Summary

Description

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) research program has been in existence since mandated by Congress in 1928. FIA's primary objective is to determine the extent, condition, volume, growth, and depletion of timber on the Nation's forest land. Before 1999, all inventories were conducted on a periodic basis. The passage of the 1998 Farm Bill requires FIA to collect data annually on plots within each State. This kind of up-to-date information is essential to frame realistic forest policies and programs. Summary reports for individual States are published but the Forest Service also provides data collected in each inventory to those interested in further analysis. Data is distributed via the FIA DataMart in a standard format. This standard format, referred to as the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB) structure, was developed to provide users with as much data as possible in a consistent manner among States. A number of inventories conducted prior to the implementation of the annual inventory are available in the FIADB. However, various data attributes may be empty or the items may have been collected or computed differently. Annual inventories use a common plot design and common data collection procedures nationwide, resulting in greater consistency among FIA work units than earlier inventories. Links to field collection manuals and the FIADB user’s manual are provided in the FIA DataMart.