FFI Sampling Methods

1
FFI Sampling Methods
2
FFI Sampling Protocols
What is the source of the FFI sampling protocol
data entry forms?

• Existing FEAT / FIREMON sampling protocols that
  where combined when possible

• Original FEAT / FIREMON protocols used when
• not in both systems
• not possible to combine two protocols

• New sampling protocols

• Separate protocols for English and Metric units

3
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Protocols vs. Methods
• Protocols consist of one or more sampling
  Methods
• Methods are ways for recording / viewing data
• Example Surface Fuels protocol consists of 3
  methods
• Fine fuel transects data recorded by transect
• Coarse woody log counts data recorded by log
• Duff and litter depth measurements data
  recorded by sampling point
• Most FFI protocols contain one method
• Exceptions Trees, Surface Fuels, CBI

4
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Macroplot (FEAT/FIREMON Plot Description)
• Elevation
• Aspect
• Slope
• Location information
• Stratification fields
• for data analysis

5
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Plot Description (FIREMON)
• Site description
• Data Collected
• Landform, Slope shape
• Geology and Soils
• Vegetation cover (life form)
• Vegetation composition
• Ground cover
• Fire Behavior
• Fuels
• Plot photos

6
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Trees (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate density, basal area
• Individual tree mortality /
• survivorship
• Seedling, sapling density
• Data Collected
• Species , status, DBH, height, percent live
  crown, crown
  position, age, growth rate Scorch height, char
  height, damage codes,.
• Sapling / Seedling counts

7
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Surface Fuels (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate surface fuel biomass
• Data Collected
• Browns planar
• intercept for fine
• and coarse woody
• debris
• Profile for estimating
• duff and litter depth

8
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Surface Fuels Vegetation (FIREMON)
• Estimate vegetation biomass
• Data Collected
• Live and dead herb and
• shrub cover, and height
• Cover and height for
• other items

9
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Surface Fuels Alaska Duff / Litter (New)
• Estimate duff, litter, lichen, moss biomass
• Data Collected
• Profile for estimating duff, litter, lichen,
  moss depth
• Live and dead moss
• Upper and lower duff
• Lichen
• Fuelbed to determine custom
• FBFM

10
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Surface Fuels Piles (New)
• Estimate slash pile biomass
• Data Collected
• Pile count
• Pile shape
• Dimensions
• (length, width, height)
• Packing ratio
• Specific gravity
• Soil Content

11
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Biomass - Fuels (New)
• Estimate fuel biomass using a photo series or
  other method
• Data Collected
• Biomass, Source
• Duff, litter, lichen, moss, grass, forb, shrub,
  sine woody, coarse woody, branch, foliage, tree,
  piles, canopy fuel
• Stand height
• Canopy base height
• Canopy fuel bulk density

12
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS)
  (New)
• Key a FCCS fuelbed
• Data Collected
• Ecoregion
• Vegetation form
• Structural stage
• Cover type
• Change agent
• Fire regime
• FRCC

13
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Cover - Species Composition (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate cover
• Typically used for
• Inventory many plots on landscape
• Vegetation classification of remote sensing
• data
• Data Collected
• Species
• Status
• Size/Age class
• Cover
• Height

14
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Cover / Frequency (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate cover
• Estimate frequency
• /- in frame
• nested rooted frequency
• Typically used for smaller forbs and herbs
• Data Collected
• Species
• Status
• Cover
• Frequency or NRF
• Height

15
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Cover - Line Intercept (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate cover
• Typically used for larger shrubs, small trees
• (e.g. sagebrush, juniper)
• Data Collected
• Species
• Status
• Size/Age class
• Start / Stop Points
• Height

16
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Cover Points by Transect (FIREMON)
• Estimate species cover
• Estimate ground cover
• Typically used for herbaceous
• plants, small shrubs, ground cover
• Data Collected
• Item (species, ground cover)
• Status
• Hits
• Height

17
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Cover Points (FEAT)
• Estimate species cover
• Estimate ground cover
• Typically used for herbaceous plants,
• small shrubs, ground cover
• Data Collected
• Point
• Distance along transect
• Vertical order of item
• Height
• Item
• Status

18
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Density (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate density (count / unit area)
• Quadrats used for herbaceous plants,
• small shrubs
• Belt transects used for large shrubs,
• trees
• Data Collected
• Species
• Size/Age Class
• Height
• Count

19
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Pilot Sampling (FEAT)
• Estimate density
• Use nested frames in pilot
• sampling
• Determine one frame size for
• data collection
• Use data from pilot study
• in final data collection
• Data Collected
• Species
• Density

20
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Biomass - Plants (FEAT)
• Estimate vegetation biomass
• Typically used for herbaceous
• species
• Data Collected
• Species
• Status
• Wet weight
• Tare weight
• Dry weight

21
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Rare Species (FIREMON)
• Estimate survivorship, growth, and reproduction
  for
• individual plants
• Primarily used for uncommon perennial plants
• Data Collected
• Species
• Location (x,y coordinates)
• Status
• Stage (seedling, adult)
• Size
• Height
• Num. flowers, fruits

22
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Post-burn severity (FEAT / FIREMON Plot
  Description)
• Estimate burn severity rating (1high to 5low)
• at points along a tape
• Data Collected
• Substrate severity rating
• Vegetation severity rating
• Distance along transect
• for point

23
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Composite Burn Index (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Estimate burn severity rating (0none to 3high)
  for ecological components in several strata
• Strata Scores
• Understory CBI
• Substrates
• Herbs / Low Shrubs
• Tall Shrubs
• Overstory CBI
• Intermediate Trees
• Big Trees
• Total Plot CBI

24
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Normalized Burn Ratio
• Landsat TM/ETM based assessment of fire
  severity.
• NBR (R4-R7) / (R4R7)
• dNBR temporally differenced pre- and
• post-fire data sets
• CBI used to calibrate/validate
• remote sensing results, relate
• radiometric change to actual
• fire effects on the ground

25
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Fire Behavior / Weather (FIREMON)
• Primarily used for prescribed burn
• Multiple observations per day
• Fire Behavior data recorded for a plot, linked
  to other plots by project unit
• Data Collected
• Burning conditions
• temp., rh., windspeed,.
• Fuel moistures
• 1hr, 10hr, 100hr, 100hr, duff, litter,..
• Fire behavior
• spread rate, flame length and depth,.

26
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Disturbance History (FEAT)
• Determine past disturbances
• Data Collected
• Change agent
• Severity
• Start date
• End date
• Date precision
• Change description

27
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Metadata (FEAT / FIREMON)
• Recorded for an FFI project large text fields
  to store
• metadata
• Metadata records have a date, code, name, and
• metadata fields
• Metadata Categories (FEAT / FMH4)
• Objectives variable, Physical description,
  Biological description, Reject Criteria, Field
  Instructions, Burn prescription, Management
  objectives, Monitoring objectives, Comments
• FIREMON conversion
• Name (as subject)
• Comment (as metadata)

28
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Photo Points (FEAT / FIREMON)
• FEAT form to manage photos, with hyperlinks
  to photos
• FIREMON photo filenames
• and hyperlinks on PD form
• FFI
• Photo path and filename (hyperlinked)
• Direction of photo
• Plot Description method
• Photos can be stored in any directory

29
FFI Sampling Protocols

• Plant Species Codes
• FEAT NP Species TSN (linked to NRCS PLANTS
  code)
• FIREMON NRCS PLANTS
• FFI NRCS PLANTS
• Master species list / Auxiliary species list
• Symbol
• Scientific Name
• Common Name
• ITIS TSN currently accepted names only
• Family, Genus

30
FFI Sampling Protocols

• PDA Data Entry using multiple PDAs
• Single entry method one record per sample
  event
• Multiple entry method multiple records per
  sample
• event
• Most FFI methods are multiple entry
• Exceptions Plot Description, CBI, Biomass
  Fuels, FCCS
• Data for multiple entry methods may be collected
  on
• multiple PDAs per plot visit.

31
If you have questions when you are working with
FFI
User guides are available in Web, HTML and PDF
versions on the FRAMES Website
Post a message to our FFI Google Discussion group.
Send Duncan an email or give him a call
32
On-line Support
FFI on FRAMES General information, training
announcements, software, manuals,
etc. http//frames.nbii.gov/ffi
Google Discussion Group http//groups.google.com/g
roup/ffiemu
For general technical support contact Duncan
Lutes [phone] dlutes_at_fs.fed.us