Filename: PLOTVIEW.DBF About the Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program: The FHM program is managed by the USDA Forest Service (FS) in cooperation with other program participants. Funding comes largely from the FS and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Other participants include State Forestry and Agriculture agencies, the USDI Bureau of Land Management, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and several universities. The National Association of State Foresters provides essential program support, guidance, and assistance. Detection Monitoring, the most extensive of FHM's three monitoring activities, is designed to provide data to determine baseline or current conditions of forest ecosystems, and to detect changes and trends over time. This information is analyzed to determine if detected changes are anticipated, and if those changes indicate improving forest health or are cause for concern, warranting additional evaluation. Detection Monitoring covers all forested land and has two components: (1) the on-frame component, which is measurements made on the FHM network of permanent plots; and (2) the off-frame component, which is forest surveys made off of the FHM plot network and includes forest insect, disease, and other stressor effects. (References: The Forest Health Monitoring National Brochure, and the FHM Fact Sheet Series. Available at the Forest Health Monitoring National Office, P.O. Box 12254, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709) Coverage: FHM uses the EMAP sampling grid, which is formed from a triangular grid of sampling points. The FHM ground plots are approximately 1-hectare in size and contain 4 subplots approximately 1/60 hectare in size. Ground plots are approximately 27 km apart. (Reference: Stevens, D.L. 1994. Implementation of a national monitoring program. J. Environ. Manage. 42:1-29.) About the Index/Measurements: Complete information about the measurements can be found in the Forest Health Montioring Field Methods Guide (Tallent-Halsell, N. (editor). 1994. Forest Health Monitoring 1994 Field Methods Guide. EPA/620/R-94/027. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory, Las Vegas, NV.). Definition of Data Set Variables (in the order they appear in the data set): HEX_ID - the unique 7-digit code assigned to each 40 km2 hexagon. STATUS94 - Indicates the status of the plot at the time of measurement in 1993. Defined by the following codes: Code Definition 0 Missing value 1 Forest Plot - Plot has at least one forested condition class that can be visited and measured in the normal manner. 2 Nonforest plot - Plot does not have any forested condition classes. (Note: Also assign this code to plots that cannot be visited because of access problems yet if it is obvious that the plot contains no forested condition classes). 3 Forest plot, access denied - Plot has at least one forested condition class, yet access has been denied to entire plot. Use code 1 if access is denied to only part of the plot. 4 Forest plot, dangerous access - Plot has at least one forested condition class, yet dangerous conditions prevent access to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is prevented to only part of the plot. 5 Lost data - Plot has at least one forested condition class that has been or can be visited and remeasured, yet the data may have been lost. (Note: This code is valid only after the close of field season.) ELEV94 - Elevation data were obtained from USGS topographic maps, generally the 7 1/2 minute series quadrangle. Elevation was recorded as a 3-digit code, rounding to the nearest 100 ft and dropping the last two digits. In metric, elevation was rounded to the nearest 10 m. Code 999 indicates that the elevation was unknown at the time the plot was occupied. STATUS93 - Indicates the status of the plot at the time of measurement. Defined by the following codes: Code Definition 0 Missing value 1 Forest plot - this plot has at least one forested condition class that can be occupied and measured. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. 2 Nonforest plot - this plot has no forested condition classes. (Note: Also assign this code to plots that cannot be occupied because of access problems, if it is obvious the plot contains no forested condition classes.) This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 3 Forest plot, access denied - this plot has at least one forested condition class, but access is denied to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is denied to only part of the plot. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 4 Forest plot, dangerous access - this plot has at least one forested condition class, but dangerous conditions prevent access to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is prevented to only part of the plot. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 5 Lost data - this plot has at least one forested condition class that has been or can be occupied and remeasured, but the data have been lost. (Note: This code is valid only after the close of field season). This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 6 Lost plot - this plot had at least one forested condition class at the time of the previous inventory (Old Plot Status = 1), but the ground location cannot be found, and the trees cannot be accounted for. A new forest ground plot is being installed as close as possible to the original ground plot location. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 1 and 5. If Old Plot Status = 5, New Plot Status is automatically set to 6. ELEV93 - Elevation data were obtained from USGS topographic maps, generally the 7 1/2 minute series quadrangle. Elevation was recorded as a three-digit code, rounding to the nearest 100 ft (10 m) and dropping the last two digits for feet and the last one digit for meters. STATUS92 - Indicates the status of the plot at the time of measurement. Defined by the following codes: Code Definition 0 Missing value 1 Forest plot - this plot has at least one forested condition class that can be occupied and measured. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. 2 Nonforest plot - this plot has no forested condition classes. (Note: Also assign this code to plots that cannot be occupied because of access problems, if it is obvious the plot contains no forested condition classes.) This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 3 Forest plot, access denied - this plot has at least one forested condition class, but access is denied to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is denied to only part of the plot. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 4 Forest plot, dangerous access - this plot has at least one forested condition class, but dangerous conditions prevent access to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is prevented to only part of the plot. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 5 Lost data - this plot has at least one forested condition class that has been or can be occupied and remeasured, but the data have been lost. (Note: This code is valid only after the close of field season). This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 6 Lost plot - this plot had at least one forested condition class at the time of the previous inventory (Old Plot Status = 1), but the ground location cannot be found, and the trees cannot be accounted for. A new forest ground plot is being installed as close as possible to the original ground plot location. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 1 and 5. If Old Plot Status = 5, New Plot Status is automatically set to 6. ELEV92 - Elevation data were obtained from USGS topographic maps, generally the 7 1/2 minute series quadrangle. Elevation is recorded as a three-digit code, rounding to the nearest 100 ft (10 m) and dropping the last two digits for feet and the last one digit for meters. TERR92 - This is the position of the plot in relation to the surrounding topography. The plot was viewed as a whole for determining the appropriate code. Code Definition 1 Top and upper slopes - convex region on the upper part of the slope profile; may be either xeric or mesic depending on aspect. 2 Midslope - uniform, fairly straight region of the middle part of the slope profile; may be either xeric or mesic depending on aspect. 3 Bench - area of level terrain, with midslope above and below. 4 Lower slope - concave region on the lower part of the slope profile. 5 Flatland - level or near-level terrain not part of or related to major elevational change, may have minimal elevational change (e.g., rolling uplands, flatwoods, deep sands). 6 Bottomland - level terrain; normally well drained but subject to occasional flooding (e.g., floodplains of rivers and streams). 7 Wet bottomlands - level terrain; generally having year-round abundance or over abundance of water (e.g., swamps, small drains, bays, and wet pocosins). ELEV91 - Elevation data were obtained from USGS topographic maps, generally the 7 « minute series quadrangle. Elevation was recorded as a two-digit code, rounding to the nearest 100 feet and dropping the last two digits. TERR91 - This the position of the plot in relation to the surrounding topography. Code Definition 1 Top and upper slopes - convex region on the upper part of the slope profile; may be either xeric or mesic depending on aspect 2 Midslope - uniform, fairly straight region of the middle part of the slope profile; may be either xeric or mesic depending on aspect 3 Bench - area of level terrain, with midslope above and below 4 Flatland - level or near-level terrain not part of or related to major elevational change, may have minimal elevational change (e.g., rolling uplands, flatwoods, deep sands) 5 Bottomland - level terrain; normally well drained but subject to occasional flooding (e.g., floodplains of rivers and streams) 7 Wet bottomlands - level terrain; generally having year-round abundance or over abundance of water (e.g., swamps, small drains, bays, and wet pocosins) STATUS91 - Indicates the status of the plot at the time of measurement. Defined by the following codes: Code Definition 0 Missing value 1 Forest plot - this plot has at least one forested condition class that can be occupied and measured. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. 2 Nonforest plot - this plot has no forested condition classes. (Note: Also assign this code to plots that cannot be occupied because of access problems, if it is obvious the plot contains no forested condition classes.) This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 3 Forest plot, access denied - this plot has at least one forested condition class, but access is denied to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is denied to only part of the plot. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 4 Forest plot, dangerous access - this plot has at least one forested condition class, but dangerous conditions prevent access to the entire plot. Use code 1 if access is prevented to only part of the plot. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 5 Lost data - this plot has at least one forested condition class that has been or can be occupied and remeasured, but the data have been lost. (Note: This code is valid only after the close of field season). This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 6 Lost plot - this plot had at least one forested condition class at the time of the previous inventory (Old Plot Status = 1), but the ground location cannot be found, and the trees cannot be accounted for. A new forest ground plot is being installed as close as possible to the original ground plot location. This code is valid with Old Plot Status codes 1 and 5. If Old Plot Status = 5, New Plot Status is automatically set to 6.