multiresource inventory pilot project also provides 

 a framework for data collection, in this case one 

 based on the regular timber inventory and classifi- 

 cations. 



Two other projects have been directed more 

 specifically at improving data collection techniques 

 within an overall land and resource classification 

 system. One such project, the Susitna Area Inventory 

 in the Susitna Valley, Alaska, is a cooperative venture 

 with the Soil Conservation Service. It is designed as 

 an in-place (mapping) inventory to obtain accurate 

 estimates of total vegetative cover at a level of sam- 

 pling below that used in the normal forest inventories. 



The second project for testing different sampling 

 designs and measurement procedures for getting 

 multipurpose resource data is a cooperative inventory 

 program in Grand County, Colo, which is testing an 

 improved systematic sampling design. 



Data on soil series, density, foliar cover, current 

 production, plant height, and form and age class of 

 shrubs are obtained at each sample location. In a 

 followup effort, these data will be stratified into 

 various vegetation-soil units within which different 

 vegetation-soil-landform-water parameters will be 

 sampled. 



Continuing Needs 



Progress has been made in meeting some of the 

 scientific information and data needs identified in 

 the Assessment of Renewable Resources, 1975. How- 

 ever, the basic thrust of the information and data 

 needs section of the 1975 Assessment is still relevant 

 for planning purposes today. Some highlights are 

 listed below: 



Inventories of Forest and Range Resources 



The need continues to accelerate and intensify 

 the present surveys of renewable resources of forest 

 and range lands. With respect to the surveys of 

 timber resources, the present time between successive 

 State inventories averages 12 years. This is far too 

 long to adequately monitor the changes taking place 

 in timber resources. In some States where industrial 

 development has been rapid, timber removals have 

 changed by as much as 40 percent in a 10-year 

 period. In other areas such as the Delta region 

 of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, forest land 

 has been cleared at a rate of more than 300,000 

 acres a year. Obviously, where such fast changes 

 are taking place, inventory cycles of more than 5 

 years are of limited usefulness in guiding resource 

 planning and management. 



The survey should also be intensified to provide 

 more precise local resource data. Present sampling 



standards are designed to achieve acceptable sampling 

 errors for large areas of forest land (1 million acres) 

 or for relatively large timber volumes (1 billion cubic 

 feet of timber). This limits the usefulness of the data 

 for local governments, planning agencies, and re- 

 source industries, who may need statistically rehable 

 information for relatively small geographic areas. 

 Intensifying the inventories to provide this informa- 

 tion would aid local land use planning and manage- 

 ment of forest lands, including those in small private 

 ownerships. 



Basic surveys of rangeland resources are also 

 needed, including forage for domestic livestock and 

 other uses of rangelands. A foundation for such 

 inventories is being laid in the work described above 

 on multiresource inventories, but a systematic inven- 

 tory to national standards is needed. 



Information available on the Nation's outdoor 

 recreation resources has been collected for specific 

 studies or management needs and is of limited use 

 in guiding recreation management on forest and 

 range lands. A systematic, continuing inventory with 

 national standards is needed for recreation resources. 

 This survey should include an inventory of the forest 

 and range land available and suitable for outdoor 

 recreation. 



Responsibilities for inventorying wildlife popula- 

 tions are spread among various States and Federal 

 agencies. There is a need to standardize data for 

 national assessments, to improve the data base for 

 nongame species of wildlife, and to provide better 

 information relating wildlife populations to the forest, 

 range, and water base. 



The classification approaches described may satisfy 

 the need for a land classification system that is a 

 prerequisite to useful data collection for planning 

 purposes. However, additional evaluation of this and 

 other possible approaches is necessary. In addition, 

 very little work has been done on aquatic systems, 

 and there are no operational classification systems for 

 lakes, streams, and marshes. A good classification 

 system is the foundation for any useful inventory 

 and is needed for both land and water resources. 



Physical Responses of Resources 

 to Management Practices 



Information on physical responses of forest and 

 range land and the associated waters to management 

 practices is still inadequate and especially so for multi- 

 resource interactions. The effort now going into 

 describing and measuring the responses of these 

 resources to management practices must be greatly 

 expanded to provide the information necessary for 

 efficient administration and management of forest 

 and range lands. 



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