Modified adaptive cluster sampling with conditional extension of field plots - development of response and estimation design

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christoph Kleinn
• Subject Area: Forestry
• Term: from 2005 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 16543999

Together with the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAP), a modified adaptive duster sampling (MACS) design will be developed with the overall objective to propose a cost-efficient response design for resources inventory situations in which the population is rare and clustered. It is a further development of standard adaptive duster sampling. Target objects are trees outside the forest (TOP) and rare plant species, sharing the characteristic of being relatively rare and predominantly clustered.Study area will be the dry forest formations in Western China, a priority region for the Chinese Ministry of the Environment where serious environmental problems (mainly human activity induced desertification processes) need to be addressed by forest management planning. Trees outside the forest (TOP) are important in controlling this process and should be integrated into the assessments.The technique being developed is of general relevance for information procurement in forestry and conservation planning. For the study area in Western China, it is an urgently required component for forest management planning.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants