Evaluation of Sampling with Partial Replacement and Double Sampling in a Managed Forest in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

We compared sampling techniques in a managed native forest in Paragominas, Pará, Brazil. Our goal in this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using Double Sampling (DS) and Sampling with Partial Replacement (SPR), when compared to Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI), to estimate the wood stock for trees with DBH ≥ 20 cm in a managed forest. In our results, DS had the best volume prediction, generating a sampling error of 5.20% (11.48 m³ ha-1) on the second occasion 3.86% (8.78 m³ ha-1). The average volume increment, estimated for the forest in the monitored period (2014–2016) was 6.88 m³ ha-1, with a relative sampling error of 63.09%. Therefore, as an alternative and of low cost, we suggest using DS in successive forest inventories in monitoring areas of forest resources in the Brazilian Amazon.