P3830

Obtaining Biomass/Volume/Carbon Estimates Using EVALIDator Version 2.0.3

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service provides the information needed to assess forests of the United States. As the nation’s continuous forest census, this program can be used to project how forests are likely to appear 10 to 50 years into the future. FIA reports on status and trends in forest area and location; in the species, size, and health of trees; in total tree growth, mortality, and removals by harvest; in wood production and utilization rates by various products; and in forest land ownership.

Data is reported on a county, regional, and statewide basis, ensuring the confidentiality of individual landowner information. FIA teams will not access private land without the landowner’s permission.

The Mississippi Forestry Commission, in cooperation with the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, conducts a forest inventory to measure the status of all the forest resources in Mississippi. The FIA program consists of a series of permanently established plots that are remeasured on average every 6.6 years to determine growth, composition, and mortality of forests, as well as land use changes and potential for wildfire in the state.

Mississippi has around 5,550 sample plots across the state, of which 4,013 are currently forested. Each year, about 10 to 20 percent of these plots are visited and measured by field crews (see Appendix).

Download the full PDF for step-by-step instructions for using EVALIDator Version 2.0.3 to obtain biomass/volume/carbon estimates.

Publication 3830 (POD-11-25)

By Curtis L. VanderSchaaf, PhD, Associate Professor, Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center. Useful comments were provided by Melissa Kreye, PhD, of Pennsylvania State University.