FIELD INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INVENTORY OF PACIFIC ISLANDS 2008 (MARSHALL ISLANDS) Forest Inventory and Analysis Program Pacific Northwest Research Station USDA Forest Service . FIELD INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INVENTORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS 2008 (MARSHALL ISLANDS) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 11 A. Purposes of this manual ......................................................................................................................... 11 B. Organization of this manual.................................................................................................................... 11 UNITS OF MEASURE................................................................................................................. 12 1.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION........................................................................................... 13 1.2 PLOT SETUP ............................................................................................................... 14 1.3 PLOT INTEGRITY ........................................................................................................ 15 Research topics............................................................................................................. 15 2. TRAVEL PLANNING AND LOCATING THE PLOT ................................................. 19 A. Landowner contact ................................................................................................................................. 19 Permission................................................................................................................................... 19 Recording conversations with landowners.................................................................................. 19 Data requests .............................................................................................................................. 19 B. Before leaving base camp ...................................................................................................................... 19 C. Checklist of items needed on plot .......................................................................................................... 20 Data recording items ................................................................................................................... 20 Photo interpretation items ........................................................................................................... 20 Plot measuring items................................................................................................................... 20 Plot referencing items.................................................................................................................. 20 First aid items .............................................................................................................................. 20 Personal and safety gear ............................................................................................................ 20 Camping gear .............................................................................................................................. 21 D. Safety.....................................................................................................................................................21 Safety in the woods ..................................................................................................................... 21 What to do if injured..................................................................................................................... 24 E. Plot location aids..................................................................................................................................... 24 Plots not previously visited .......................................................................................................... 24 F. Locating the plot on the ground .............................................................................................................. 24 Locating new plots....................................................................................................................... 24 G. Plots with active logging......................................................................................................................... 25 H. Denied access plots ............................................................................................................................... 25 I. Plot location Tolerance............................................................................................................................. 25 3. PLOT LAYOUT AND REFERENCING ..................................................................... 29 A. Plot layout at the current annual inventory ............................................................................................. 29 Standard 4-subplot plot diagram ................................................................................................. 29 B. Census water, Denied access, Hazardous, and Not in the sample areas ............................................. 30 C. Recognition of condition classes ............................................................................................................ 30 D. Subplot numbering ................................................................................................................................. 30 Install N# subplots ....................................................................................................................... 30 E. Referencing the plot................................................................................................................................ 30 1. Referencing plots not visited previously.................................................................................. 30 2. An exception............................................................................................................................ 31 3. The reference point (RP)......................................................................................................... 31 4. Referencing the plastic stake .................................................................................................. 32 F. Referencing the other subplots on the standard layout .......................................................................... 33 1. Mark subplot center................................................................................................................. 33 2. Select reference trees. ............................................................................................................ 33 3. Tag the reference trees. .......................................................................................................... 33 4. Record data about the reference trees.................................................................................... 33 5 G. Recording reference tree data (all subplots on the standard layout) ..................................................... 33 1. If a tally tree ............................................................................................................................. 33 2. If not a tally tree....................................................................................................................... 33 H. Plot layout and referencing MQO ........................................................................................................... 34 4. PLOT LEVEL DATA ........................................................................................ 37 4.1 COUNTRY, and STATE OR ISLAND.......................................................................................... 37 4.2 COUNTY ..................................................................................................................................... 37 4.3 PLOT NUMBER........................................................................................................................... 37 4.4 SAMPLE KIND ............................................................................................................................ 37 4.5 FIELD GUIDE VERSION............................................................................................................. 38 4.6 CURRENT DATE ........................................................................................................................ 38 4.6.1 YEAR ............................................................................................................................ 38 4.6.2 MONTH......................................................................................................................... 38 4.6.3 DAY............................................................................................................................... 39 4.7 DECLINATION ............................................................................................................................ 39 4.8 PLOT STATUS (FORESTED)..................................................................................................... 39 4.9 TRAILS OR ROADS.................................................................................................................... 39 4.10 HORIZONTAL DISTANCE TO IMPROVED ROAD .................................................................... 40 4.11 ROAD ACCESS .........................................................................................................................