USFS Inventory and Monitoring Review
Final Observations and Recommendations
John Moser Frank SapioSteve Prisley Bill StewartJanette Kaiser Mette Loyche WilkieCatherine Jesch Mike Clutter
The Participants Dr. John Moser (Panel Chair) – Professor Emeritus,
Purdue University Dr. Mike Clutter (Panel Co-Chair) – Professor, Warnell
School of Forestry, University of Georgia Ms. Janette Kaiser – Director of Rangeland Resources,
USFS Dr. Steven Prisley – Associate Professor, College of
Natural Resources, Virginia Tech Mr. Frank Sapio – Head, Forest Health Monitoring,
USFS Mr. Bill Stewart – Public Service Professor, College of
Natural Resources, University of California at Berkeley Ms. Mette Loyche-Wilkie – Forester, FAO, Rome Italy Ms. Katherine Jesch – Facilitator, Portland Oregon
Executive Summary Conducted the SPA Review July 22-25 outside of
Portland Oregon – a great location The review team spent about 2.5 days visiting with
a wide range of I&M staff and other stakeholders We are quite impressed with the breadth, depth,
and recent progress of the FIA program We struggled with understanding the other
objectives and implementation of the I&M program The completed the OMB quantitative measures and
they clearly document that FIA is performing quite well
Executive Summary We reviewed each of the four portfolios under
FIA mission and objectives Data collection Analysis and Reporting New and Emerging Issues and Opportunities New Research and Technology Development
The SPA team also reviewed Budgets and the budgeting function Computer resources and technology management Human resources and personnel management
And a bunch of other stuff . . .
FIA vs. Inventory & Monitoring
We struggled with understanding the scope, organization, and justification of the Inventory and Monitoring projects outside of the FIA program. From our perspective we do not have enough
specific information to make quantitative judgments on the Inventory and Monitoring portion of the program
While the team was somewhat uncomfortable with these projects and how they are evaluated, we recognize the need to fund such opportunities at the regional level
A Conceptual Diagram FIA core missions and
objectives are reasonably well understood by our review panel
The Inventory and Monitoring portion of the mission was not as clearly defined and somewhat amorphous by Research Station
The relationship of these projects to the overall mission is still, at best, fuzzy
Opportunities to expand the FIA core into some of these areas clearly exist
Portfolios We will focus our comments on the four
portfolios used during the review to split up the program (however we do believe that significant overlap exists among portfolios)
Portfolio 1. Data Collection and functions that support data collection
Portfolio 2. Analysis and Reporting
Portfolio 3. New and emerging issues and opportunities
Portfolio 4. New research and technology development
Portfolio 1 Accomplishments National field manual with regional options Annual System in 48 states plus all
territories Substantial cooperation with states and
contractors in executing field work – particularly in the east
National compilation system developed and implemented in 3 of 4 regions
National data recorder system – MIDAS Outstanding recent implementation and
performance on field based activities
Portfolio 1 Issues / Challenges
Complete the charge in the 1998 Farm Bill – annual system in all states
Transparency of procedures, documentation, etc. is primary to the mission
Explore differences in field work execution between the east and the west (year around data collection and state partnerships)
Managing the expectation of expanding the grid into rangeland, urban, etc. and adding additional variables
Quantitative measures of field performance for use in program management and review (cost / plot; etc.)
Denied access and its impact on the program
Portfolio 1 Recommendations Continue progress toward high quality and
efficient data collection and those activities that support it.
Continue and expand improvement on phase 1 remote sensing opportunities.
Do not mess with the grid and do not change the basic sampling design
Maintain control of the QA / QC functions and training of field crews
Expand where appropriate the use of State and contract crews in the west along with expanding the field season
Outstanding recent implementation and performance on field based activities
Portfolio 2 Accomplishments State reports; NRS on-time; SRS 75% complete;
PNW complete; RMS catching up State reports are now issue driven. Better
integration with States and State issues Tools for ad hoc query and reporting developed
and in place Addressing emerging issues on biomass and
carbon Reports contain both current estimates and
projections Many other reports and reporting tools
developed and supported (regional, national, and global reporting)
Portfolio 2 Issues Fully deploy delivery of Forest Health Indicator science
Continue to standardize volume, biomass, and carbon estimation
Continue development of a national carbon accounting system
Develop biomass GRM estimates for all trees on all forest land
Producing faster, better, and less expensive reports
Tension between the core and other activities . . . Defining objectives and priorities
Portfolio 2 Recommendations Continue to pursue transparency and
documentation of analysis procedures Develop a national project for consistent
biomass and carbon estimation for all species / species groups
Insure that FIA participates in and provides input to State Forest Sustainability Reports
Develop communications plans to better disseminate information
Portfolio 3 Accomplishments Synchronized P2 and P3 Increased Analytical Capacity Improved Techniques Research Increased use of Remote Sensing &
Spatial Techniques Improved Land Cover & Use Change
Analysis
Portfolio 3 Issues / Challenges More Aggressive Remote Sensing Approaches Enhanced NFS Support Rapid Assessment Teams Urban Forest Inventory Rangeland Inventory Water quantity and quality monitoring Other Treed and Riparian Land Inventory Wildlife Habitat Monitoring Climate Change Quantification and valuation of ecosystems
services
Portfolio 3 Recommendations Expansion into these emerging areas has to be funded
over and above current core programs. Do not put these core programs at risk due to expansion into new areas.
Coordinate the implementation of rapid assessment teams with other agencies / departments
Expand the use and understanding of carbon accounting across the full range of carbon stocks and flows (wood, coal, etc.) Need a more robust view of TPO studies and their use in carbon accounting
Expand into urban areas, and other land with trees given that funding from appropriate sources is forthcoming
Develop methods to assess changes due to climate fluctuations
Increase capacity to address inventory and monitoring of various emerging issues (see issues list)
Portfolio 4 Accomplishments Developed estimators for the annual
system (means, totals, standard errors) Developed small area estimation methods Exploring new and innovative uses on
remote sensing techniques for use in Inventory and Monitoring
Developed methods for urban and rangelands
Developed methods for spatial data analysis and visualization (maps)
Portfolio 4 Issues How to expand regional processes /
techniques to a national scale Coordination of regional R & D across
regions in an efficient and effective manner Best source, avoiding duplication
Encourage continued development of estimation methodologies for the FIA sampling design
Portfolio 4 Recommendations Where appropriate take successful regional
work and expand to a national scale Encourage continued development of
estimation methodologies for the FIA sampling design (workshop, funding, etc.)
Expand remote sensing methodologies / techniques for application in a wide array of analysis and reporting situations
Improve coordination and sharpen focus among R&D Units in all Inventory and Monitoring efforts
Program Observations Control of computers and information systems (CIO) Human Resources issues in the work force (retirements,
loss of institutional knowledge, succession planning, etc.) Inventory & Monitoring should be in compliance with
Forest Service aviation safety policies Participation of FIA (and the US) in development and
implementation of global reporting of natural resources Apparent lack of coordination and prioritization between
regional I&M projects across a national program Opportunities for expanding the breadth of partnerships Some disconnects between the strategic planning process
and individual project selection and implementation
Program Assessment The I&M program is in great shape from
our perspective. Substantial progress has been made toward most of the primary objectives identified by the review team. We have been impressed by the breadth, depth and quality of the programs we have reviewed.
Questions ??