This Field Manual was initially developed by the Department of Forest Research and Survey (DFRS) in order to carry out Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) project (2010-2015). A series of consultation with national and international experts was held to prepare this manual. The manual describes methods, procedures and steps for executing the FRA. It includes globally accepted equipment, instruments, methodologies, procedures and standards in forest inventory and offer detailed instructions to use them more efficiently and effectively. The purpose of this field manual is to improve the provision of adequate forestry data and its processing for national forest policy development and for national level forestry sector decision making in Nepal. National level information is especially required to assess regionally sustainable utilization potentials of forest-based resources. National-level information on forest resources and their development is also needed for committing the country to new international initiatives and processes in relation to climate change mitigation with a focus on deforestation and forest degradation. The need for the full coverage of forest attribute data with forest carbon estimates is well established. Due to the demanding natural conditions of Nepal, it is a justified requirement to efficiently utilise modern data collection, management and processing techniques together with remote sensing-based information to produce cost-efficient inventory procedures. The field sampling design to be used in the FRA bases on the two-phase cluster sampling method that is used to locate the basic sampling units, i.e. sample plots, in the field. The plot design used for tallying trees is Concentric Circular Sample Plot (CCSP). Together with the field sampling design a special care has been given for the determination of measurement setups appropriate for the long-term monitoring of forest resources and change detection in terms of forest characteristics including soil components. Therefore, the basic principle is that all the second phase sample plots, i.e. all the plots located in the field, are treated and established as permanent sample plots, which are needed for obtaining growth data for forest modelling and assessing removals and changes in land use.
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NepalEnglishcc3.0FieldworkSample Data CollectionSampling DesignScenario AScenario BScenario C
