Comparison of field sampling methods for assessing coarse woody debris and use of airborne laser scanning as auxiliary information

Coarse woody debris (CWD) has been recognized as one of the strongest indicators of forest biodiversity and its assessment has been emphasized in the development of new inventory methods. In this study, the most commonly referenced probability sampling methods were tested in a field area of 305.8 ha to gain comparative information on their performance and efficiency. Simple random sampling (SRS), systematic sampling and cluster sampling with fixed sized circular sample plots were tested, as well as strip sampling, transect relascope sampling and adaptive cluster sampling (ACS). Point relascope sampling and line intersect sampling were also tested for inventories of downed dead wood volumes. In addition, the amount of standing dead wood was assessed by means of traditional small angle relascope sampling. In general, the use of additional information in the inventory process has shown promising results. A new method for using data derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) as a source of auxiliary information in the assessment of CWD volumes is presented, using probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling for the selection of the first-stage sample units in ACS (ACS_PPS) and for the placement of fixed sized plots (PLOT_PPS). The sampling methods were compared in terms of the cost-effectiveness. Point relascope sampling proved the most efficient sampling method for inventorying CWD volumes. PLOT_PPS and ACS_PPS were more efficient than the inventory of fixed sized plots (PLOT_SRS) and ACS (ACS_SRS) where sample units were selected with SRS. However, these methods could not achieve the same efficiency as relascope samplings. Nevertheless, the use of probability layers derived from ALS data gave promising results and offers new possibilities for inventorying CWD volumes more efficiently.