FIELD INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PERIODIC INVENTORY OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 2015 FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS RESOURCE MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION USDA FOREST SERVICE THIS MANUAL IS BASED ON: FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS NATIONAL CORE FIELD GUIDE VOLUME I: FIELD DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES VERSION 6.1 Cover image by Gretchen Bracher pg.I Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION . 15 SECTION 1.1 ORGANIZATION OF THIS MANUAL. 15 SECTION 1.2 THE INVENTORY. 16 SECTION 1.3 PRODUCTS . 16 SECTION 1.4 UNITS OF MEASURE . 16 SECTION 1.5 PLOT DESIGN GENERAL DESCRIPTION . 16 SUBSECTION 1.5.1 PLOT LAYOUT . .17 SUBSECTION 1.5.2 DATA ARE COLLECTED ON PLOTS AT THE FOLLOWING LEVELS .17 SECTION 1.6 QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL . 18 SUBSECTION 1.6.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION . .18 SECTION 1.7 SAFETY . 18 SUBSECTION 1.7.1 SAFETY IN THE WOODS. .18 SUBSECTION 1.7.2 SAFETY ON THE ROAD . .19 SUBSECTION 1.7.3 WHAT TO DO IF INJURED. .19 CHAPTER 2 LOCATING THE PLOT . 21 SECTION 2.1 LOCATING AN ESTABLISHED PLOT . 21 SUBSECTION 2.1.1 NAVIGATING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY. .21 SUBSECTION 2.1.2 NAVIGATING WITH GPS . .21 SUBSECTION 2.1.3 NAVIGATING WITH REFERENCE POINT (RP) DATA . .22 SUBSECTION 2.1.4 REVERSE REFERENCE POINT (RP) METHOD . .22 SECTION 2.2 ESTABLISHED PLOT ISSUES . 22 SUBSECTION 2.2.1 DIFFICULTY FINDING ESTABLISHED PLOTS. 22 SUBSECTION 2.2.2 INCORRECTLY INSTALLED PLOT . .23 SUBSECTION 2.2.3 INCORRECTLY INSTALLED SUBPLOT OR MICROPLOT. .23 SUBSECTION 2.2.4 PC STAKE OR SUBPLOT/MICROPLOT PIN MISSING OR MOVED . .23 SUBSECTION 2.2.5 LOST SUBPLOT . .24 SUBSECTION 2.2.6 LOST PLOT (REPLACEMENT PLOT) . .24 SECTION 2.3 LOCATING NEW PLOTS. 24 SUBSECTION 2.3.1 INSTALLING A PLOT WITH TARGET (TGT) COORDINATES . .24 SECTION 2.4 CIRCUMSTANCES PRECLUDING PLOT ESTABLISHMENT/ MEASUREMENT. 25 CHAPTER 3 PLOT LAYOUT AND REFERENCING . 27 SECTION 3.1 PLOT DESIGN . 27 of Contents Table SUBSECTION 3.1.1 PLOT LAYOUT . .27 SUBSECTION 3.1.2 PLOT DIMENSIONS . .27 SECTION 3.2 PLOT ESTABLISHMENT. 28 SUBSECTION 3.2.1 PLOT ESTABLISHMENT GUIDELINES. .28 SUBSECTION 3.2.2 PLOT INTEGRITY . .28 SUBSECTION 3.2.3 NEW PLOT ESTABLISHMENT TOLERANCES. .29 pg.II SECTION 3.3 MONUMENTING AND REFERENCING PLOT CENTER . 29 SUBSECTION 3.3.1 THE REFERENCE POINT . .29 SUBSECTION 3.3.2 WITNESS TREES/OBJECTS . .30 SUBSECTION 3.3.3 EXCEPTIONS TO MONUMENTING PLOT CENTER. .30 SECTION 3.4 MONUMENTING AND REFERENCING SUBPLOTS 2 THROUGH 4 31 SUBSECTION 3.4.1 LOCATE AND MONUMENT SUBPLOT CENTER . .31 SUBSECTION 3.4.2 ESTABLISH SUBPLOTS WHEN PLOT CENTER IS INACCESSIBLE . .31 SUBSECTION 3.4.3 LOCATE AND MONUMENT THE MICROPLOT . .32 SECTION 3.5 MONUMENTING AND REFERENCING ENTIRELY NONFOREST PLOTS . 32 SUBSECTION 3.5.1 NONFOREST PLOTS WITH MEASUREABLE NONFOREST. .32 SUBSECTION 3.5.2 NONFOREST PLOTS WITHOUT MEASURABLE NONFOREST . .32 CHAPTER 4 PLOT LEVEL DATA . 33 SECTION 4.1 LOST PLOT/REPLACEMENT PLOT. 33 SUBSECTION 4.1.1 LOST ANNUAL PLOT. .33 SUBSECTION 4.1.2 REPLACEMENT PLOT. .33 SECTION 4.2 PLOT LEVEL DATA DOWNLOADED TO THE PDR. 33 SUBSECTION 4.2.1 PLOT LEVEL DATA ITEMS . .34 ITEM 4.2.1.1 STATE OR COUNTRY (CORE 1.1) . 34 ITEM 4.2.1.2 ISLAND (PACI) . 34 ITEM 4.2.1.3 COUNTY (CORE 1.2) . 34 ITEM 4.2.1.4 PLOT NUMBER (CORE 1.3). 34 ITEM 4.2.1.5 CYCLE (PNW) . 35 ITEM 4.2.1.6 SUBCYCLE (PNW) . 35 ITEM 4.2.1.7 FIELD GUIDE VERSION (CORE 1.12). .35 ITEM 4.2.1.8 PDR STARTING DATA RECORDER VERSION NUMBER (PNW) . 35 ITEM 4.2.1.9 PDR ENDING DATA RECORDER VERSION NUMBER (PNW) . 35 ITEM 4.2.1.10 DECLINATION (CORE OPTIONAL 1.14) . 36 ITEM 4.2.1.11 CHANGE MATRIX REQUIRED (PNW). 36 ITEM 4.2.1.12 P2 VEGETATION SAMPLING STATUS (CORE OPTIONAL 8.3.1) . 36 ITEM 4.2.1.13 LEVEL OF DETAIL (CORE OPTIONAL 8.3.2) . 37 ITEM 4.2.1.14 INVASIVE PLANT SAMPLING STATUS (CORE OPTIONAL 9.3) . 37 ITEM 4.2.1.15 INVASIVE PLANT SPECIMEN COLLECTION RULE (CORE OPTIONAL 9.12) . 37 ITEM 4.2.1.16 DWM SAMPLING STATUS (BASE) . .38 ITEM 4.2.1.17 SURVEY GRADE GPS SUBPLOT ROVER FILES COLLECTED (PNW) . 38 ITEM 4.2.1.18 YEAR OF PREVIOUS INVENTORY (PNW) . 38 ITEM 4.2.1.19 MONTH OF PREVIOUS INVENTORY (PNW) . 38 SECTION 4.3 PLOT LEVEL DATA COLLECTED IN THE FIELD . 39 SUBSECTION 4.3.1 CREW VISIT INFORMATION . .39 ITEM 4.3.1.1 SAMPLE METHOD CODE (PNW) . .39 ITEM 4.3.1.2 QA STATUS (CORE 1.17) . 39 ITEM 4.3.1.3 CREW NUMBER (CORE 1.18) . 39 SUBSECTION 4.3.2 CURRENT DATE OF INVENTORY . .40 ITEM 4.3.2.1 YEAR (CORE 1.13.1) . 40 ITEM 4.3.2.2 MONTH (CORE 1.13.2). 40 ITEM 4.3.2.3 DAY (CORE 1.13.3) . 40 SUBSECTION 4.3.3 TIME SPENT ON PLOT . .40 ITEM 4.3.3.1 TRAVEL TIME TO PLOT (PNW). 40 ITEM 4.3.3.2 MEASUREMENT TIME ON PLOT (PNW) . 41 ITEM 4.3.3.3 TRAVEL TIME FROM PLOT (PNW) . .41 SUBSECTION 4.3.4 PLOT LEVEL FUNDAMENTALS . .41 ITEM 4.3.4.1 PLOT STATUS (CORE 1.4) . 41 Table of Contents pg.III ITEM 4.3.4.2 PLOT NONSAMPLED REASON (CORE 1.7) . 42 ITEM 4.3.4.3 NONFOREST SAMPLING.