Australian National Forest Inventory with Vegetation Structure Attributes

A continental database of forest resource attributes covering all land tenures for Australia and its Territories. The data, compiled by the National Forest Inventory (NFI), includes metrics on vegetation growth form, species composition, height, and foliage cover. It is sourced from state-wide databases that have been normalized and collated, with data collected via aerial photo interpretation, field measurements, and remote sensing.

Use Cases

• Model forest canopy height distribution using minh, maxh, and medh columns for biomass estimation.
• Classify forest associations and vegetation types using species indicators g1/s1, g2/s2, and g3/s3.
• Analyze foliage cover dynamics and crown separation with minpfc, maxpfc, mincc, maxcc, minc, and maxc features.
• Map forest structural classes by applying the h_class and c_class classifications based on Walker and Hopkins (1990).

Strengths

• Covers all land tenures across the entire continent of Australia and its Territories.
• Includes over 15 specific vegetation structure attributes per record, such as height, cover, and species composition.
• Integrates data from multiple collection methods including aerial photography, field measurements, and satellite remote sensing.

Limitations

• Data scales and levels of completeness vary between and within states, with acknowledged gaps.
• The dataset is approximately 500 MB in ArcInfo EXPORT format, which may require specific GIS software for use.
• Specific row count, update frequency, and precise temporal coverage are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

National Forest Inventory (NFI), Australia. Organization listed as SCIOPS.

Collection Method

Data collected by aerial photo interpretation, field measurements, field specimens, notes, maps, and satellite remote sensing, then normalized from state-wide databases.

Geography

Australia and its Territories, covering all land tenures.