Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program

FIA Library

Historical Documentation

• A History of the Forest Survey in the United States: 1830-2004.   Vernon J. LaBau, James T. Bones, Neal P. Kingsley, H. Gyde Lund, W. Brad Smith, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. June 2007.  (PDF 1.37MB)  A history of the Forest Survey (now known as Forest Inventory and Analysis) program in the United States as it evolved within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service over a period of more than 100 years.
  
  
• Quick Briefing on the Enhanced FIA Program.   U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. 1999.  (RTF 11KB)
  
  
• FIA Partners with the National Forest System.   This document provides a summary of various activities of FIA that are of critical importance to National Forest Systems. (PDF 4MB)
  
  
• Introduction to FIA for National Forest Systems. Staff    Andrew J. R. Gillespie and W. Brad Smith, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. 1999.  (RTF 25KB) An overview of the FIA program specifically geared towards National Forest managers.

• Forest Service Resource Inventories: An Overview. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory, Economics, and Recreation Research, Washington, DC. 1992. 
This report provides an overview of the major forest and related resource inventories conducted by the USDA Forest Service up through the early 1990's.  (PDF 2MB)


• Remote Sensing At the Dawn of a New Millennium:  A Washington, DC Perspective.  Guldin, Richard.  2000.  Keynote remarks presented at the Eighth Biennial Remote Sensing Applications Conference,  April 10-14, 2000,  Albuquerque, New Mexico.  (RTF 79KB)

• Forest Inventory and Analysis, a special issue of the Journal of Forestry (vol. 97, no. 12) An entire issue of the Journal of Forestry (Vol. 97, Issue 12, December 1999) devoted to the new annual forest inventory approach adopted by FIA.  Includes several papers describing various aspects of the proposed program circa 1999. (PDF 847KB)
  
  
• Rationale for a National Annual Forest Inventory Program.   Gillespie, Andrew J. R.   1999.  J. For. 97(12)  pp. 16-20.  Overview of the annual inventory system established by FIA. (PDF 1.2MB)
  
  
• Pros and Cons of Continuous Forest Inventory:  Customer Perspectives.   Gillespie, Andrew J. R.   1998.  Paper presented at the "Integrated Tools For Natural Resources Inventories In The 21st Century" Conference, August 16-19 1998, Boise, Idaho.  Description of advantages and disadvantages of a continuous forest inventory.   (PDF 109KB) 

Historical Documentation - A Peek Into Another Era

• Forest Research Notes: Forest Statistics for Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington, From Inventory Phase of Forest Survey.   Cowlin, R.W. and Moravets, F.L., Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, Portland OR. February 1938.  (PDF 5.7MB) A discussion of forest resources for Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington during that time period, as well as an overview of the Forest Survey methods and terms.


• Tough Trips on the Lake States Survey.   Gafvert, Harry G.   1938.  (PDF 3.4MB)  An interesting collection of stories that offer a vivid and often humorous description of the life of survey crews during the 1934-37Lake States Survey.