The Integrated Sampling Strategy (ISS) component in FIREMON is critical to fire monitoring for several reasons. First, many fire managers do not have the background in ecosystem inventorying and sampling to design a statistically credible and efficient sampling strategy. Second, fire managers rarely have the time to learn sampling theory and concepts. And last, integrated sampling requires extensive experience in statistical sampling design and field implementation. So, FIREMON contains this detailed section on sampling strategy to guide the fire manager to plan and implement an appropriate fire monitoring project.
Methodology
FIREMON's Integrated Sampling Strategy answers the following questions, which are often asked by fire managers when they design fire monitoring projects:
- What statistical approach is appropriate for my sample design?
- How many plots can I afford?
- How many plots do I need?
- Where should I put my plots?
- What sampling methods should I use on my plots?
FIREMON Team
Duncan Lutes - Development Lead
Fire Ecologist, USFS
Email: duncan.lutes@usda.gov
Phone: (406) 329-4761
Robert Keane - Principal Investigator / Agency Lead
Research Ecologist, USFS
Carl Key
Geographer, USGS
Nate Benson
Fire Ecologist, NPS
John Caratti
Quantitative Ecologist, SEM
Larry Gangi
Programmer, SEM