1. Group Leader Update Bob Ilgenfritz Data Collection
December 11, Regional Management Team Meeting
Manhattan, KS

2. Production Status Field Plots
Maintain base intensity and intensifications
Continue on time delivery of 7 year and 5 year annual sub cycles
Maintain 1/8 subsample of Forest Ecosystem Variables: P2+ and P2+ Soils
Support expansion toward all lands inventory
Urban first step
Urban full implementation 2021?
This slide represents the bulk of what our Group accomplishes

3. HOW WE GET THE WORK DONE NRS DATA COLLECTION MODELS
Federal employees in Data Collection staff
49 total – 2 current vacancies
Moving toward fewer federal data collectors with more specialized work – ICE, State Reporting, QA, certification, summer window protocols, and contractor inspection responsibilities.
State employee data collection thru RJVA– IN and ME
15 to 20 employees
State administered contractors thru RJVA– MN, WI, SD
20 to 25 contractors
Vacancies in Delaware OH and Ray Brook, NY
31 field/8 supervisors/7 prefield/2 Coordinators/1 Safety dispatcher
15-20 state employees
20 – 25 state administered contractors
20 federal contractors
100 or so total certified crew leaders

4. NRS DATA COLLECTION MODELS
Federal administered contracts – 20 contractors
Federal 5 Year Contracts – Old Model grandfathered
8 Expiring over the next three years
Federal BPA Contracts – New Model with 2019 calls
NYC/Bridgeport CT and statewide CT urban
Pittsburgh/Cleveland/DC/Statewide WV urban
Lincoln NE urban and Southern IA and NC IL P2
Eastern NY P2
ND statewide P2/urban
Southern OH P2
Black Hills National Forest accelerated base panels
We have 15 current Federal contracts
8 five year contracts that are being grandfathered when they run the 5 year
7 BPA calls for 2019
Eventually we’ll have 15 to 20 BPA calls once 5 year contracts expire and we fully implement urban by 2021

5. FY 2019 Certification Plans
Figure 30. Multiple forks originating from the same area. In cases such as this the diameter is taken low and all stems are treated as one tree.
Implement national Field Guide v8.0
Changed LAND COVER CLASS to LAND COVER
removed Land Use from Land Cover
Changes/clarifications to tree forking rules
Measure low approach
No impact on NRS:There were minor changes to Pacific Islands tree species lists – SRS Damage Codes
Changes can be reviewed in a one day session reviewing PowerPoints

6. FY 2019 Certification Plans
P2+ Field Certification
Planned P2+ field certification – first in 5 or 6 years
Status of soils measurements
All states have completed first 1/16 sample
Expanding sample to second 1/16 toward 1/8
After we have soils samples on 1/8 of all plots:
Start remeasurement of original 1/16 or increase sample to next 1/16 toward 3/16?
Summer yr. cycle states: Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey
Last P2+ certification was

7. Urban Implementation 2019
Impacts of Newtown Square office closure and unknown employee transfer of station costs:
No expansion of new target cities in FY 2019
Statewide urban in MI, IL, and MO in FY 2019

8. Urban Future FY 2020?: Boston & statewide MA Manchester & statewide NH
Sioux Falls & statewide SD
Toledo
Columbus

9. Urban Future FY 2021?: Omaha & statewide NE Cincinnati & statewide OH
Fort Wayne & Indianapolis & statewide IN
KS statewide
NY statewide
PA statewide

10. Digital Data Collection or “Paperless”
Data entry
Image/Maps/Plot sheet display

11. Digital Data Collection or “Paperless”
Limited IM support for developing the tool necessary until recently.
Development of tool is national in scope
Need 500 units nationally & approximately 100 at NRS
Two piece approach requires replacing current laptops with GTAC tablet
Chief Information Office (CIO) financial support
GTAC currently not on the USDA procurement list
Waiver to purchase has been submitted

12. ICE – Image Change Estimation
Started at NRS in 2015 in NH and VT
Completed by 12 field and 6 prefield employees
Equivalent of 1.75 FTE (Full Time Employee Equivalents)
All but three states SD, PA, ME, have completed the first cycle of interpretations
SD and PA are in process
ME waiting on 2018 imagery start January 2019
Target completion of baseline interpretations by April 1, 2019

13. ICE – Image Change Estimation
Time 2 Remeasurement - Quicker that Time 1
No image change is observed.
Time 1 Land Use/Land Cover assessments are assigned to time 2
Image change observed.
Assign new interpretation data on Land Use/Land Cover to time 2
Time 2 Remeasurement hasn’t started, but will in FY 2019

14. A Tree is a Tree
Regardless of where a tree is growing, it is still a tree - tally the tree and label the land use after the fact

15. Implementation: NRS = FG 8.1 2020……….Nationally still being discussed.
Combining Current FIA Species Lists Make All Species Valid in all States on all Plot Types
Implementation: NRS = FG ……….Nationally still being discussed.
Pacific
(App 14)
Urban
(App 3b) P2
Includes Caribbean
(App 3a)
FIA Species List
( New App 3)
Chester County PA Planning Commission

16. Nationalizing the National Field Guide
Forward Nationalization (think regional; act national… the goal is one robust system)
Develop, implement and use all national systems, processes, procedures, AND sunset all regional as national’s come on line. There can only be
One Manual, One Processing engine, One Database, One Estimate, Etc.
DAB QA team created to serve 2 functions
A standing team to address regional / national field procedures issues in a nationally consistent fashion.
Work towards “Nationalizing” FIA’s 4 Regional Field Guides 1
4 Regions Operating as One National Program

17. USDA Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center, http://fsweb