Estimation Methods in the Romanian National Forest Inventory

This book aims at presenting the estimation methods used in the first cycle of the National Forest Inventory in Romania.

Romania is the twelfth largest country in Europe, and its forest vegetation area is larger than that of Austria and Switzerland together.

Yet the last forest inventory in Romania was made in 1984 and based on forest management plans, not on specific sampling and measurements.

The expectations from the inventory were therefore very high and diverse.

Like any other modern inventory, RO-NFI was designed to be a multi-purpose inventory which would deliver quantitative data to the ministry and forest administrations, but also to provide the data required for the periodical reporting such as the greenhouse gas reporting.

While it started from scratch, the National Forest Inventory has integrated the most recent sampling methods used in countries with similar forest conditions, such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The book presents the sampling methods and conclude on the effects of the estimation method on the national-level growing stock, which brings relevant information for professionals from the field, but also for policy-desion makers interested in the use of national forest inventories for reporting on forest carbon emissions and storage.