Volume

READ THE INSTRUCTION & COMPLETE THE TASK

The volume of a forest stand is an important parameter in forest inventory. Depending on the forest management objectives, the mean total volume and/or the mean commercial volume of a forest stand can be estimated.

Step by step to estimate the mean stand volume as follow:

Step 1. Determine the volume of every sample tree, using a simple volume formula: v= g * h * f
where v = the stem volume (m³/ha); g = basal area per hectare of the stem (m²/ha); h = stem height (m), and f = form factor.
Form factors vary between species, and also with other factors such as ages, competition, etc. but commonly in the order of magnitude of
0.45 – 0.55. For commercial volume estimation, a form factor of about 0.7 can be applied.

Step 2. Using Pivot Table to see the sum of volume per plot.
In the Pivot Table, select the plot number for the rows and the calculated volume for the values.

Step 3. Calculate the mean volume of the stand (m³/ha) by averaging the sum of volume of all plots.
Calculate the standard error (SE) and the SE% of the estimated mean volume.

YOUR TASK: Estimate the mean volume of the Biiso forest stand (Uganda) and calculate the precision of the estimate, using the given inventory data below.