18.09.2024 the SFI-Project organised another international information exchange, this time on the subject “Segmented plots – a methodological speciality for National Forest Inventory in Austria and Ukraine”. International experts from Austria and Ukraine as well as from Estonia, Italy and Poland and also representatives of EU-COM and FAO participated in the event, which was focussed on the question how to deal with data gathering at plots, that touch several forms of land use or forest stands. In Austria, as in Ukraine, such situations are treated as “segmented plots”, while in the NFI´s of various other countries such segmentation is neglected.
Vitaliy Storozhuk, National Project Coordinator of SFI-Project, gave a brief overview on NFI developments and results in Ukraine and focussed on the handling of segmented plots, which is Ukraine developed quite extensively. During NFI field works in 2021-2023 about ¼ of forest inventory plots were defined as segmented and respectively mapped and described. These specifics of segmentation in Ukraine derive from normative regulations where impetus was given to historical comparability of NFI data with data of previous State Forest Surveys.
Alexandra Freudenschuß, Head of the Department for Forest Inventory, and her colleague, Thomas Gschwantner, both from the Austrian Research Centre for Forest (BFW) informed in detail about the “National Forest Inventory in Austria with special regard to segmented plots”. The approach used by the Austrian NFI takes also the disparity of forestry attributes on sample plots, e.g. of adjacent stands, but also admin characteristics, such as ownership, into account and measures and analyses segments accordingly. The approach is somewhat simpler than in Ukraine, as the weight of segments are estimated on the base of 1/10 partitions. About 30 % of all sample plots are segmented, mainly into two partitions.
Volker Sasse, SFI-Project leader, summarized the discussion and concluded that there might be a need to adjust the normative requirements to segmentation during NFI in Ukraine. “The handling of segmented plots during NFI is time consuming and causes additional resources, thus requires attention by NFI experts and forest policy decision makers. In this context it seems advisable not to regulate NFI and namely the handling of segmentation but to keep space for decision making based on scientific advice”, said Sasse.
Presentation Methodological overview of NFI Ukraine with special regard to segmented plots
Presentation National Forest Inventory in Austria with special regard to segmented plots
