Many forested countries in the world have undertaken the development of National Forest Inventories (NFI). In recent times, NFI’s have faced increasingly diverse information needs regarding land use and forest resources.
Historically it has been all been about timber volumes. Now carbon stocks, environmental considerations as well as socio-economic use of forests are being added as objectives.
During the second half of 2018 the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) engaged Margules Groome Consulting to provide services in support of technical planning and logistical preparation for the execution of an NFI. The last NFI completed in Guyana was in the 1950’s.
GFC hope that this NFI would revolutionize the way that the forest sector is managed in Guyana through evidence-based, multiple-use planning that supports economic, social and environmental development.
The project started with GFC and Margules Groome engaging with stakeholders including governmental agencies, forest producers as well as indigenous and other civil society groups.
It was imperative for Margules Groome that the chosen design be statistically sound, internationally acceptable and regionally appropriate. Margules Groome therefore recommended a double sampling system involving remote sensing and ground-based permanent sample plots established on a systematic grid, operated as a continuous forest inventory, at least over 20 years.
Implemented correctly, any data captured as part of an NFI will be viewed as a data set of national importance. It will potentially be used many times by the forest industry, research organisations and different government agencies for national and international reporting.
In Margules Groome’s opinion an NFI dataset should be looked at as a key marketing tool for telling a forestry story of sustainable economic, environmental and social management. The NFI will allow Guyana to stand proudly among those countries who have undertaken and continue to maintain a statistically viable NFI.
Margules Groome was impressed with the overall competence and enthusiasm of GFC’s management team and field crews and commend GFC for its efforts in promoting evidence based sustainable forest management.
Please contact Margules Groome if you are interested in getting help to design and implement a forest inventory for your country or company.