History of forest survey sampling designs in the United States

Extensive forest 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 WWII. Throughout the development of inventory techniques and their application to assess the status of the nation's forests, most of the work has been done by the USDA Forest Service through regional centers. Various sampling designs have been tried: some have proved efficient for estimation of certain parameters but not others. Some designs, though efficient in many respects, have been abandoned due to the complexity of application. Others, while possibly not demonstrating high efficiency, have been adopted because of the simplicity of application. This is a history of these applications. We start with the early compilations of western data and line-plot cruises for statewide inventories. Much discussion is presented on the development of specialized designs for regional applications that mushroomed from the 1940's through the 1970's. We conclude with descriptions of the various designs now in common use or being tested today.