National Forest Inventory Photo Plot Summary on Ownership

Canada’s NFI survey was designed to provide an unbiased probability sample of Canada’s forests for long-term strategic monitoring purposes. The target population is Canada’s entire non-Arctic land area. A National Terrestrial Monitoring Framework (NTMF) was created by establishing a systematic 4 km by 4 km sampling grid over all of Canada from a random offshore point. Prior to T0, NFI partners determined that the NFI program would be able to affordably achieve its mission by establishing a 2 km by 2 km (400 ha) “photo plot” at every fifth sampling point on the NTMF (i.e. every 20 km), thereby providing a one percent sample of the target population. This sampling intensity was considered sufficient for national reporting and possible to sustain over the long term with anticipated funding.

Photo plots were established across Canada during 2000-2006 (T0). There are 26,139 photo plot survey locations on the 20 km by 20 km grid, of which 18,570 lie inside the target population area. For each photo plot, information is collected on land cover, land use, ownership and protection status.

NFI photo plot survey data are stratified by “NFI Unit” for standard estimation and reporting purposes. NFI Units were created by the geographic intersection of Canada’s 10 provinces, 3 territories and 12 non-Arctic terrestrial ecozones. Estimates produced for NFI Units are rolled up to produce standard reports for ecozones, jurisdictions (provinces and territories) and Canada. Some NFI Units are too small to produce robust estimates for with the current sampling intensity, so NFI Unit estimates are not publicly reported. Prince Edward Island (PEI) Atlantic Maritime, for example, is PEI’s only NFI Unit and it is small (1% sampling intensity achieved with only 19 photo plots), so the NFI avoids publishing provincial reports. Information consumers are encouraged to use official statistics produced by provincial and territorial governments for the forests in their jurisdictions. Most provinces are large, however, and the current NFI sampling intensity is sufficient for producing robust NFI reports for those jurisdictions. Special estimation reports can be produced using different ecological or administrative strata, such as the Boreal Zone, or the Managed Forest.

NFI photo plots are surveyed on a ten-year cycle. During first re-measurement (T1; 2008-2017), survey intensity was reduced to one photo plot every 40 km across northern Canada (Figure 3) because of budget limitations. The T2 survey (2018-2027) is currently underway.

Date ( RI_366 ): 2006-01-01

Date ( RI_367 ): 2021-06-01

RI_410

Government of Canada; Natural Resources Canada;Canadian Forest Service - National Forest Inventory -

506 West Burnside Road , Victoria , British Columbia , V8Z 1M5 , Canada

Status: onGoing; enContinue RI_596

Maintenance and update frequency: asNeeded; auBesoin RI_540

Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus Thésaurus des sujets de base du gouvernement du Canada ( RI_528 )

Forests
Forestry

Use limitation: Open Government Licence - Canada (http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada)

Access constraints: license; licence RI_606

Use constraints: license; licence RI_606

Use limitation: Canada's National Forest Inventory uses these spatial datasets in conjunction with other data when producing annual reports on the State of Canada's Forests. Spatial data are reprojected from Universal Transverse Mercator North American Datum 1983 into Canada Albers Equal Area Conic (EPSG:102001) for data distribution. During transformation, some distortion may occur.

Use limitation: National Forest Inventory (NFI) Data Use Agreement

As a condition of downloading, accessing or using NFI ground or photo plot data, or other NFI products , I agree to the following terms:

Use of data – NFI plot data and other NFI products are provided strictly for the purpose(s) for which they were requested and permission to access and use granted. The NFI is a collaborative initiative of Canadian federal, provincial and territorial government agencies. NFI data are owned collectively by these agencies. Any and all derived products or publications shall make appropriate acknowledgment and reference to Canada’s National Forest Inventory as the source of NFI data (see below for appropriate citations for NFI documentation and data products).

Distribution of data – NFI plot data and products shall not to be distributed to any person(s), other than those working with the authorized user for the purpose for which access to the data was granted.

Interpretation of data – while every effort has been made to accurately collect, compile and produce NFI data and products, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data for general scientific purposes. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata files associated with these data. The plot data are from a low intensity statistical sample of Canada’s landmass. This sample may not be representative of smaller geographic areas, and should only be used for interpretations at the terrestrial ecozone or national levels, as describe on the NFI website. It is the professional responsibility of scientific investigators to understand and appropriately use the data inputs to their analyses.

NFI Plot data and other Products – these are subject to numerous updates and revisions without notice. Users should consult the NFI website or project office to obtain the most current and official version of any data or products, and record the version number of NFI data or products or the date that these were accessed. Any modification of NFI data or other products by authorized users or their collaborators involves risk of corruption, and is not sanctioned by the NFI project office.

Plot locations – NFI plot locations are strictly confidential to ensure the statistical validity of the NFI sampling design. Approximate plot location information may be provided to authorized users that require such information for analytical purposes. Special permission is required to gain access to precise plot locations. This information must be treated in strict confidence and not shared with any other parties for any purpose. No attempt should be made to visit individual plots.

No Warranty - NFI data are provided “as is”, and the NFI excludes all representations, warranties, obligations, and liabilities, whether express or implied, to the maximum extent permitted by law. The NFI is not liable for any errors or omissions in the data, and will not under any circumstances be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other loss, injury or damage caused by its use or otherwise arising in connection with the data, even if specifically advised of the possibility of such loss, injury or damage.

Citations for NFI products and services

Suggested citations for NFI documentation: these citations will be included in respective documents and should be used to acknowledge use of NFI standards and services.

GP compilation procedures

National Forest Inventory. 2021. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for ground plots compilation procedures, version 2.4. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

GP data dictionaries

National Forest Inventory. 2009. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for ground plots data dictionary, version 5.0. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

National Forest Inventory. 2017. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for ground plots data dictionary, version 5.1.7. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

National Forest Inventory. 2021. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for ground plots data dictionary, version 5.2. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

GP field procedures

National Forest Inventory. 2008. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – ground-sampling guidelines, version 5.0. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

PP data dictionaries

National Forest Inventory. 2008. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for photo plot data dictionary: baseline period (2000-2006), version 4.2.4. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

National Forest Inventory. 2017. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for ground plot data dictionary: first remeasurement period (2007-2017), version 5.2. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

National Forest Inventory. 2017. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – national standards for ground plot data dictionary: second remeasurement period (2018-2027), version 6.0. Available from http://nfi.nfis.org (accessed dd.mm.yy).

Suggested citations for NFI data: these citations will be included in data use agreements and should be used to acknowledge use of NFI datasets

GP data collected prior to August 1, 2007 (nfi_gpprd_baseline_v0)

National Forest Inventory. 2020. Canada’s National Forest Inventory –ground-plot data: data collected prior to August 1, 2007, version 1.0.

GP data collected prior to August 1, 2007 (nfi_gpprd_baseline)

National Forest Inventory. 2020. Canada’s National Forest Inventory –ground-plot data: data collected prior to August 1, 2007, version 2.0.

GP data collected after August 1, 2007 (nfi_gpprd)

National Forest Inventory. 2020. Canada’s National Forest Inventory –ground-plot data: data collected after August 1, 2007, version 1.0.

PP baseline data

National Forest Inventory. 2013. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – baseline (2000-2006) photo-plot data, version 3.0 (revised 2006 baseline).

PP first remeasurement data

National Forest Inventory. 2020. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – first remeasurement (2007-2017) photo-plot data, version 1.0.

PP second remeasurement data

National Forest Inventory. 2020. Canada’s National Forest Inventory – second remeasurement (2017-2027) photo-plot data, version 1.0.