United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

FS-865

January 2007 A H i s t o r y o f S u c c e s s 

A D y n a m i c F u t u r e

Forest Inventory and Analysis 

Strategic Plan
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

A M e s sag e F r o m the Chi e f

F

or more than 75 years, the Forest Inventory and Analysis 

(FIA) program has been a flagship research program of the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, 

reporting on the status, condition, and trends of the Nation’s 

forests. 

In 1999, Congress directed the USDA Forest Service to reevaluate its statewide inventory mission and to make the transition 

from a periodic survey approach by State to one in which each 

State is inventoried annually. FIA moved forward, in concert 

with its partners, to develop a 5-year strategic plan to carry 

out the new congressional mandate. Congress approved the 

first strategic plan and provided funding to move FIA toward 

full implementation of annualized inventory throughout the 

country. Published Annual Business Reports have informed 

Congress, partners, and the public of FIA’s progress toward this 

goal each year (http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/bus-org-documents/default.asp).

With the goals of the first plan nearly completed, a new plan 

has been drafted. This new plan, presented on the following 

pages, lays out a dynamic future for FIA that openly embraces 

new methods and technology and increased support from the 

States (FIA’s primary partners) and other public agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and interested parties. 

We face new challenges each day—urban sprawl and fire risk at 

the wildland-urban interface, the effect of forest fragmentation 

on habitat, invasive threats to our native vegetation, and soil 

and water quality related to forest management, just to name a 

few. The program outlined in this plan is designed to provide 

data and analysis related to these and other important issues 

vital to monitoring the ability of America’s forest ecosystems to 

provide value-added goods and services to the public in a sustainable fashion.

I urge you to study this plan carefully, get involved, and join 

me in actively supporting a new century of service from FIA.

Dale Bosworth

Chief

i Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 3

Co n t e n t s

Introduction 2

Mandate 2

Drivers of Change 3

Mission 4

Vision 4

Strategic Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Program Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Organization 8

Emphasis Shifts 10

Funding 11

New Directions 11

Guiding Principles 14

5-Year Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Literature Cited 16

Primary Laws 16

Contacts 16

Appendix 17

 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 1
In t r odu c t i o n

F

or more than 75 years, the Forest 

Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program has played an integral role in 

managing the Nation’s forest resources 

and conducting the orderly inventory 

of these resources, which is required 

for developing effective management 

scenarios. It has helped guide industrial 

expansion into the most suitable and 

opportune locations, acted as watchdog for identifying problems emerging 

in the timber supply, provided key 

forest resource information for planners and policymakers, and provided 

expert advice and assistance in solving 

complex resource questions. It has 

been internally motivated to improve 

the reliability and usefulness of forest 

resource statistics and the analysis of 

resource findings. In recent years, an 

increased number of major decisions 

affecting the Nation’s forests have been 

made with reference to and reliance on 

FIA findings and forest resource evaluations. Contemporary topics include 

carbon sequestration, climate change, 

land cover and land use change, pollutant effects, and fire risk.

High standards set in its early days 

and maintained over the years by FIA 

have established a tradition of full, 

unbiased, and factual presentation of 

forest resource information. These same 

high standards must be sustained in the 

future if FIA is to retain its credibility 

and usefulness. Therefore, all change, 

expansion, or shifts in program emphasis must be made with utmost care to 

ensure that all information produced is 

based on adequately tested procedures 

and sound research.

With this background in mind, the 

FIA program, known as the Nation’s 

Forest Census, proposes a new and 

broader program for the future. This 

plan updates the previous FIA Strategic 

Plan prepared in 1999 (USDA Forest 

Service). A summary of program 

statistics and performance measures 

for the first 7 years of the Annualized 

Inventory program is provided in the 

appendix of this plan.

Mandat e

T

he FIA program, initially known 

as the Forest Survey, was conceived 

in 1928 when the U.S. Congress 

acknowledged the need for information about the supply and condition 

of the Nation’s natural resources. The 

Organic Act of 1897 (16 U.S.C. §473), 

which established the national forests, 

included provisions for the inventory 

and management of these lands. Later, 

the Forestry Research Act (McSweeney/

McNary) of 1928 directed the Secretary 

of Agriculture to make and keep current a comprehensive inventory and 

analysis of the Nation’s forest resources. 

The Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 

1974 (16 U.S.C. §1601) amended the 

2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 3

earlier research act and directed the 

Secretary of Agriculture to “make and 

keep current a comprehensive inventory 

and analysis of the present and prospective conditions of and requirements for 

the renewable resources of the forest 

and rangelands of the United States.” 

The Forest and Rangeland Renewable 

Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 

U.S.C. §1641), which replaced the earlier forestry research legislation, repeated 

the amendment contained in the RPA.

Recent legislation further instructed 

the FIA program to establish an 

enhanced program to inventory and 

analyze, in a timely manner, public 

and private forests and their resources 

in the United States, including (1) an 

annual inventory of each State every 

year; (2) a 5-year report for each State; 

(3) national standards and definitions 

for reporting; (4) provisions to ensure 

protection of private property rights; 

and (5) a process for employing remote 

sensing, global positioning systems, 

and other advanced technologies.

D r i v e r s o f 

Chan g e

T

he development of FIA’s mission and vision has been guided 

by several long- and shortterm issues that were outlined in the 

document, “A Blueprint for Forest 

Inventory and Analysis Research and 

Vision for the Future,” written by FIA 

leaders (USDA Forest Service 1993) 

following the first Blue Ribbon Panel 

on FIA in 1991 (AFC 1992). These 

issues are still valid today.

Long-Term Issues

These four issues related to renewable 

natural resources will directly affect the 

FIA program: 

1. Increasing pollution. This issue 

includes such topics as air pollution, 

the effects of global climate change, 

deterioration of forest health, and 

changes in forest productivity.

2. Dwindling resources. This issue 

encompasses lack of regeneration, 

overharvesting, desertification, a loss 

of biological diversity, dwindling oldgrowth forests, and forest ownership 

fragmentation and tenure change.

3. Increasing population. This issue 

is closely linked to urbanization, land 

clearing, and increased pressure on 

remaining forest systems to supply necessary goods and services.

4. Proliferation of information. This 

issue includes the continual need for 

accurate, timely resource information 

and easy access to data.

Short-Term Issues

By being aware of upcoming trends, 

the FIA program can anticipate 

research needs rather than react to crises. The following three major trends 

will affect forest resources:

1. A changing forest land base. The 

ability of our forests to supply forest 

products is declining in response to 

growing pressures to supply a broad 

spectrum of commodities and nonmarket goods and services. To keep pace 

with dynamic land use and land cover 

change, the complete inventory remeasurement cycle should be short and 

appropriate variables should be collected to adequately characterize other 

resources values.

2. Rising noncommodity uses. The 

extent and condition of forest resources, on which noncommodity uses 

depend, need to be thoroughly documented. Indepth analyses are needed 

to estimate outdoor recreation demand 

and potential increases in use, wildlife 

habitat suitability and extent, watershed conditions, grazing use, and biological diversity. To get a complete picture of these resources, all forest land, 

including wilderness areas and parks, 

should be included in forest resource 

inventories and featured in reports.

3. Environmental health change.

Forest health and productivity are 

affected by a large number of interacting factors. Air quality problems and 

the potential for anthropogenic climate 

change have increased the need for 

timely information on the health and 

productivity of the Nation’s forests. 

Addressing these issues requires efforts 

from many disciplines to provide new 

kinds of monitoring data. A key role 

will be the establishment of a baseline 

that can be monitored to detect changes in the health and risks affecting 

major forest ecosystems over time.
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

M i s s i o n

F

IA’s overall mission is to improve 

the understanding and management of our Nation’s forests by 

maintaining a comprehensive inventory 

of the status and trends of the country’s 

diverse forest ecosystems, the use of 

the forests, and the health of the these 

ecosystems. 

Since 1930, the FIA program has collected, analyzed, and reported information on the status and trends of 

America’s forests. FIA tracks how much 

forest exists, where it exists, who owns 

it, how is it being managed, and how 

it is changing, as well as how the trees 

and other forest vegetation are growing and how much has died or been 

removed. 

This information is used in many ways, 

such as evaluating wildlife habitat conditions, assessing the sustainability of 

ecosystem management practices, and 

supporting planning and decisionmaking activities undertaken by public and 

private enterprises. 

V i s i o n

T

he FIA program is designed 

to deliver current, consistent, 

and credible information about 

the status, condition, and trends of 

America’s forests. FIA researchers collect data and summarize it for all States 

each year reporting the most current 

information, which is recognized as the 

single best source of indicators of the 

sustainable management of America’s 

forests. FIA uses the latest technologies to acquire data through remote 

sensing, field activities, primary forest 

product studies, utilization studies, and 

landowner surveys. FIA collaborates 

with other Federal and State agencies 

and experts from universities and elsewhere to augment research and analytical capabilities and to help develop new 

inventory and monitoring techniques. 

Rigorous quality assurance procedures 

verify the accuracy of our estimates and 

validate our analytical results. 

The vision of FIA was perhaps 

best articulated in a Government 

Accountability Office report (GAO 

2004) concerning the status of Federal 

data programs that support ecological 

indicators. The report stated that FIA 

is able to provide some of the most 

complete data available on a timely 

basis, an accomplishment made possible by the integration of remote-sensing data and field-based data into a 

new forest monitoring technique that 

makes possible an annualized inventory 

cycle in every State. The report adds 

that FIA is using new technologies to 

develop maps showing information on 

forest types, biomass, fuel loading, and 

fire risk. 

Major elements of the FIA vision 

are guided by a defined Base Federal 

Program approved by Congress in 

1999 that envisioned the FIA program 

as a partnership between the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

Forest Service and State organizations and other resource agencies. 

The FIA annual inventory program is 

implemented in 46 States, including 

coastal Alaska, and 7 of 9 Pacific and 

Caribbean Island groups (figure. 1).

S t rat e g i c Goal s

I

n the course of moving from periodic to annual inventories, FIA 

managers consulted with numerous 

partners and clients to determine the 

respective responsibilities and expectations of the different parties. Those 

expectations led to the definition of a 

4 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future A History of Success A Dynamic Future 3

Base Federal Program, which described 

the level of service the USDA Forest 

Service would provide to all States and 

territories, regardless of their ability or 

willingness to collaborate. The Base 

Federal Program consists of the following elements:

• A three-phase program including 

remote sensing for stratification 

(phase 1), a sample of ground plots 

measured for basic forest data (phase 

2), and a subsample of the phase 

2 sample plots measured for an 

extended suite of ecosystem attributes 

(phase 3).

• Work with principal partners to 

enhance the timeliness and quality of 

the program.

• A National Woodland Owner Survey 

(NWOS) to increase our understanding of private woodland owners.

• A survey of primary forest products 

output within each State. 

• Development of a consistent core 

set of field measurements collected 

the same way across all U.S. forested 

lands.

• Annual data collection on 10 percent 

of all phase 2 plots in the Western 

United States, 15 percent of all phase 

2 plots in the Eastern United States, 

and a subsample of one-sixteenth 

of the phase 2 network for phase 3 

plots.

• Compilation of all field data on an 

annual basis, made available on-line 

within 6 months of the end of the 

data collection for the panel.

• Comprehensive, analytical reports at 

5-year intervals for each State.

• Special designs for interior Alaska, 

the Caribbean and Pacific Islands.

To achieve these strategic goals, including a core set of nationally consistent 

procedures, continuously updated 

databases available on the Web, and 

5-year analytical reports, many managerial and technical tasks need to be 

completed:

• Make National Information 

Management System (NIMS) fully 

operational.

• Develop and enhance Web-based 

tools for accessing and analyzing FIA 

data.

• Complete State-level analytical 

reports for all lands every 5 years.

• Develop and implement algorithms 

for estimating change over time 

under the annual inventory approach.

Working with our partners, FIA managers have established support technical 

groups called “bands” in major thematic areas. The bands are composed 

of both FIA and partner professionals 

who review and evaluate alternative 

strategies to resolve problems and make 

recommendations that support efficient 

solutions. The following sections present some of the more specific goals and 

priorities for these thematic areas.

 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 5

Figure 1.—Status of annualized inventory as of fiscal year 2006.
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

Statistics and Design Band. This 

band develops, tests, and documents 

sampling and estimation methods. 

These professionals routinely study 

fieldwork as part of a cost/benefit 

analysis to identify ways to improve 

efficiency and effectiveness, and they 

develop small-area estimation methods 

to both improve estimates for small 

populations and to spatially distribute 

the plot-based sample estimates. 

Analysis Band. This band produces 

the 5-year report template and compares core table requirements with the 

core manual variables for consistency. 

This work group will review the implementation of the NWOS, develop 

options for integrating remote sensing 

products that add value, and provide 

a focal point for the addition of new 

attributes and indicators.

Indicators. This analysis band subgroup develops stable phase 3 indicators in terms of fieldwork timing and 

protocols, information management, 

analysis, and reporting. This work 

group assists with the integration of 

indicators by developing standard 

national and regional tables, maps, 

reports and documentation of sampling and estimation methods for each 

indicator. 

Remote Sensing Band. This band 

develops the use of consistent satellite 

imagery to stratify the primary sample 

to produce area estimates and identify 

attributes that can be measured with 

similar accuracy from remote-sensing/

Geographic Information System (GIS) 

methods. These professionals also 

develop methods to efficiently automate those measurements and develop 

a strategy for operational remote sensing and geospatial modeling and for 

linking satellite imagery and derived 

products to spatial data in the FIA 

database to enable a wider variety of 

spatial analyses and products.

Information Management and 

Compilation Band. This band is 

divided into three major subgroups:

1. Portable Data Recorder (PDR) 

Team. This team develops PDR software to meet core national needs and 

full-featured software to meet the 

diverse needs of the regional FIA units.

2. Development Team. This team 

develops and implements a strategy for 

NIMS to accommodate the operational 

use of remote sensing. The team also 

develops data distribution strategies 

to accommodate any derived or coreoptional variables needed to generate 

core products. Team members ensure 

that landowner and timber products 

databases are placed on an annualized 

system.

3. Data Distribution Team. This 

team develops the next generation of 

FIA data distribution tools, incorporating the full suite of data from remote 

sensing, field studies, and special studies and ensuring the processing, storage, and delivery of this data by NIMS.

Data Acquisition Band. This band 

maintains documentation for a nationally consistent core field procedure 

through National Field Manuals (http://

fia.fs.fed.us/library/field-guides-methodsproc/). This work group develops and 

implements comprehensive training 

and quality control programs and continuously reviews field techniques and 

measurements to develop cost-effective 

alternatives for improving data-gathering efficiencies.

6 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 3

P r o g ra m Fo c u s

T

he FIA program will maintain 

historical excellence in collecting, analyzing, and reporting on 

data related to the extent, productivity, 

location, and status of U.S. forest lands 

and on data from landowner surveys 

and primary forest product studies. 

FIA will also continue to broaden the 

scope of the program to include sets 

of measurements pertaining to tree 

vigor and health, vascular plant species 

diversity and abundance, soil conditions, down woody debris, and other 

critical measures of ecosystem health or 

risk. The FIA database will maintain a 

full suite of the most recent data for all 

States. 

Much of the success of the FIA program rests on several key elements of 

program focus.

National Core Variables. The FIA 

program will continuously review core

variables—including the NWOS, 

which contains national core variables 

about ownership, management objectives, demographics of the private 

woodland owners, landowner perceptions of forest health, and flows of 

market and nonmarket goods—for 

consistency and application as part of 

the base FIA program. Primary forest 

product studies contain core information about timber harvest and uses.

Consistency. The FIA program will 

maintain written guidelines documenting data collection, estimation, and 

reporting methods to ensure consistency. FIA will also maintain NIMS for 

managing all field-sampled data and 

support a Web-based data compilation 

and analysis engine to enable users to 

access data and produce results in a 

consistent manner across the country, 

including support of regional data to 

meet the needs of partners and customers.

Information Availability. The FIA 

database (FIADB) contains a full suite 

of the most recent data for all States. 

FIA information is also loaded into 

the National Forest System’s Natural 

Resource Information System (NRIS) 

to make data readily available to 

national forest managers. FIA will continue to focus on loading each year’s 

phase 2 data within 6 months of the 

end of the field season and phase 3 

data within 12 months as posted in the 

Federal Register (FR 2005). At the end 

of fiscal year (FY) 2005, information 

less than 2 years old was available in an 

online FIA database (http://www.fia.

fs.fed.us/tools-data/data/) for 42 States. 

Ownership survey and primary forest 

product information will also be added 

to the full suite of online data.

New Technology. Integrating new 

technologies is critical to the efficient 

delivery of the FIA program. FIA has 

teamed up with the U.S. Geological 

Survey to improve the accuracy of 

mapping forest cover under the 2001 

National Land Cover Dataset project. 

Other potential technology partnerships include the National Resources 

Conservation Service’s National 

Resources Inventory, the MultiResolution Land Characterization 

Consortium (MRLC) and its National 

Land Cover Data (NLCD) products, GAP Analysis Program (GAP), 

the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA), and the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA). Most opportunities for technology development 

involve sharing cost and logistical 

burdens to more efficiently and effectively use remotely sensed data from 

satellites and low-altitude aircraft to 

facilitate broad-scale applications of 

GIS techniques to improve geospatial 

analyses. FIA has a preeminent position in all Federal efforts to inventory 

and monitor forest resource conditions 

at the regional and national levels and 

 A History of Success A Dynamic Future A History of Success A Dynamic Future 7
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

5-Year

Average

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Million Dollars

in innovative uses of remotely sensed 

data to improve the number of products, the quality and timeliness of those 

products, and the cost-effectiveness of 

the FIA program. 

Partnerships. The FIA program is 

based on partnerships. Within the 

USDA Forest Service, the FIA program 

exists as a partnership among three 

branches: Research and Development 

(R&D), which provides the overall 

leadership and management of the 

FIA program; National Forest System 

(NFS); and State and Private Forestry 

(S&PF). All USDA Forest Service 

partners actively participate in program 

management. In addition to depending 

on internal partners, FIA relies heavily on a variety of external partners to 

increase the efficiency and quality of 

the program. 

State forestry agencies are key principal partners in many States, taking an 

active role in data collection, analysis, 

and facilitating contacts with landowners. Universities provide technical 

assistance in data analysis and reporting 

and in research aimed at improving 

FIA program operations. The National 

Association of State Foresters (NASF) 

is committed to seeking the funding 

necessary for implementing the Base 

Federal Program. The success of FIA 

partnerships is evident through the 10 

to 20 percent annual contributions 

to total program funding provided by 

partners (figure 2).

FIA has also worked closely with 

NatureServe to develop the National 

Vegetation Classification System to 

provide Federal Geographic Data 

Committee-compliant classification 

of field data. FIA works with the 

Conservation Biology Institute 

(http://www.consbio.org) to develop reliable spatial files and maps of protected 

areas and public lands.

Accountability. Each year the FIA 

program publishes a business report 

that describes basic information about 

the annual activities of FIA: current 

year’s accomplishments, performance 

measures, budget and staffing data, 

program changes, and planned accomplishments for the upcoming year. This 

report is distributed to all interested 

customers and partners, and made 

available on the FIA Web site at 

http://fia.fs.fed.us.

Or gan i zat i o n

F

IA relies on a strong and vibrant 

organization of professionals 

dedicated to delivering an effective program with a clear track record 

of accountability. Several important 

elements are the cornerstone of FIA 

success.

Organizational Structure. The FIA 

program has developed a “virtual” 

organization structure designed to 

provide opportunities for collaborative 

decisionmaking among program partners, while respecting the decentralized 

nature of formal USDA Forest Service 

organizational structures. 

The national structure consists of the 

following three levels: 

1. The executive level (figure 3) is composed of three State foresters, four 

research station directors, two NFS 

regional foresters, and one national 

director from each R&D, NFS, 

and S&PF Deputy Area. The R&D 

8 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

Figure 2.—State contributions to 

support the FIA program, 2001–05
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 39

Science Policy, Planning, Inventory, 

and Information deputy director 

serves as chair, and the members of 

this level meet annually to provide 

policy guidance. 

2. The management level is composed 

of four FIA regional program managers, the FIA national program 

leader and associate, a national 

representative from Forest Health 

Monitoring, a national representative 

from NFS, and three State representatives. The FIA national program 

leader chairs this team, which meets 

bimonthly to make decisions about 

operational program elements with 

national implications.

3. A technical level composed of five 

technical groups (statistics, analysis, remote sensing, information 

management, and data acquisition) 

meets as needed to develop technical solutions and to share expertise 

across all program units. 

Operational implementation of the 

FIA program occurs through four FIA 

research work units regionally assigned 

to the Southern, Northern, Rocky 

Mountain, and Pacific Northwest 

Research Stations. At the regional level, 

regional management teams provide 

opportunities for communication and 

coordination within each FIA region. 

This structure is complemented by a 

system of regional and national users 

groups that meet every year to provide 

feedback on program success.

Distribution of National Roles to the 

Regional Units. The 1999 Strategic 

Plan assumed that a nominal level of 

national staff would provide support 

for national functions. In practice, FIA 

has found it more practical to locate 

these resources wherever possible within 

field FIA units. Each 

FIA field unit has 

offered to accept one 

or more national functions. Currently, the 

FIA program contains 

six major national 

activities: (1) FIADB 

including timber products output (TPO), (2) 

NIMS, (3) the NWOS, 

(4) NRIS with NFS, (5) the National 

Assessment and RPA database, and 

(6) National Indicator Advisors. These 

commitments are supported by interunit transfers of funds that provide 

flexibility and ability to adjust commitments annually. 

Efficient Staffing. In 1999, FIA made 

many assumptions about the quantity 

and types of skills needed to implement the Base Federal Program. Since 

that time, each FIA unit has reassessed 

its needs and developed updated staffing plans based on the best current 

understanding of needs and on an 

assessment of opportunities for using 

State and Federal partnerships throughout the program. Annually, between 10 

and 20 percent of the FIA program is 

delivered through partnerships.

Figure 3.—FIA management structure overview.
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

E m phas i s Shi f t s

A

fter the first 7 years, FIA has 46 

States (including coastal Alaska) 

with active annualized inventory 

operations. From this experience, partners and clients have commented on 

areas of the program that need more 

emphasis and other areas in which 

some think FIA should expand its 

scope and head in new directions. This 

section will look at a series of emphasis 

shifts or operational changes that, by 

saving money or being inexpensive, 

will be relatively cost neutral to the 

program as a package. 

Synchronized Phase 2 and Phase 3 

Plot Schedules. FIA units are increasing their overall program efficiency 

by synchronizing phase 2 and phase 3 

plot measurement schedules. Currently, 

all phase 3 plots are on a 5-year measurement schedule. For States that are 

currently measuring 20 percent of the 

phase 2 plots per year, program efficiencies for plot visits, data processing, 

and estimation have been achieved. 

States on a 10-year (10 percent a year) 

or 7-year (15 percent a year) cycle still 

suffer from a number of inefficiencies. 

These obstacles include visiting 1/16th 

of the plots at time intervals different 

than the remaining portion of the plot 

network, thus increasing costs and 

complexity throughout the program. 

Synchronization could generate roughly $500,000 annually to offset other 

emphasis shifts.

Improved Techniques Research. FIA 

is increasing capacity to conduct techniques research to improve how data 

are collected, analyzed, and disseminated. Potential research areas include 

improved sampling and estimation 

procedures, better linkages to smallarea or tactical assessments, improved 

geospatial analytical tool development, 

and better mechanisms for making data 

and results available to the public. FIA 

has long supported a modest investment in in-house and external research 

of techniques. An emphasis on national 

techniques will increase FIA involvement in internally directed extramural 

research that will increase the knowledge and uses of FIA data.

Increased Analytical Capability.

Although FIA currently invests 

approximately 20 percent of its budget 

in compiling and analyzing information, clearly more could be done to 

increase the quantity of high-quality 

analysis. Such an investment will yield 

specialized reports related to carbon 

sequestration, forest health, wildlife 

habitat, customer-specific analyses, and 

more spatial analyses and map products. This work will be accomplished 

through a combination of in-house 

analysts and cooperative agreements or 

contracts with universities, States, and 

other qualified analysts. The goal is to 

achieve this increased capacity through 

efficiencies in other areas of the program.

Increased Use of Remote Sensing and 

Spatial Techniques. The FIA program 

recognizes that significant efficiencies 

could be realized by using high-resolution imagery, including light detection 

and ranging (LIDAR) technology in 

the interior West, interior Alaska, and 

other regions with forests dominated 

by open canopies and lower levels of 

stocking. Because resource issues in 

these regions are often different than 

for highly productive forests, FIA is 

currently developing procedures that 

will be less reliant on one ground plot 

per 6,000 acres. FIA anticipates significant gains in efficiencies for these 

regions. 

10 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future A History of Success A Dynamic Future 113

Improved Land Use/Land Cover 

Change Analysis. FIA data (both 

remotely sensed and ground data) will 

be used to perform analyses and produce reports about status, trends, and 

location by land use class. This analysis 

will include assessments of land use 

and land cover change and fragmentation, as well as the development and 

support of users tools that enable others to do such analyses. FIA data represent a huge investment in spatial data 

collection, yet program analyses have 

not fully exploited the potential set of 

land use/land cover change analyses 

that may be conducted. FIA field data, 

in particular, represent a very large asset 

for ground-truthing remotely sensed 

imagery. Many analysts are currently 

producing assessments of land use and 

land cover change, without access to 

sufficient ground data—hence, the 

increased demand for access to FIA 

coordinates. Creating some increased 

capacity in-house for spatial analyses 

of FIA data will lead to more and better products for society. Although land 

use/land cover change relative to forest 

and nonforest will be part of the costneutral emphasis shifts, a full suite of 

measures for all land uses and covers 

will require additional funding. 

Fu ndi n g

T

o achieve the desired goal of full 

implementation, FIA needs to 

be funded at a level of at least 

$73,371,000 in FY 2007 and beyond. 

The program will then find internal 

efficiencies to maintain capabilities in 

all 50 States for the next 5 years for the 

basic mission outlined in this plan. A 

funding history/projection for 1999–

2012 is shown in figure 4 (the annual 

funding gap is represented by the white 

section of the graph bars).

Ne w D i r e c t i o n s

A

lthough the primary focus of 

the FIA program will remain on 

delivering the national annual 

forest inventory, FIA is frequently 

asked to expand its scope by applying 

expertise in forest inventory and analysis to enhance the program.

FIA is changing and, as new partners 

engage, it is critical that FIA not lose 

its mission and place with current partners. FIA does not plan to implement 

new or expanded surveys on all lands 

without proper resource and partner 

support. FIA recognizes that timely, 

high-quality data and analyses are 

paramount in addressing forest industry, State, Federal, and private forest 

land issues and needs. The changes 

outlined and requested from the first 

and second Blue Ribbon Panels (AFC 

1992, AFPA 1998) on FIA are being 

realized. The recent success of implementing annual surveys through State 

and Federal partnerships is leading to 

enhanced and new partnerships. FIA 

is ideally positioned to work collaboratively with these partners in realizing 

their needs. 

The following sections outline a series 

of possible emphasis shifts, enhancements, or additions 

to the FIA program. 

Some are low cost 

while others would 

require significant 

resources to implement. The development and implementation of these 

opportunities are 

not included in FIA 

current or target 

funding (figure 2).

0

8

16

24

32

40

48

56

64

72

80

Appropriated Target

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

95 .7 92

79 .4 93

78 .6 54

32 .5 05

99 .1 55

27 .6 65

18 .8 06

21 .3 46

17 .3 37

17 .3 37

17 .3 37

17 .3 37

17 .3 37

sr all oDf os noilli M

173 37 .

Figure 4.—Appropriated Federal funds and target 

funding for the annualized FIA program.
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

More Aggressive Remote-Sensing 

Approaches. Many partners noted that, 

although the current program resources 

are focused mainly on field visits for 

data collection, future activities may 

include a much larger proportion of 

FIA data being collected via various 

remote-sensing activities. These activities will not eliminate field visits but 

will potentially reduce the number 

of field visits for data collection. As 

remote-sensing platforms become more 

sophisticated, field verification data will 

have to keep pace. Thus, while field 

visits may decline, the data collected 

will need to be more timely and tuned 

to remote-sensing verification. These 

opportunities are perhaps most apparent when considering the inventory 

of interior Alaska where field access is 

extremely difficult.

Enhanced NFS Support. NFS has suggested that the USDA Forest Service 

consider FIA as the most viable program to implement a general strategic 

vegetation inventory on all NFS lands, 

not just those that meet the definition 

of forest. To meet this need, FIA must 

be implemented annually in all States 

and the sample design must be directly 

tiered to the FIA phase 2 grid. A full 

suite of standard vegetation (grasses, 

forbs, shrubs, and trees) sampling protocols would be implemented across 

all NFS lands, not just forested lands. 

Other known needs include the ability to intensify the base Federal grid 

beyond a 2X intensification if needed 

and develop an “a la carte protocol” 

for a suite of additional attributes that 

would meet NFS information and 

business needs. This expansion would 

also require an inventory compilation 

package developed for NFS business 

needs, including mid-level vegetation 

map products.

Rapid Assessment Teams. FIA could 

create and maintain staff trained in 

rapid assessment techniques to provide 

emergency resource assessments in the 

aftermath of an environmental disturbance (e.g., a fire, storm, hurricane, 

or sudden insect or disease outbreak). 

The team could have expertise in data 

collection as well as information management, compilation, analysis, and 

reporting. It could be maintained on 

call for use as needed for rapid deployment in days or weeks following a 

disturbance.

Family Forest Research Center. The 

goal of the Family Forest Research 

Center (FFRC) will be to promote 

sustainable forest stewardship through 

increased understanding of family forest owners. The FFRC will be a collaborative venture between FIA and 

researchers from academia, nonprofit 

organizations, corporations, and other 

USDA Forest Service research units. 

The FFRC will be the epicenter for 

implementing and analyzing FIA’s 

NWOS. In addition to implementing the NWOS, the FFRC will have 

the capacity to implement other forest 

landowner research on a competitive 

basis (e.g., receiving grants or contracts 

from other groups). A collaborative approach will increase analytical 

capacity, reduce costs, and increase 

efficiency. 

Urban Forest Inventory. A systematic 

approach to collecting and reporting data on status and trends of trees 

and forests in urban settings could 

be implemented. The FIA system 

currently does not include urban 

forests—lands classified as urban are 

excluded from the FIA population of 

interest, regardless of whether the land 

has trees. The FIA sample frame could 

12 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future A History of Success A Dynamic Future 13

be expanded to urban settings, maintaining the strategic scale while providing a platform for others to intensify 

to the individual city level. Urban trees 

and forests play a huge role in quality of life of urban populations, which 

includes some 80 percent of the U.S. 

population. Urban populations have 

a need for and an interest in information about the state of trees and forests 

in their surroundings. Urban trees 

have significant implications on urban 

energy budgets and air quality and 

would also be of high interest to island 

environments. This issue is of high 

interest to States with an increasingly 

urban population.

For example, the NASF has convened 

a task force representing the USDA 

Forest Service, the NASF, State urban 

forestry coordinators, and forest health 

specialists to perform the following 

tasks:

• Evaluate current urban forest inventory efforts.

• Investigate a national continuous 

urban forest inventory and assessment protocol.

• Propose an implementation strategy 

and recommend funding mechanisms.

Rangeland Inventory. The FIA 

program could be extended to data 

collection for rangelands currently 

not included in the FIA. Monitoring 

would be for purposes of tracking 

health, productivity, and sustainability 

at the strategic level. Developing such 

a system would require clear definitions of rangeland to define the sample 

frame. Careful consideration should 

be given regarding whether the effort 

should be restricted to public rangeland or should also expand to include 

private rangeland. (The NRI currently 

surveys range on private but not public 

lands.) No consistent strategic-scale 

inventory and monitoring system 

across both private and public lands is 

in place, yet the needs exist for similar 

sorts of information as reported by FIA 

for forested lands. The 2002 House 

Interior Appropriations Committee 

report included language directing the 

Secretaries of Agriculture and the U.S. 

Department of the Interior to collaborate in implementing a rangeland 

monitoring system. 

Other Treed and Riparian Land 

Inventory. The FIA program could be 

extended to data collection for other 

lands with trees that do not fall neatly 

into the range or urban definition. 

Examples include narrow riparian features, windrows, agroforestry stands, 

and other trees that exist in situations 

that do not currently meet the definition of forest and that, therefore, are 

not currently sampled. This strategiclevel monitoring could track health, 

biodiversity, carbon sequestration, 

wildlife corridors and habitat, and the 

trends on all treed land. In combination with a rangeland and urban extension, such an approach would ensure 

that all trees in the United States 

would be sampled by FIA in proportion to their occurrence. There would 

no longer be any gaps in the nationwide monitoring of trees and their 

various associated ecosystems. In particular, an extension to other treed and 

riparian land would include a small but 

ecologically important set of trees that 

would be of especially high interest in 

arid land ecosystems where trees that 

are not part of a larger contiguous forest are important. 
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

Wildlife Habitat Monitoring. FIA 

has long used forest inventory measurements to infer information about 

habitats for animal and plant species. 

This application is increasing, as managers must monitor changes in habitat 

components to mitigate concerns 

about management actions on species 

viability. Now, sustainability of timber 

management programs and applications 

of standards and guidelines, such as 

“Survey and Manage,” depend on FIA 

data. Standard FIA indicators, plot size, 

and measurements protocols, however, 

can miss important habitat components. 

For example, the geographic scale of a 

habitat component might not match 

the scale of a one-twentyfourth-acre 

FIA subplot or a 1-acre FIA field plot. 

Enhancements or embellishments might 

be needed to the traditional FIA design 

and processing procedures. As management decisions in the NFS become 

increasingly affected by issues related to 

habitats for threatened and endangered 

species and other featured species, FIA 

can provide research and development 

into new ways to address these significant management challenges.

Inventory and Monitoring of Special 

Forest Products. Forests are frequently 

managed and harvested for a variety of 

specialty products, such as medicinal 

plants, traditional foods, and decorative plants (e.g., holly, mistletoe, and 

fir branches). Current FIA protocols 

generally do not measure such products, but sampling protocols could be 

added to quantify the status and trends 

in volume and value of these products. 

One result of reductions in the harvest 

of timber products on Federal lands is 

increased opportunities for and interest 

in commercial possibilities for specialty 

products. New industries, many of 

them community based and small in 

scale, would benefit from knowledge 

about the approximate distribution, 

quantity, value, and sustainability of 

such products.

Gu idi n g 

P r i n c i p l e s

I

n implementing the program, FIA 

will be guided by the following principles. FIA will—

• Take the lead in inventorying and 

monitoring changes in the Nation’s 

forests, forest resources, and forested 

ecosystems.

• Maintain emphasis on conducting 

statewide forest resources inventories 

while conducting a balanced program 

of research to advance knowledge on 

multiresource assessments and forest 

health monitoring.

• Actively participate in developing 

inventory methods and new techniques that will assist the NFS in 

meeting the requirements of the 

National Forest Management Act.

• Operate to maintain the best possible working relationships with its 

clients, cooperators, and Congress 

and will publish annual reports on its 

progress.

• Provide opportunities for client and 

cooperator access to its management 

process.

• Protect the confidentiality of landowners’ and mill operators’ information (FSA 1985).

• Preserve its legacy data and make it 

accessible to partners and clients.

• Strive to establish universal protocols 

that ensure comparability of statistics 

in regard to common national and 

international data reporting.

14 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future A History of Success A Dynamic Future 153

• Focus on its primary mission to serve 

the people of this Nation but recognize that many problems may require 

a multinational or global approach.

• Actively engage and collaborate with 

scientists and experts from universities, other agencies, and nongovernment organizations to assure the 

highest quality research.

• Recruit, train, and retain a competent 

and highly dedicated workforce from 

all segments of the Nation’s population and encourage creativity and 

innovation in its people.

F i v e - Y ear Goal s

T

his strategic plan is forward looking and balances emerging client 

demands for new information, 

tools, and value with hard decisions 

on priorities and budget constraints. 

This plan identifies the mission, vision, 

strategic goals, research, and organizational functions that will be funded as 

part of the FIA program, along with 

the principles that will guide us. With 

all this in mind, FIA is committed to 

engaging the best people and technology to fulfill its mission to improve 

the understanding and management of 

our Nation’s forests by maintaining a 

comprehensive inventory of the status 

and trends of the country’s diverse forest ecosystems, the use of those forests, 

and the health of the ecosystems. A 

brief recap of the major goals for the 

next 5 years follows:

• Complete implementation of the FIA 

Base Federal Program in all 50 States 

and periodic inventories in all special 

areas (Caribbean and Pacific Islands 

and interior Alaska) by 2008.

• Complete 5-year reports for all annualized States initiated by 2002.

• Integrate core data from all phases of 

the inventory and regional add-ons 

into NIMS by 2007.

• Develop and document components of change procedures (growth, 

removals, and mortality) and integrate into NIMS by 2007.

• Work with NFS to develop tools and 

products to assist in forest planning.

• Complete and report on the first 

cycle of the NWOS and integrate 

data into online systems.

• Annualize the Timber Products 

Output and Ownership Survey and 

integrate data into online systems.

• Complete a suite of Web tools to 

improve client access to FIA data and 

assist in analysis.

• Develop and document a suite of 

spatial tools and products (forest 

cover maps, volume/biomass maps, 

fire and other risk maps).

• Continue to explore urban, rangeland, and other treed land monitoring opportunities.

We hope you will take some time to 

study the plan and give us your feedback directly or through one of our 

many users groups. (See the address 

page at the end of this report to contact the FIA unit in your area or log on 

to http://fia.fs.fed.us.) We look forward 

to partner and client input because 

such feedback has been the hallmark of 

FIA’s history of success and will be the 

primary driver of our dynamic future.

FIA’s core design provides flexibility for integration of new data at 

multiple scales.

National Core Data

Federal Funding

Regional Add-on Data

Federal and Shared Funding

Local/special Study Data

Client Funding
2

16 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

L i t e rat u r e C i t ed 

American Forest Council (AFC). 1992. 

Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel 

on Forest Inventory and Analysis. 

Washington, DC: American Forest 

Council. 11 p. 

American Forest and Paper Association 

(AFPA). 1998. Forest Inventory and 

Analysis program: the report of the second Blue Ribbon Panel. Washington, 

DC: American Forest and Paper 

Association. 17p.

Federal Register (FR). 2005. Action: 

USDA Forest Service notice of issuance 

of agency interim directive. Federal 

Register 70(45).

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) Forest Service. 1993. A blueprint for Forest Inventory and Analysis 

research and vision for the future. 

Program Aide No. 1512. Washington, 

DC: USDA Forest Service. 20 p.

USDA Forest Service. 1999. Strategic 

plan for Forest Inventory and 

Monitoring. Washington, DC: USDA 

Forest Service. 48 p.

United States Government 

Accountability Office (GAO). 2004. 

Environmental indicators: better coordination is needed to develop environmental indicator sets that inform decisions. GAO-05-52. Washington, DC: 

GAO. 122 p.

P r i m ar y Law s 

Public Law of June 4, 1897 

Organic Administration Act of 1897 

(16 U.S.C. §473)

Public Law 93-378 

Resources Planning Act of 1974 

(16 USC §1601) 

Public Law 94-588 

National Forest Management Act of 

1976 (90 Stat. 2949)

Public Law 95-307 

Forest and Rangeland Renewable 

Resources Research Act of 1978 

(16 USC §1641, which repealed the 

McSweeney/McNary Act of May 

1928)

Public Law 99-198 

Food Security Act of 1985 

(7 U.S.C. §2276)

Public Law 100-521 

Forest Ecosystems and Atmospheric 

Pollution Research Act of 1988 

(16 USC §1600)

Public Law 105-185 

Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

Education Reform Act of 1998 (16 

USC §1642, which amended the 1978 

Research Act and required FIA inventory measurements in all States annually and forms the basis of this strategic 

plan). 

Co n tac t s 

For information about the status and 

trends of America’s forests, please contact the appropriate office below.

North

Program Manager, FIA

USDA Forest Service

North Central Research Station

1992 Folwell Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55108

651–649–5139

Interior West

Program Manager, FIA

USDA Forest Service

Rocky Mountain Research Station

507 25th Street

Ogden, UT 84401

801–625–5388

South

Program Manager, FIA

USDA Forest Service 

Southern Research Station

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, TN 37919

865–862–2073

Pacific Northwest 

Program Manager, FIA

USDA Forest Service

Pacific Northwest Research Station

620 SW Main St., Suite 400

Portland, OR 97205

503–808–2066

National Office

National Program Leader, FIA

USDA Forest Service 

1601 North Kent Street, Suite 400

Arlington, VA 22209

703–605–4177

All our regional Internet home pages, 

as well as a wealth of statistical and 

other information, are available 

through the national FIA homepage 

located at http://www.fia.fs.fed.us. National Headquarters

Field Headquarters

Pacific

Hawaii

American Samoa

Commonwealth of the 

 Northern Mariana 

 Islands

Federated States 

 of Micronesia

Guam

Palau

Republic of the Marshall Islands

Caribean

Commonwealth 

 of Puerto Rico

Virgin Islands
 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 3 A History of Success A Dynamic Future 17

FIA summary statistics and performance measures for 1999-2005

PROGRAM FUNDING 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

thousand dollars

Apropriated funds* 26,770 39,497 45,697 50,523 56,234 56,652 60,881

Other Federal funds** 1,173 601 3,460 5,397 3,437 6,073 1,776

Total Federal funds 27,943 40,098 49,157 55,920 59,671 62,725 62,657

Total partner funds 4,586 7,437 8,291 8,656 10,164 7,479 6,379

Total available funds 32,529 47,536 57,179 64,574 69,834 70,204 69,036

PROGRAM EXPENSES and BALANCES

 Administration 1,910 2,607 2,867 3,306 3,172 3,430 3,065

 Image processing 951 1,305 1,362 905 967 940 1,218

 Field operations 10,592 15,273 19,576 23,045 24,766 25,247 26,409

 Data/information 3,647 5,512 5,849 5,801 6,719 9,448 7,394

Analysis 2,406 3,019 3,493 3,440 3,484 3,967 4,161

Research 2,173 4,055 4,117 3,413 4,312 3,975 3,477

 Miscellaneous/other 686 1,206 1,180 627 3,829 4,351 3,963

Total direct expense 22,367 32,976 38,444 40,535 47,249 51,357 49,687

Indirect expenses 4,858 6,892 9,228 13,025 11,123 8,919 11,313

Total Federal expense 27,225 39,868 47,672 53,560 58,372 60,277 61,000

End-of-year Federal balance 718 230 1,485 2,359 1,298 2,448 1,657

TOTAL FEDERAL FUNDS 27,943 40,098 49,157 55,920 59,671 62,725 62,657

Category as percent of total Federal funds

Administration 6.8% 6.5% 5.8% 5.9% 5.3% 5.5% 4.9%

Image processing 3.4% 3.3% 2.8% 1.6% 1.6% 1.5% 1.9%

Field operations 37.9% 38.1% 39.8% 41.2% 41.5% 40.3% 42.1%

Data/information 13.1% 13.7% 11.9% 10.4% 11.3% 15.1% 11.8%

Analysis 8.6% 7.5% 7.1% 6.2% 5.8% 6.3% 6.6%

Research 7.8% 10.1% 8.4% 6.1% 7.2% 6.3% 5.5%

Miscellaneous/other 2.5% 3.0% 2.4% 1.1% 6.4% 6.9% 6.3%

Indirect 17.4% 17.2% 18.8% 23.3% 18.6% 14.2% 18.1%

End-of-year balance 2.6% 0.6% 3.0% 4.2% 2.2% 3.9% 2.6%

All categories 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Grants as percent of total Federal funds

Fieldwork grants 4.7% 12.1% 11.4% 9.8% 14.4% 10.1% 9.6%

Research grants 3.3% 6.3% 5.0% 2.7% 3.4% 2.7% 1.5%

Data/information grants 0.2% 2.3% 1.6% 1.2% 2.6% 4.1% 2.0%

 All Federal grants 8.2% 20.7% 18.0% 13.6% 20.4% 16.9% 13.1%

Partner funds as percent of total program funds

 All partner contributions 14.4% 15.7% 14.8% 13.9% 14.8% 11.0% 9.5%

OTHER MEASURES 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

States with annual activity 10 17 28 32 39 44 45

States with FIADB 1-2 yrs old n/a n/a n/a 5 14 28 40

Federal employees 296 342 374 400 403 426 447

Other employees 45 169 179 160 180 166 179

Total employees 341 511 553 560 583 592 626

P2/3 forest plots 8,943 11,582 14,927 16,108 17,182 16,036 15,675

P2/3 nonforest plots 14,845 16,767 24,982 24,459 29,592 29,532 24,445

Total plots 23,788 28,349 39,909 40,567 46,774 45,568 40,120

All QA plots 1,427 1,701 1,658 1,889 2,332 2,874 3,584

Percent QA plots 6% 6% 4% 5% 5% 6% 9%

All publications 91 167 116 167 138 114 164

Journal publications 24 28 28 28 23 25 34

Percent journal publications 26% 17% 24% 17% 17% 22% 21%

Consultations, number n/a n/a 921 819 1,450 1,566 1,510

Consultations, hours n/a n/a 3,751 2,978 4,514 4,899 5,612

User/mangement meetings 8 7 14 18 16 20 23

Spatial data requests filled n/a n/a n/a 29 44 66 145

MapMaker acesses n/a n/a n/a 11,579 14,577 26,034 55,000

* Net of rescissions.

** Includes return of previous year carryover, return of fire transfers and additional Research Duputy commitments.
2 Forest Inventory and Analysis Strategic Plan

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income 

is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities 

who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write 

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 

795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.