Forest Survey Sampling Designs: A History

Abstract

Extensive inventories of forested lands in the United States were begun in the early part of the 20th century, but widespread, frequent use was not common until after World War II. Various sampling designs have been tried; some have proved efficient for estimating certain parameters but not others. Some designs, though efficient in many respects, have been abandoned because of their complexity Others, while possibly not demonstrating high efficiency, have been adopted because of their simplicity. This is a history of these applications.