Ministry of Forests and Range National Forest Inventory - British Columbia Program

Introduction

Developing the ability to report on the current status of the forest resource in British Columbia and to monitor changes in the forest has become a serious need in the last few years.

The National Forest Inventory – British Columbia Program (NFI-BC) was initiated to enable these new data needs to be met.

The permanent plot design of the NFI-BC allows for the repeated measuring of forest attributes at defined locations. While permanent plots have been used for more than 80 years to track changes in the growth of trees across the province, the NFI-BC has expanded the practice to include the monitoring and measurement of photo-based information. The program has also increased the set of ecologically based data collected on the ground.

Improving Reporting and Monitoring Through Expanded Data Collection

The program is designed to provide status and trend data—at the provincial and, ultimately, national levels—on 25 attributes of sustainability. Up to now, reporting on the current state of the forest resource in British Columbia has relied on an annual summary of the information contained in all the province’s map sheets. The permanent, remeasurable design of the NFI-BC puts in place a statistically based system of monitoring and reporting, which can be completed in conjunction with the national program.

Another key function of the data collected through NFI-BC will be its use to support initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol. Essential in researching climate change is having the ability to monitor how forests change over time.

The Program Design Components

The NFI-BC involves two separate sets of permanent plots: one a set of photo plots and the other a set of ground plots. Both types can be remeasured at regular intervals over time.

Global Warming

One of the best ways to determine the degree to which global warming affects the forest is by continuously comparing what was previously there to what is there now.

Partnership

Coordinated by the Canadian Forest Service, the National Forest Inventory is an interagency partnership of federal departments, provincial governments and industry.