Sampling in forest inventories

Abstract

In sampling, a part of a population is selected and used to obtain estimates of characteristics of that population. The current chapter gives an overview on sampling methods applied in the scope of forest inventories, describes their general approaches and estimation procedures, and discusses advantages and disadvantages of the individual designs. Fixed area plots and point sampling for the selection of trees on sampling units are presented. Alternative designs for the estimation of change by sampling on successive occasions are introduced. The final section gives an overview of sampling and non-sampling errors occurring in forests surveys.