A history of U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service forest survey, 1830-2004

This article provides a summary of a new report on the history of the Forest Survey (Forest Inventory) in the United States as it evolved within the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service over a period of more than 100 years. It draws on the writings of several authors who have published on various aspects of the Forest Survey program. It reviews nine ground-plot designs used in the Forest Survey and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) programs since 1931. The report also highlights the major events contributing to the current FIA, beginning as far back as 1830.