Classifying Mature Federal Forests in the United States: The Forest Inventory Growth Stage System

• DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4484906
• Publication Date: 2023-06-19T23:20:25Z
• Authors: Christopher Woodall; Aaron G. Kamoske; Greg Hayward; Thomas M. Schuler; Christopher M. H...; Marin Palmer; Andrew N. Gray
• Keywords: Forest Inventory

President Biden’s executive order, ‘Strengthening the Nation's Forests, Communities, and Local Economies,’ (EO#14072, April 22, 2022) acknowledges interest in mature old-growth (MOG) forests by directing U.S. Federal agencies to define inventory these resources on United States Forest Service (USFS) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. We propose using an effective enduring forest classification system that could be adaptable social paradigms, monitoring data streams, scientific information, global change factors. accommodate design aspects defining as a growth stage prior onset attributes within proposed Inventory Growth Stage System (FIGSS). FIGSS uses long-established USFS assessments often conducted concert with public dialogues identify key structural indicators older forests. The informs inverse modeling “mature” stage’s thresholds enabling initial population estimates extent USFS’ nationally consistent Analysis (FIA) program data. With this approach, we estimate approximately 44.8 percent all USFS/BLM is mature. based variety components used account for cultural values ascribed conditions which refined across future versions such assumptions about relative length stages, incorporating from emerging technologies along old-growth/mature field sampling campaigns, accommodating spectrums site-limited and/or disturbance-driven stand development, variable selection processes machine-learning, consideration traditional ecological knowledge.