The bad news is that past and present inventory processes were not always well coordinated and designed to assure accurate results. Evidence of this can be seen today in data contained in the latest RPA report (Smith et al. 2003) and in the FIA website (www.ncrs2.fs.fed.us/4801/fiadb), both maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. Comparison the two data sources for data representing any one location and forest parameter shows that while the numbers that are generally close (but seldom the same), some of the numbers are quite different. Consider, for example, the hardwood growth and removals numbers for the states of Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, and Mississippi (Table 16).

Table 16
Comparison of Hardwood Growth and Removals Data in Current RPA and FIA Reports

 

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