World Series Volume 5

IUFRO International Guidelines for Forest Monitoring

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• English

A Project of IUFRO Working Party S4.02-05

Editors:
Risto Päivinen, H. Gyde Lund, Simo Poso, Tomasz Zawila-Niedzwiecki

FOREWORD
The world's forests are the focus of international attention because of the many environmental issues being discussed today. In order to understand what is truly happening to our forest land, we need to monitor the resources to measure change and to predict change. Monitoring is the periodic observation of selected parameters for quantifying changes over time. We often use remote sensing and permanent plots to monitor changes in the forest resource base.

In order to share data and experiences among scientists in various parts of the world and to compare inventory data across regions, some form of international guidance is urgently needed. The purpose of these guidelines is to promote standardized or compatible collection and reporting of selected data for forest monitoring through cooperation in such a way that the results offer a common data base for research and management. We envisage that the results of individual forest resources surveys following these guidelines, would be transmitted to a global data base or made part of a network maintained by the United Nations. Contributors to the network would have access to the data base for the benefit of the designs of new surveys and assessments.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Functions of the World's Forests

The Earth's forest resources provide vital food, fuel, and fiber for an increasing world population. Forests have provided resources for industrialization in many countries. They still play a very important role in providing sources for hard currency and as land reserves for increasing population, especially in developing countries.

Forests are both carbon sources and carbon sinks. They serve as filters for the air we breathe and the water we drink and they protect agriculture lands and residential areas from erosion, avalanches etc. Forests provide a critical habitat for diverse flora and fauna that may prove vital for human survival in the future. Furthermore, forests are places of recreation, worship, and strength for the inner body.

Unfortunately, the world's forest resources are dwindling at unprecedented rates in the tropics and losing diversity and productivity in some other regions. The rate, magnitude and impact of these changes are not known or understood.

1.2 Present Activities

Research scientists throughout the world collect data to study and model changes in the forest resources. National agencies conduct periodic inventories and assessments of their natural resources to develop broad land management policies and direction. To fulfil the mandate given in its constitution Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations collects, analyzes, interprets and disseminates information related to forests of the globe. Other organizations are making multi-country surveys of planetary carrying capacity and rates of change, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Joint Research Centre of the European Community (JRC/TREES), and others.

The results of this work are reported in various scientific and professional papers, national statistics and in the publications of the United Nations.

1.3 Problems

As noted above, there are several on-going forest assessment activities at the national, regional and global level. Many of these efforts are often uncoordinated and independent of one another. As a result, much available information is not known, is overlooked, or is not used. The use of different definitions and measurement methods may prevent the comparison of results. Major gaps in knowledge exist in large areas and duplication in others. Few countries have national forest inventories and existing inventories may not be suitable for monitoring changes or may not address the environmental issues we now face.

The establishment of a data base on global forest resources is essential. The data base will be promoted and its contents improved, to the degree that it can progressively include the results of other assessments wherever and whenever made. To implement this requires the compatibility of assessment results, which can be achieved by the application of certain methodological norms as provided by these guidelines.

1.4 Purpose of the Guidelines

All parties dealing with forest cover, biomass, quality and their change researchers, national agencies and international organizations and cooperating nations should be working towards a common goal to provide a complete picture of the status and trends of the world's forest resources.

The purpose of these guidelines is to promote standardized or compatible collection and reporting of selected data for forest monitoring through cooperation in such a way that the results offer a common data base for research and management.

The short term goals are to list data and define the variables that should be collected to address emerging forest and environmental concerns and to present the principles for collecting such data suitable for international use.

These guidelines will support the long term goal in global environmental information service: the establishment of a world forest resource information system. The expected end product would be a multi-nation network of databases, which if incorporated in their entirety, will provide forest resource estimates for the world.

1.5 Development of the Guidelines

In cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) Working Party on Remote Sensing and World Forest Monitoring (S 4.02-05) has developed these guidelines.

The project was initiated at the IUFRO World Congress in Montreal in 1990. The basic input for these guidelines was developed at the Wacharakitti International Workshop on "Remote Sensing and Permanent Plot Techniques for World Forest Monitoring", sponsored by IUFRO S 4.02-05, and held in Pattaya, Thailand in January 1992. The work was continued by volunteer experts, and the next version of the guidelines was reviewed by IUFRO S 4.02-05 group after the Ilvessalo Symposium, held in Finland in August 1992. Over 100 scientists and remote sensing specialists from over 20 countries have contributed to these guidelines.

The main sponsor of this effort has been the Finnish International Development Agency FinnIDA. Other organizations contributing to the development work include: the University of Joensuu and University of Helsinki, Finland, Kasetsart University, Thailand, the European Forest Institute (EFI), Finland, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Tropical Forestry Program.

1.6 Intended Users

The intended users of these guidelines are:

- those research scientists who collect forest resource information for modeling change and that want to share their data and have access to data of other scientists abroad.

- those who conduct resource inventories and monitoring efforts and wish to have their data compatible and comparable with similar efforts elsewhere. By following these guidelines, national and subnational projects can ensure that they can compare their results with others and that their work can be utilized to compile regional results.

- those who fund monitoring efforts, such as aid agencies, that wish to ensure their data sets contain an internationally-recommended data set that are compatible with other donors. Donors can use these guidelines to make sure that their support to monitoring projects can be fully utilized.

- those who must aggregate data, such as FAO and ECE, for global or regional forest assessments. These guidelines developed in cooperation with relevant UN organizations will be tools in the work of those organizations in providing baseline data and forest resources classification standards. Thus they will serve in integrating global and national level resources monitoring activities.

The guidelines are presented in the sequence as they are to be considered in any monitoring project. As you use these guidelines, refer to them in your inventory and monitoring reports so others will know these standards were followed.

Recommended Reading

FAO 1993. Forest Resources Assessment 1990. Tropical countries. FAO Forestry Paper 112. FAO, Rome 1993. 60 p.

Jaakkola, S. 1992. International efforts at global forest monitoring using remote sensing. In: Lund, H.G., Päivinen, R. and Thammincha, S. chief eds. IUFRO S 4.02-05 Proceedings, Remote Sensing and Permanent Sample Plot Techniques for World Forest Monitoring. 13-17 January 1992; Pattaya, Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand; Asorn Siam; 13-23.

UN-ECE/FAO 1992. The forest resources of the temperate zones. Main findings of the UN- ECE/FAO 1990 forest resource assessment, United Nations, New York, ECE/TIM/60. 32p.

UN-ECE/FAO 1992. The forest resources of the temperate zones. The UN-ECE/FAO 1990 forest resource assessment, Volume 1. General forest resource information. United Nations, New York, ECE/TIM/62. 348 p.

UN-ECE/FAO 1992. The forest resources of the temperate zones. The UN-ECE/FAO 1990 forest resource assessment, Volume 2. Benefits and functions of the forest, United Nations, New York, ECE/TIM/62. 268 p.

2. INFORMATION NEEDS

2.1 Information Needs Assessment

The first step in any monitoring effort is the information needs assessment (INA). "This is a critical phase of planning and one that has too often been neglected or, at best, kept hovering in the background" (Husch 1971). The important questions in the very beginning are: 'for what purpose?' and 'who will use the results ?'

The INA should be developed through consultation with interested parties especially the potential users of the results.

From these questions and working partnerships with the end users, outlines of the results can be derived. They can be summary tables, graphs, geographical information, and statistical or other models. Knowing the techniques used for deriving the desired output, it is possible to decide the measurements needed in the field, and which other input data would be useful.

The importance of Information Needs Assessment cannot be overestimated. Whatever the scale of the monitoring effort is, the design should be started by specifying what one wants to know, and what one needs to infer from the collected information.

2.2 Forest Monitoring Levels

There are three basic levels where information needs are to be assessed; the local, the national and the global context. In all cases, results presented must respond to the information demand from researchers, professionals, politicians and the public. Janz (1993) has outlined three groups of uses for information on the global level, but these levels suit to other levels as well:

creating awareness about state and development of forest and related resources
monitoring and planning
research on the supply potential and processes such as deforestation and climate change
At the international level the world's forests are viewed as the primary source of wood and non-wood goods and services providing commercial and non-commercial benefits. Equally, if not more important, forests are a major part of the biosphere influencing the carbon cycle and bio-productivity. Global issues involve biodiversity, forest health, site protection, climate change, and hydrology and water cycles.

Global needs for managing the natural resources are expressed in international pacts and recommendations. During UNCED in June 1992, new attention was paid to forest resources assessment. One programme area in Agenda 21 has the title "Establishing and/or strengthening capacities for the planning, assessment and systematic observations of forests and related programs, projects and activities, including commercial trade and process".

The objective is set "to strengthen or establish systems for the assessment and systematic observation of forests and forest lands with a view to assessing the impact of programs, projects and activities on the quality and extent of forest resources, land available for afforestation, and land tenure, and to integrate the systems in a continuing process of research and indepth analysis while ensuring necessary modifications and improvements for planning and decisionmaking..." (see ie. Janz 1993).

In national forest inventories, sustained utilization of forest resources in a country is of primary concern. Forest area and its change as well as the balance between drain and growth estimates of the forest resources are factors that need to be highlighted. The changes in soils and forest health etc. need to be investigated to ensure the utilization of resources in the future.

The third case is a local, sub-country forest information need; previously often needed for timber extraction. Now more often local information needs emphasize vegetation cover, land use pattern, soil quality etc. These characteristics are needed in the land use planning under population pressure. In this, social environment and local culture have to be noted as well.

Different monitoring approaches need different information, and therefore acquisition of the data may vary from project to project. Based on current global issues, the amount of forest cover, biomass production for carbon storage and sinks, rates of change of forests, forest quality and health are primary concerns at all levels.

Data which are common to all levels of decision making, make up a core data set (Lund 1986) that we encourage users of the guidelines to collect

2.3 Types of Monitoring

In the following, some examples are given on the common variables that followers of this guide should collect for different types of monitoring projects.

The monitoring types are

1. land cover or land use for land management
2. forest resources for timber production
3. biomass for energy use, carbon balance or developing local models
4. environmental quality or forest health for ecosystem management
It must be underlined that these types seldom occur as such, often, monitoring activities combine data collection for a variety of purposes.

In land cover monitoring we are interested in the total land area, its present use, vegetation cover and its potentials if converted to other land use forms. Forest or forestry is only one land use form.

Most of the forest resources monitoring variables are useful for biomass estimation, and thus the conventional forest inventory differs from biomass estimation only in some extent. However, small trees, bush and shrubs and other than woody plants need special attention in biomass inventories.

In addition to the data on timber or biomass, the amount of change and direction of change (including growth, deforestation and degradation) are required in general. We also need to know the reason for change (fire,logging, poaching, shifting cultivation and data on species diversity, and the impact of population pressure).

Environmental quality includes ecosystem health, condition, and biodiversity of the vegetation, and the vital connections of the vegetation to other ecosystems. In measuring environmental quality, special bioindicators may be used.