by state personnel
National FIA provides training and quality testing and assurance

Timber Products Output
(TPO)
A smaller division within FIA.
Data is based on questionnaires sent out to primary wood using mills.
Asks: What kind of wood (species-
HW/SW), where are they getting it from, and what are they turning it into.
Differs from field plots but the two compliment each other
This information is frequently utilized by states and timber related industries

Landowner Survey
Led by the northern research station
Southern scientist assist the regional survey
Survey sent to all landowners that FIA plots exist
Questions pertain to landowner demographics, management strategies, and attitudes

So how does this impact me?
Be aware that state and federal field crews are out in the woods and you may encounter them
You have the right to refuse access to your land
If you have a plot you will also receive a landowner survey
You are not obligated to respond

So how does this impact me?
However, your participation will help everyone understand what is happening to our nations forests
This benefits both local, regional, and national interests
Your identity is safe
Continue to use and manage your lands as you normally would – Pretend the plot is not there!

FIA Data Use Examples
Rapid Assessment of Hurricane Damage
Courtesy of Dennis Jacobs and Joe McCollum, SRS FIA

FIA Data Use Examples
Total live basal area
Based on gradient nearest neighbor and imputation of
FIA plot data
Courtesy of Ty Wilson, NRS FIA

80
60
40
20
0
180
160
140
120
100
FIA Data Use Examples
Acres of Private Landowners and Number of
Private Landowners by Year
Area Owners
12
10
8
National
Woodland
Owners Survey
(NWOS) Results
6
4
2
0
1953 1978 1993 2006
Year
Courtesy of Brett Butler, NRS FIA

FIA Data Use Examples
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Timber Production in Louisiana,
1937 through 2009
Softwood Hardwood
1937 1953 1963 1973 1996 1999 2002 2005 2007 2009
Year

FIA Data Use Examples
Yadkin-Peedee Watershed

FIA Data Use Examples
2020 Dominant
Land Use

FIA Data Use Examples
2060 Dominant
Land Use

FIA Online and Data
Distribution Presence
SRS FIA website for accessing information regarding the SRS FIA Program http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us/
National FIA website for accessing information regarding National FIA Program http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/
SRS website for SRS publications including FIA publications http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/index.php
On-line FIA data query tools http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/tools-data/index.php

What do we know about MS forests?

What do we know about MS forests?
Timberland area in MS over time
25
20
5
0
15
15,888
10
1934
17,194
1958
16,891
1969
16,684
1977
Year
16,986
1987
18,584
1994
19,384
2006
19,224
2014

15
10
5
0
What do we know about MS forests?
35
30
25
Total standing volume
(cubic feet) of all live trees and average annual removals (cubic feet) in
Mississippi, 2014.
20

1
0,8
1,4
1,2
2
1,8
1,6
0,6
0,4
0,2
0
What do we know about TN forests?
Average annual removals
(cubic feet) of all live trees and average annual removals (cubic feet) in
Mississippi, 2014.

What do we know about MS forests?
Species list (top 20) - MS, 2014
Common name loblolly pine sweetgum water oak red maple winged elm blackgum
Genus
Pinus
Liquidambar
Quercus
Acer
Ulmus
Nyssa black cherry Prunus
American hornbeam, musclewood Carpinus green ash white oak yellow-poplar
Fraxinus
Quercus
Liriodendron southern red oak eastern hophornbeam mockernut hickory sweetbay flowering dogwood
Quercus
Ostrya
Carya
Magnolia
Cornus common persimmon slash pine eastern redcedar pignut hickory
Diospyros
Pinus
Juniperus
Carya
Species taeda styraciflua nigra rubrum alata sylvatica serotina caroliniana pennsylvanica alba tulipifera falcata virginiana alba virginiana florida virginiana elliottii virginiana glabra
Number of trees
2,852,004,040
2,005,118,147
1,030,050,856
920,459,153
580,917,947
468,418,142
339,515,951
334,229,110
313,150,423
277,951,578
268,355,609
245,119,756
242,834,978
226,965,833
207,279,563
199,083,532
174,964,919
167,138,091
161,542,232
155,887,698

What do we know about MS forests?
Primary Wood-using Mill Employment by Survey
Unit, in Mississippi, 2005-2011
1
5
4
2
3

FIA Data Use Examples
Online - TPO

What do we know about MS forests?
National Woodland Owner Survey http://apps.fs.fed.us/fia/nwos/tablemaker.jsp

What do we know about MS forests?
National Woodland Owner Survey http://apps.fs.fed.us/fia/nwos/tablemaker.jsp

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is grown & removed each year?

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is removed?
Description Number
Saplings, with a dbh of 1.0” to 4.9”
Live trees, with a dbh greater than or equal to 5”
How much volume (cu.ft.) is this?
How many oak trees are removed
(cut) each year?
How much volume is grown each year?
?
?
?
?
?

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is removed?
Description Number
Saplings, with a dbh of 1.0” to 4.9”
Live trees, with a dbh greater than or equal to 5”
How much volume (cu.ft.) is this?
How many oak trees are removed
(cut) each year?
How much volume is grown each year?
1,759,669,298
?
?
?
?

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is removed?
Description Number
Saplings, with a dbh of 1.0” to 4.9”
Live trees, with a dbh greater than or equal to 5”
How much volume (cu.ft.) is this?
How many oak trees are removed
(cut) each year?
How much volume is grown each year?
1,759,669,298
349,644,651
?
?
?

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is removed?
Description Number
Saplings, with a dbh of 1.0” to 4.9”
Live trees, with a dbh greater than or equal to 5”
How much volume (cu.ft.) is this?
How many oak trees are removed
(cut) each year?
How much volume is grown each year?
1,759,669,298
349,644,651
7,147,636,679
?
?

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is removed?
Description Number
Saplings, with a dbh of 1.0” to 4.9”
Live trees, with a dbh greater than or equal to 5”
How much volume (cu.ft.) is this?
How many oak trees are removed
(cut) each year?
How much volume is grown each year?
1,759,669,298
349,644,651
7,147,636,679
143,124,015
?

How many oak trees are present in MS and how much is removed?
Description Number
Saplings, with a dbh of 1.0” to 4.9”
Live trees, with a dbh greater than or equal to 5”
How much volume (cu.ft.) is this?
How many oak trees are removed
(cut) each year?
How much volume is grown each year?
1,759,669,298
349,644,651
7,147,636,679
143,124,015
213,024,394

Maurice Day, Jack Wagner, Ed Lawson, Dick Smith – FOREST
SURVEY - Iron Mountain, MI, 1934
Dick Smith – FOREST SURVEY - Iron Mountain, MI, 1934