National Forest Inventory IFN4 Strata

The National Forest Inventory (IFN) is the project of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge that provides homogeneous information at a national level on Spanish forests and their evolution, both from a forestry and forest biodiversity point of view. This project is structured over time with a ten-year periodicity (art. 28 of the Forestry Law), and after 60 years of validity, it is finishing its fourth cycle (IFN4), which began in 2008. The permanent nature of the field plots implemented since the IFN2, allows for a continuous source of information to be available when analyzing the behavior of forests over time. In order to be able to study the different territories in a homogeneous way, the forested area is characterized in different vegetation entities, called strata, which group similar forest formations that are also used to extrapolate the data to the entire area under study (province and/or Autonomous Community). The main data on stocks are shown at the level of each stratum of parameters such as volume with and without bark, basal area, number of major and minor trees, annual increase in volume with bark, biomass generated or fixed carbon, expressed in values ​​per hectare among other results.

Data and Resources

Dataset extent

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INSPIRE
DCAT-AP/NTI-RISP

Basic information
Resource type Spatial data set
Date of creation 2024-10-23
Date of last revision 2025-01-18
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Metadata identifier IFN4_estratos
Metadata language Spanish
Themes (NTI-RISP)
High-value dataset category Geospatial
ISO 19115 topic category biota
Other identifier
Keyword URIs
Character encoding UTF-8
Spatial information
INSPIRE identifier ESMITECOIFN4ESTRATOS20241031001
INSPIRE Themes
Geographic identifier Spain
Coordinate Reference System EPSG:25830
Spatial representation Type Vector
Bounding Box
"{\"type\": \"Polygon\", \"coordinates\": [[[-18.16, 27.64], [4.32, 27.64], [4.32, 43.79], [-18.16, 43.79], [-18.16, 27.64]]]}"
Spatial resolution of the dataset 25.000 m
Provenance
Lineage statement

The main processes carried out are: - Field work: Once the number of field plots to be surveyed in the entire province or autonomous community is known, which depends on the budget allocation, a sample of stratified systematic type plots is established, established on a wooded area on the nodes of a 1 km UTM grid, using an updated provincial forest map (MFE25) as cartography. The plots are distributed by tree formation, based on the error in volume with bark from the previous inventory, and within each tree formation, it is decided how many will be repeated and which will be surveyed for the first time. In addition, a discrepancy analysis is carried out that shows the coherence between the information from the previous inventory of the plots to be repeated and the cartographic base used. Once the sample of plots is final, the field work is planned and designed and the surveying of the field plots is carried out, in which exhaustive monitoring and control of the work is carried out. - Data processing: This phase is divided into two processes: cartographic and alphanumeric process: 1) The cartographic process is responsible for characterizing the entire surface, especially the wooded forest, to later define the strata, which will be used to extrapolate the data throughout the province or autonomous community, in the most homogeneous way possible. Previously, a data crossing is carried out in which the forest coherence between the information of the IFN field plots and that of the tiles of the forest map where they are located is analyzed. 2) The alphanumeric process is responsible for the selection of the rates or cubication equations to be used, as well as the calculation of the IAVC (Annual Volume Increase with Bark) in which specific equations are generated for each province, using empirical data from remeasured trees. The results obtained from this allow, among other actions, to statistically quantify the stocks per hectare and totals in number of major and minor trees, basal area, volume with and without bark, volume of firewood, IAVC, tree biomass and fixed carbon, both at the level of individual tree and by species, diameter class, tree formation, province or autonomous community; to classify the surface by uses, forest formations, species, and other parameters indicative of its evolution, quantitative and qualitative, through, among other tools, the comparison of inventories and the calculation of different dasometric and dendrometric indicators. – Publication of results: The dissemination of the results of the stock process is carried out mainly in digital format, through Excel tables, Access databases and a document in publication format at provincial and/or autonomous level. This publication summarizes in a graphic and visual way, through tables, graphs and maps, the main results of the data processes, in general, by land uses and stocks; individualized by the main tree formations; as well as showing the results obtained in biodiversity, wood quality, fuel models, phytosanitary status, economic valuation, biomass and carbon fixation, and environmental protection.
Metadata Standard
Conformity
Source dataset
Update frequency Decennial
Sources
  1. Mapa Forestal de España 1:25.000 (MFE25).
Purpose
Process steps
Temporal extent (Start)
Temporal extent (End)
Version notes
Version
Dataset validity
Responsible Party
Name of the dataset creator Jefa de Área de Inventario y Estadísticas Forestales
Name of the dataset maintainer Área de Banco de Datos de la Naturaleza
Identifier of the dataset creator
Email of the dataset creator mdpasalodos@miteco.es
Website of the dataset creator https://www.miteco.gob.es/
Identifier of the dataset maintainer
Email of the dataset maintainer buzon-bdatos@miteco.es
Website of the dataset maintainer https://www.miteco.gob.es/