Swiss Forest Stemwood Mortality Volume 2009-2013

Stemwood volume data from trees and shrubs that died or disappeared between two Swiss national forest inventories. The dataset was produced by the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL and published online in 2014, covering the NFI survey period of 2009-2013. It provides estimates for cantons or forest districts, calculated without using tree height data and uncorrected for bias.

Use Cases

• Model regional carbon flux by analyzing changes in dead stemwood volume between inventory periods.
• Assess forest health trends by correlating mortality volume data with environmental stressors for specific cantons.
• Calibrate forest growth and yield models using the uncorrected stemwood volume estimates as a baseline for natural mortality.

Strengths

• Data originates from the Fourth National Forest Inventory (NFI4b), a systematic national survey.
• Provides estimates at the sub-national level for cantons and forest districts.
• Covers a defined multi-year inventory period from 2009 to 2013.

Limitations

• Values are not corrected for estimation bias, which may affect accuracy.
• The calculation method excludes tree height (D7) data, potentially simplifying volume estimates.
• Temporal coverage ended with the 2009-2013 inventory, and data may not reflect current conditions.

Provenance

Source

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL (ENVIDAT).

Collection Method

Calculated from field measurements of the Fourth National Forest Inventory (NFI4b).

Time Range

2009-2013

Freshness

Last updated in 2018, based on inventory data from 2009-2013.

Geography

Switzerland (national, with canton and forest district-level estimates).