Introduction
There is increasing recognition in Canada, the United States, and Mexico that forest ecosystem inventory and monitoring is vital to the successful implementation of sustainable forest management. Reliable basic environmental information is needed for formulating effective land use and conservation policy; valuation of forest services and benefits; planning management activities; effectively implementing those activities; and following the results over time, to confirm the sustainability of present practices or to guide modification of activities toward a more sustainable state. This information directly supports reporting and assessing the status of criteria and indicators of sustainability and serves as a knowledge base for supporting research and development.
The three countries confirmed that the best approach to addressing common resource inventory, monitoring and assessment issues was to utilize a North American Forestry Commission (NAFC). NAFC supports research and natural resource management activities through Working Groups that explore issues of concern to the three countries. The first meeting of the North American Forestry Commission (NAFC) Inventory and Monitoring Working Group (IMWG) was held January 11-13, 2000, at the World Trade Center in Portland, Oregon, USA. The objective of this group is to explore opportunities to improve strategic inventory and monitoring at the North American scale by exchanging knowledge and by working collaboratively on issues of common interest.
The Working Group identifies and takes advantage of opportunities to increase scientific and technical collaboration; fosters compatible approaches to forest inventory, monitoring and assessment among the three countries; evaluates remote sensing and other technologies to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment; sponsors and facilitates exchanges to build capacity and increase our understanding of different approaches to forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment; and fosters communication with other NAFC working groups.
Objectives:
- Identify and take advantage of opportunities for increasing scientific and technical collaboration and consistency in national inventory, monitoring, and assessment among the three countries and globally.
- Foster compatible approaches to forest inventory, monitoring and assessment among the three countries.
- Evaluate the use of remote sensing and other technologies to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment.
- Sponsor and facilitate exchanges to build capacity and increase our understanding of different approaches to forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment.
- Advise member countries about the current status of respective forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment programs.
- Foster communication with other NAFC working groups.
For a complete look at the charter of the Forest Inventory and Monitoring Working Group, click here.
| Latest Activities |
| North American Forest Database brochures: English French Spanish Minutes: 2017 — Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 2015 — Jalisco Mexico (English, Spanish) 2013 — Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 2010 — Guadalajara, Mexico 2008 — Washington, DC, USA 2008 — Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 2006 — Tucson, Arizona, USA 2004 — Guadalajara, Mascota and Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico 2002 — Fort Collins, Colorado, USA 2001 — Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 2000 — Portland, Oregon, USA Reports and Publications: Report of the Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment Working Group (2002 Working Group Report to the Bureau of Alternates) North America Regional Assessment of Forest Resources (2004 Working Group Report to the Bureau of Alternates) Working Group on Forest Inventory, Monitoring, and Assessment Report(submitted by Mark D. Gillis, March 29, 2000) Current and future use of remote sensing tools for operational forest inventory (in PDF format. Please download Acrobat reader to view this page.) For all Working Groups, please explore the new Toolbox where you can find funding request guidelines, award nomination guidance, letterhead etc. |
| Mexico | Canada | USA |
José Armando Alinas de la Rosa CONAFOR E-mail: jalanis@conafor.gob.mx Sergio Armando Villela Gaytán CONAFOR E-mail: svillela@conafor.gob.mx Rubí Angélica Cuenca Laura CONAFOR | Graham Stinson CFS E-mail: graham.stinson@canada.ca Jeff Dechka CFS E-mail: jeff.dechka@canada.ca Alex Song CFS E-mail: alex.song@canada.ca | Sonja Oswalt USFS Email: sonja.n.oswalt@usda.gov Greg Reams USFS E-mail: greg.reams@usda.gov Pat Miles USFS E-mail: patrick.miles@usda.gov |