A three-phase sampling procedure for continuous forest inventory with partial re-measurement and updating of terrestrial sample plots

Abstract

For a current inventory using double sampling for stratification with a reduced second-phase sample size, compared with a previous inventory, we develop a three-phase sampling procedure that exploits plot data from the previous inventory or their updates based on a growth model to increase precision. The three-phase procedure combines double sampling for stratification with a two-phase regression estimator within strata. We consider sampling from an infinite population in the first phase. The combined estimator is tested in a case study using data from two consecutive inventories in four State Forest Districts in Lower Saxony, Germany. Data from a reduced number of sample plots from the second occasion are combined with (1) volumes from the first occasion or (2) growth simulations on the sample plots from the first occasion. The data from the previous inventory or their updates serve as the auxiliary variable for the regression estimator of the strata means of the target variable. This case study indicates a remarkable increase in precision and thereby an enormous cost-saving potential for reduced intermediate inventories in a periodic inventory design with both types of auxiliary variables.