Forest regeneration surveys: Design, data collection, and analysis

Abstract

Regeneration surveys have always been looked on as a necessary evil in silviculture. Huge amounts of data have been collected, only to answer simple questions or to be filed and never used. This paper addresses the possibility of changing regeneration surveys from simple legislative requirements, into components of the forestry information system. Current technology allows the development of sophisticated decision support systems, and this changes the whole perspective on information needed from regeneration surveys. Depending on the level of information needed, ground surveys or aerial surveys can be used. The types of information available from different survey systems are described, and two case studies are presented. In one, regenerating stands are assessed using an intensive ground-based survey and, in the second, the MEIS (Multi-spectral, Electro-Optical Imaging Scanner) is used to identify stocking in young plantations. It is concluded that surveys must be designed by working backwards from the decisions to be made, to the information needed to make those decisions, to the data needed to provide that information.