FIELD INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ANNUAL INVENTORY OF COASTAL ALASKA 2013 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 6.0 Cover image by Gretchen Bracher pg.I Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION . 1 SECTION 1.1 ORGANIZATION OF THIS MANUAL. 1 SECTION 1.2 THE INVENTORY. 2 SECTION 1.3 PRODUCTS . 2 SECTION 1.4 UNITS OF MEASURE . 2 SECTION 1.5 PLOT DESIGN GENERAL DESCRIPTION . 2 SUBSECTION 1.5.1 PLOT LAYOUT . .3 SUBSECTION 1.5.2 DATA ARE COLLECTED ON PLOTS AT THE FOLLOWING LEVELS:. .3 SECTION 1.6 QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL . 4 SUBSECTION 1.6.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION . .4 CHAPTER 2 LOCATING THE PLOT . 5 SECTION 2.1 LOCATING AN ESTABLISHED PLOT . 5 SUBSECTION 2.1.1 NAVIGATING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY. .5 SUBSECTION 2.1.2 NAVIGATING WITH GPS . .6 SUBSECTION 2.1.3 NAVIGATING WITH REFERENCE POINT (RP) DATA . .6 SUBSECTION 2.1.4 REVERSE REFERENCE POINT (RP) METHOD . .7 SECTION 2.2 ESTABLISHED PLOT ISSUES . 7 SUBSECTION 2.2.1 DIFFICULTY FINDING ESTABLISHED PLOTS. .7 SUBSECTION 2.2.2 INCORRECTLY INSTALLED PLOT . .8 SUBSECTION 2.2.3 INCORRECTLY INSTALLED SUBPLOT . .8 SUBSECTION 2.2.4 PC OR SUBPLOT PIN MISSING OR MOVED . .8 SUBSECTION 2.2.5 LOST SUBPLOT . .8 SUBSECTION 2.2.6 LOST PLOT (REPLACEMENT PLOT) . .9 SECTION 2.3 LOCATING NEW PLOTS. 9 SUBSECTION 2.3.1 LOCATING PLOTS USING PHOTOS . .9 SUBSECTION 2.3.2 LOCATING A NEW PLOT WITH REFERENCE POINT (RP). .10 SUBSECTION 2.3.3 INSTALLING A PLOT WITH TARGET (TGT) COORDINATES . .10 SECTION 2.4 CIRCUMSTANCES PRECLUDING PLOT ESTABLISHMENT/ MEASUREMENT. .11 SECTION 2.5 SKIPPED AND CARRYOVER PLOTS. .11 CHAPTER 3 PLOT LAYOUT AND REFERENCING . 13 SECTION 3.1 PLOT DESIGN . 13 SUBSECTION 3.1.1 PLOT LAYOUT . .13 of Contents Table SUBSECTION 3.1.2 PLOT DIMENSIONS . .13 SECTION 3.2 PLOT ESTABLISHMENT. 14 SUBSECTION 3.2.1 PLOT ESTABLISHMENT GUIDELINES. .14 SUBSECTION 3.2.2 PLOT INTEGRITY . .14 SUBSECTION 3.2.3 NEW PLOT ESTABLISHMENT TOLERANCES. .15 SECTION 3.3 MONUMENTING AND REFERENCING PLOT CENTER . 15 pg.II SUBSECTION 3.3.1 THE REFERENCE POINT . .15 SUBSECTION 3.3.2 WITNESS TREES/OBJECTS . .15 SUBSECTION 3.3.3 EXCEPTIONS TO MONUMENTING PLOT CENTER. .16 SECTION 3.4 MONUMENTING AND REFERENCING SUBPLOTS 2 - 4 . 17 SUBSECTION 3.4.1 LOCATE AND MONUMENT SUBPLOT CENTER . .17 SUBSECTION 3.4.2 ESTABLISHING SUBPLOTS WHEN PLOT CENTER IS INACCESSIBLE. 17 SUBSECTION 3.4.3 LOCATE AND MONUMENT THE MICROPLOT . .18 SECTION 3.5 MONUMENTING AND REFERENCING ENTIRELY NONFOREST PLOTS . 18 SUBSECTION 3.5.1 NONFOREST PLOTS ON TONGASS AND CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST LAND . .18 SUBSECTION 3.5.2 NONFOREST PLOTS LOCATED ON ALL OTHER OWNERSHIPS . .19 CHAPTER 4 PLOT LEVEL DATA . 21 SECTION 4.1 LOST PLOT/REPLACEMENT PLOT. 21 SUBSECTION 4.1.1 LOST PLOT. .21 SUBSECTION 4.1.2 REPLACEMENT PLOT. .21 SECTION 4.2 PLOT LEVEL DATA DOWNLOADED TO THE PDR. 21 SUBSECTION 4.2.1 PLOT LEVEL DATA ITEMS . .22 ITEM 4.2.1.1 STATE (CORE 1.1) . 22 ITEM 4.2.1.2 COUNTY (CORE 1.2) . 22 ITEM 4.2.1.3 PLOT NUMBER (CORE 1.3). 22 ITEM 4.2.1.4 CYCLE (PNW). 22 ITEM 4.2.1.5 SUBCYCLE (PNW) . 23 ITEM 4.2.1.6 PERIODIC PLOT NUMBER (PNW) . .23 ITEM 4.2.1.7 FIELD GUIDE VERSION (CORE 1.12). .23 ITEM 4.2.1.8 PDR STARTING DATA RECORDER VERSION NUMBER (PNW) . 23 ITEM 4.2.1.9 PDR ENDING DATA RECORDER VERSION NUMBER (PNW) . 24 ITEM 4.2.1.10 DECLINATION (CORE OPTIONAL 1.14) . 24 ITEM 4.2.1.11 P2 VEGETATION SAMPLING STATUS (CORE OPTIONAL 8.3.1) . 24 ITEM 4.2.1.12 LEVEL OF DETAIL (CORE OPTIONAL 8.3.2) . 25 ITEM 4.2.1.13 INVASIVE PLANT SAMPLING STATUS (CORE OPTIONAL 9.3) . 25 ITEM 4.2.1.14 INVASIVE PLANT SPECIMEN COLLECTION RULE (CORE OPTIONAL 9.12) . 25 ITEM 4.2.1.15 DWM SAMPLING STATUS (BASE) . .26 ITEM 4.2.1.16 SURVEY GRADE GPS COORDINTATES COLLECTED (AFSL). 26 ITEM 4.2.1.17 YEAR OF PREVIOUS INVENTORY (PNW) . 26 ITEM 4.2.1.18 MONTH OF PREVIOUS INVENTORY (PNW) . 26 ITEM 4.2.1.19 FIRE PLOT (PNW) . 27 SECTION 4.3 PLOT LEVEL DATA COLLECTED IN THE FIELD . 27 SUBSECTION 4.3.1 CREW VISIT INFORMATION . .27 ITEM 4.3.1.1 SAMPLE METHOD CODE (PNW) . .27 ITEM 4.3.1.2 QA STATUS (CORE 1.17) . 27 ITEM 4.3.1.3 CREW TYPE (PNW) . 28 ITEM 4.3.1.4 CREW NUMBER (CORE 1.18) . 28 ITEM 4.3.1.5 TRANSPORTATION TO PLOT (AFSL). 28 SUBSECTION 4.3.2 CURRENT DATE OF INVENTORY . .28 ITEM 4.3.2.1 YEAR (CORE 1.13.1) . 28 ITEM 4.3.2.2 MONTH (CORE 1.13.2) . 29 ITEM 4.3.2.3 DAY (CORE 1.13.3) . 29 SUBSECTION 4.3.3 TIME SPENT ON PLOT . .29 ITEM 4.3.3.1 TRAVEL TIME TO PLOT (PNW). 29 ITEM 4.3.3.2 MEASUREMENT TIME ON PLOT (PNW) . 29 Table of Contents pg.III ITEM 4.3.3.3 TRAVEL TIME FROM PLOT (PNW) . ..