Background National forest resource assessments and monitoring, commonly known as National Forest Inventories (NFI's), constitute an important national information infrastructure in many countries.
Methods This study presents details about developments of the NFI in China, including sampling and plot design, and the uses of alternative data sources, and specifically. • reviews the evolution of the national forest inventory in China through the 20th and 21st centuries, with some reference to Europe and the US;• highlights the emergence of some common international themes: consistency of measurement; more efficient sampling designs; implementation of improved technology; expansion of the variables monitored; scientific transparency;• presents an example of how China's expanding NFI exemplifies these global trends.
Results Main results and important changes in China's NFI are documented, both to support continued trend analysis and to provide data users with historical perspective.
Conclusions New technologies and data needs ensure that the Chinese NFI, like the national inventories in other countries, will continue to evolve. Within the context of historical change and current conditions, likely directions for this evolution are suggested.
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