USDA Forest Service
  

Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program


 

Forest Inventory & Analysis
National Office
U.S. Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-0003

(703) 605-4177

United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

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FIA Library


Database Documentation

FIA's database documentation is intended to provide assistance to individuals who access FIA's databases. FIA has two primary databases: (1) the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB), and (2) the Urban FIADB. For each database, there are different types of user guides, each with a specific purpose. FIA's database documentation is divided into the following categories:

  • FIADB Database Documentation
    Database documentation for the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB). The data contained within the FIADB are for the FIA rural inventory.

  • Urban FIADB Database Documentation
    Database documentation for the Urban Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (Urban FIADB). The data contained within the Urban FIADB are for the FIA urban inventory.

  • FIA Supplemental Documentation
    General information pertaining to FIA databases not found in other FIA database user guides.

  • Phase 3 Documentation
    Documentation for Phase 3 (P3) forest health indicators. P3 data are stored in the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB).




FIADB Database Documentation

FIADB User Guides

The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database


The FIADB User Guides series includes multiple documents. Links to the most recent user guide versions are listed below. These documents provide detailed information for the Forest Inventory and Analysis database (FIADB).

  • Database Description User Guide for Phase 2 (version 9.0.1) (PDF 7.3 MB)
    This guide describes the database tables and attributes (columns) contained within the FIADB for P2 data. Please see the section titled "User Guide Updates" for information regarding changes to the documentation since the previous database version.

  • Population Estimation User Guide (Edition: November, 2018) (PDF 873 KB)
    This guide presents procedures to obtain population estimates (and associated sampling errors) for standard FIA attributes stored in the FIADB. Please see the section titled "Estimation Guide Updates" for information regarding changes to the documentation since the previous database version.



Previous Versions: FIADB User Guides

        

   

Note: Version numbers coincide with the release of changes to the FIADB database. Some version numbers are skipped, with the latest version encompassing all the changes since the last version.



Urban FIADB Database Documentation

Urban FIADB User Guides

The Urban Forest Inventory and Analysis Database


The Urban FIADB User Guides series includes multiple documents. Links to the most recent user guide versions are listed below. These documents provide detailed information for the Urban Forest Inventory and Analysis database (Urban FIADB).

  • Urban FIADB User Guides: Database Description (version 6.0) (PDF 39.8 MB)
    This guide describes the database tables and attributes (columns) contained within the Urban FIADB. Please see the section titled "User Guide Updates" for information regarding changes to the documentation since the previous database version.

  • In progress! Urban FIADB User Guides: Population Estimation
    This guide presents procedures that can be used to obtain population estimates (and associated sampling errors) for data stored in the Urban FIADB.



Previous Versions: Urban FIADB User Guides

        

   

Note: Version numbers do not coincide with the release of changes to the Urban FIADB database.



FIA Supplemental Documentation

FIA Supplemental Guides

The FIA Supplemental Guides series includes information pertaining to FIA databases not found in other FIA database user guides.



Previous Versions: FIA Supplemental Guides

        



Phase 3 Documentation

Phase 3 User Guide (Forest Health Indicators)

The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database


The Phase 3 User Guide provides detailed information for Phase 3 (P3) forest health indicator data stored in the FIADB. The P3 inventory started in 1999 and was discontinued in 2012. P3 sampling varied by State; therefore, P3 data collection may not have occurred in every State for every inventory year. In P3, field crews visited a subset of P2 plots to obtain measurements for an additional suite of attributes associated with forest and ecosystem health. A modified version of some of the P3 indicator samples (e.g., down woody material, vegetation structure and diversity) are now collected under the P2 inventory. Refer to the FIADB User Guides database documentation.



Previous Versions: P3 User Guides

        

Note: Version numbers coincide with the release of changes to the FIADB database. Most of these changes are minor, and occur within a short time period. Therefore, some version numbers are skipped, with the latest version encompassing all the changes since the last version.






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USDA Forest Service
Last Modified: May 10, 2023


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