Forest inventory and Monitoring
Forest Inventory and Monitoring
Central African countries harbor some of the most extensive and important forests in the world. However, many of these countries are undergoing rapid development, and, as a result, many of these forests are being cut down. Agriculture, mining, charcoal production, and industrial logging are just a few of the activities that threaten these forests and the well-being of the people who depend on them. Left unchecked, these activities could have devastating impacts on both forests and communities.
Our work
The U.S. Forest Service, in partnership with governments, universities, and non-governmental organizations, is supporting Central African countries to develop and implement sustainable forest management approaches. These forest management approaches are essential to the success of mechanisms like Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus the sustainable management of forests, conservation of forest carbon stocks and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+), which provide stakeholders with incentives to protect forest resources. Several countries in the region, including Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo, have been working to develop REDD+ strategies and REDD+ Readiness Preparation Proposals.
Since 2014, the U.S. Forest Service has provided targeted technical assistance to governments in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo to help them better measure, monitor, and manage forests and their carbon stocks through the multi-agency SilvaCarbon program. SilvaCarbon activities in the region complement related activities led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), as well as initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of State. Prior to 2015, the U.S. Forest Service also implemented activities in Gabon for two years under the USAID Low Emission Development program.
Cameroon
In Cameroon, the U.S. Forest Service has been assisting the government through technical entities such as the REDD+ Steering Committee, the Department of Forest Inventory and Management (Ministry of Forests and Fauna), and the National Office of Climate Change. These partnerships are supporting the design and implementation of a robust National Forest Monitoring System and an assessment of forest cover and land use for the entire country. Through this support, the Cameroon National Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework was established and strengthened. USFS has also been assisting the REDD+ Technical Secretariat in the evaluation of the 2003-2005 National Forest Inventory (NFI) done by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The results of this assessment will contribute to the establishment of a Forest Reference Emission Level as well as a National Forest Monitoring System. It will also improve MRV systems by providing emission factors from an existing National Forest Inventory which will improve the quality and accuracy of future NFIs.
Building on the advances made over the past three years, the U.S. Forest Service continues to provide its support through technical capacity building and trainings. This assistance is focused on defining the scope of the national MRV system, developing methodological guidance for carbon stock accounting, strengthening GIS data analysis capacities, developing a data quality control plan identifying monitoring indicators, and developing a participatory system for MRV activities in the field.
USFS is also working to provide technical support to community organizations, helping them develop skills and expertise to more sustainably manage their forests. Through these partnerships, four forest inventories have been produced in community forests. These assessments, combined with completed environmental impact assessments, will provide high-quality data and information to communities about the economic value of their forests. This will then allow them to make informed choices about the future of their forests and give them the tools and information to explore sustainable and transparent partnerships for legal wood harvesting. This same work will likewise be expanded to seventeen other community forests surrounding the Lomie-Ngoila area.
Cameroon
In Cameroon, the U.S. Forest Service has been assisting the government through technical entities such as the REDD+ Steering Committee, the Department of Forest Inventory and Management (Ministry of Forests and Fauna), and the National Office of Climate Change. These partnerships are supporting the design and implementation of a robust National Forest Monitoring System and an assessment of forest cover and land use for the entire country. Through this support, the Cameroon National Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework was established and strengthened. USFS has also been assisting the REDD+ Technical Secretariat in the evaluation of the 2003-2005 National Forest Inventory (NFI) done by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The results of this assessment will contribute to the establishment of a Forest Reference Emission Level as well as a National Forest Monitoring System. It will also improve MRV systems by providing emission factors from an existing National Forest Inventory which will improve the quality and accuracy of future NFIs.
Building on the advances made over the past three years, the U.S. Forest Service continues to provide its support through technical capacity building and trainings. This assistance is focused on defining the scope of the national MRV system, developing methodological guidance for carbon stock accounting, strengthening GIS data analysis capacities, developing a data quality control plan identifying monitoring indicators, and developing a participatory system for MRV activities in the field.
USFS is also working to provide technical support to community organizations, helping them develop skills and expertise to more sustainably manage their forests. Through these partnerships, four forest inventories have been produced in community forests. These assessments, combined with completed environmental impact assessments, will provide high-quality data and information to communities about the economic value of their forests. This will then allow them to make informed choices about the future of their forests and give them the tools and information to explore sustainable and transparent partnerships for legal wood harvesting. This same work will likewise be expanded to seventeen other community forests surrounding the Lomie-Ngoila area.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The U.S. Forest Service has been providing technical assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) focused on forest inventory and monitoring since 2008, following the placement of in-country staff in the Department of Forest Inventory and Zoning (DIAF). This assistance has included a range of different activities, such as contributing expertise as a member of the pre-forest inventory technical working group initiated in 2013, developing a pre-inventory soil sampling methodology, conducting field trainings on soil sampling techniques, assessing the capacity of national and university soil laboratories to process soil samples, and organizing field trainings on identification and inventory methods for bamboo and raffia species. The U.S. Forest Service also supported national REDD+ efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by working closely with the REDD+ National Coordination office to assess the state of in-country and regional knowledge related to allometric equations, which are used to help calculate tree biomass and estimate carbon storage.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The U.S. Forest Service has been providing technical assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) focused on forest inventory and monitoring since 2008, following the placement of in-country staff in the Department of Forest Inventory and Zoning (DIAF). This assistance has included a range of different activities, such as contributing expertise as a member of the pre-forest inventory technical working group initiated in 2013, developing a pre-inventory soil sampling methodology, conducting field trainings on soil sampling techniques, assessing the capacity of national and university soil laboratories to process soil samples, and organizing field trainings on identification and inventory methods for bamboo and raffia species. The U.S. Forest Service also supported national REDD+ efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by working closely with the REDD+ National Coordination office to assess the state of in-country and regional knowledge related to allometric equations, which are used to help calculate tree biomass and estimate carbon storage.
In 2016, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo partnered with the Central Africa Forest Initiative to launch a four-year, $200 million-dollar program to help countries protect and preserve their forests. Under the umbrella of this initiative, the U.S. Forest Service is supporting the National Forest Monitoring System stream led by FAO. The U.S. Forest Service serves as a member of the technical working group and has provided technical input to the National Forest Inventory methodology. In addition, the U.S. Forest Service has organized trainings for the Department of Forest Inventory and Zoning (DIAF) focused on forest inventory field methods for peatland forests, forest cover change analysis and statistical analysis of National Forest Inventory data.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo has made significant progress in sustainable forest and carbon management with the adoption of a national REDD+ strategy, the establishment of a REDD+ National Coordination Committee, and the development of methodologies for estimating, reporting on and monitoring carbon emissions. The Republic of the Congo has also developed an Emission Reductions Program, and has received significant support from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.
To date, the U.S. Forest Service has been working with the Republic of the Congo’s National Forest Inventory Agency (CNIAF) to finalize their National Forest Inventory by making difficult to access wetland forest areas easier to measure. The National Forest Inventory has been completed for all forested areas except these wetlands, which comprise 20 percent of national forested areas. The U.S. Forest Service has been assisting CNIAF to adapt the National Forest Inventory methodology specifically for flooded peatland forests and mangrove forests and to train CNIAF field teams to apply these new inventory methodologies. This work has included integrating a soil sampling protocol into the inventory methodology. Given the Republic of the Congo’s vast carbon-rich peatlands, accurately quantifying soil organic carbon is essential for meeting international reporting commitments on climate change mitigation. The U.S. Forest Service has also provided satellite data and related technical assistance to CNIAF to advance their capacity to analyze and monitor the country’s forest and land resources in support of the national forest inventory and monitoring systems.
In addition, the U.S. Forest Service has placed an embedded technical advisor in the Ministry of Forest Economy who is helping to develop RoC’s national measurement, reporting, and verification system in addition to supporting the national forest monitoring system more generally working with and mentoring a select team. This position is funded by the U.S. Department of State through the Climate Fellows program.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo has made significant progress in sustainable forest and carbon management with the adoption of a national REDD+ strategy, the establishment of a REDD+ National Coordination Committee, and the development of methodologies for estimating, reporting on and monitoring carbon emissions. The Republic of the Congo has also developed an Emission Reductions Program, and has received significant support from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.
To date, the U.S. Forest Service has been working with the Republic of the Congo’s National Forest Inventory Agency (CNIAF) to finalize their National Forest Inventory by making difficult to access wetland forest areas easier to measure. The National Forest Inventory has been completed for all forested areas except these wetlands, which comprise 20 percent of national forested areas. The U.S. Forest Service has been assisting CNIAF to adapt the National Forest Inventory methodology specifically for flooded peatland forests and mangrove forests and to train CNIAF field teams to apply these new inventory methodologies. This work has included integrating a soil sampling protocol into the inventory methodology. Given the Republic of the Congo’s vast carbon-rich peatlands, accurately quantifying soil organic carbon is essential for meeting international reporting commitments on climate change mitigation. The U.S. Forest Service has also provided satellite data and related technical assistance to CNIAF to advance their capacity to analyze and monitor the country’s forest and land resources in support of the national forest inventory and monitoring systems.
In addition, the U.S. Forest Service has placed an embedded technical advisor in the Ministry of Forest Economy who is helping to develop RoC’s national measurement, reporting, and verification system in addition to supporting the national forest monitoring system more generally working with and mentoring a select team. This position is funded by the U.S. Department of State through the Climate Fellows program.
Regional
Fostering regional collaboration is crucial for effectively addressing deforestation and forest degradation in the Congo Basin. Recognizing this, the U.S. Forest Service is partnering with the Central Africa Forest Commission (COMIFAC) to assist central African countries in designing their Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system. Building on the past regional REDD+ initiatives, the Forest service will help COMIFAC develop guidelines for MRV which can be shared across the sub-region.
In Central Africa, The Carbon Institute, an international academic partnership of carbon accounting faculty and universities, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, has facilitated trainings to improve regional capacity to measure, monitor and report on carbon emissions due to land use change for improved natural resource management decision making. Partnering with local universities in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, the Regional Specialized Training Center for Forest and Timber (CRESA – Forêt-Bois), University of Kinshasa, and University of Marien Ngouabi, respectively, these trainings have trained and mentored over 75 professors, government officials, and technical partners in Central Africa in internationally accepted terrestrial carbon accounting methods. The aim is to increase the number of trained professionals in the region thereby strengthening natural resource decision making through more informed decisions resulting from improved estimates of terrestrial carbon and land use change.
Regional
Fostering regional collaboration is crucial for effectively addressing deforestation and forest degradation in the Congo Basin. Recognizing this, the U.S. Forest Service is partnering with the Central Africa Forest Commission (COMIFAC) to assist central African countries in designing their Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system. Building on the past regional REDD+ initiatives, the Forest service will help COMIFAC develop guidelines for MRV which can be shared across the sub-region.
In Central Africa, The Carbon Institute, an international academic partnership of carbon accounting faculty and universities, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, has facilitated trainings to improve regional capacity to measure, monitor and report on carbon emissions due to land use change for improved natural resource management decision making. Partnering with local universities in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, the Regional Specialized Training Center for Forest and Timber (CRESA – Forêt-Bois), University of Kinshasa, and University of Marien Ngouabi, respectively, these trainings have trained and mentored over 75 professors, government officials, and technical partners in Central Africa in internationally accepted terrestrial carbon accounting methods. The aim is to increase the number of trained professionals in the region thereby strengthening natural resource decision making through more informed decisions resulting from improved estimates of terrestrial carbon and land use change.
Our Partners
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