Estimating forest edge length from forest inventory sample dataThis article is one of a selection of papers from Extending Forest Inventory and Monitoring over Space and Time.

Abstract

Forest edge length is important for landscape ecological analysis, including the analysis of fragmentation. In this paper, we estimate forest edge length using field sample data from the German National Forest Inventory as an example. The complex plot design of many large-area forest inventories allows for the estimation of forest edge length at different spatial resolutions. As expected, estimates depend on the spatial resolution: longer estimated edge lengths resulted from observations at finer spatial resolutions. From the comparison of estimated edge lengths at different spatial resolutions, conclusions about the irregularity of forest edges can be drawn: more irregular forest boundaries resulted in greater differences between the estimated lengths for different spatial resolutions. One conclusion is of particular relevance: reported forest edge length values are meaningless unless their spatial resolution is also reported. The analysis presented is an add-on to the standard estimations from a forest inventory, producing additional, ecologically meaningful information. It is contended that many more nonstandard analyses of forest inventory data are possible either immediately or with minor modifications to the plot design.