Topic outline

  • The national forest inventory (NFI) e-learning series consisting of eight courses provides an overview of the key phases of an NFI, from planning to implementation, and from data gathering to reporting.

    The series consists of the following courses:


    Course

    Why a national forest inventory?

    This course describes the goals and purpose of a national forest inventory (NFI) and explores how NFIs inform policy- and decision-making in the forest sector. It then explores the importance of data in forest-related decision-making and evaluates the contribution of NFIs in national, international and climate change data reporting mechanisms. 

    1 h 30 m

    Course

    Preparing for a national forest inventory

    This course describes the planning and preparation phase of a national forest inventory (NFI).

    1 h

    Course

    Introduction to sampling

    This course covers the general aspects of sampling in forest inventories and aims to introduce the basic concepts and characteristics of a sampling study, as well as provide an overview of the most important components of a national forest inventory (NFI).

    1 h 30 m

    Course

    Introduction to fieldwork

    This course lays down the considerations for fieldwork and discusses plot-level variables as well as tree-level measurements.

    1 h 20 m

    Course

    Data management in a national forest inventory

    This course provides an overview of information gathering and data management for national forest inventories (NFI).

    1 h

    Course

    Quality assurance and quality control in a national forest inventor

    This course provides an overview of Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) procedures in forest inventory data collection and management.

    1 h

    Course

    Elements in data analysis

    This course offers guidance on the typical approaches and calculations used in forest data analyses and related topics.

    2 h

    Course

    National forest inventory results: Reporting and dissemination

    This course covers national forest inventory (NFI) reporting in detail and establishes the importance of reporting in the context of REDD+ actions.

    1 h 20 m


    The NFI series of courses concludes with a final test. A digital badge certificate is issued upon successful completion of a final exam that comprises of questions based on the content of all eight courses of the series.

    Depending on the interest of learners, the self-paced course series can be completed as a whole, or as individual courses, taken independently.

    Throughout the course series, references are made to specific courses or lessons where certain subjects are covered more extensively. Each course is complemented by exercises and links to additional material, instructive videos and websites for further reading.