Integrating national forest inventories with global biomass maps

Summary

Most countries depend on National Forest Inventories (NFIs) for estimating forest-related emission factors, crucial for greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting. However, many struggle with completing and updating NFIs, affecting the accuracy of aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates. Despite the rising popularity of remote sensing-derived biomass products, their use in official estimates is rare. This thesis explores integrating NFI plot-based data with remote sensing biomass maps, highlighting their potential to improve (sub)national AGB estimates and GHG reporting. It addresses the challenges of harmonizing diverse NFI sampling designs with remote sensing units, which introduces additional uncertainties, and examines the impact of NFI plot configurations on map-to-plot comparisons. Ultimately, the thesis provides valuable insights into integrating global biomass maps with NFI data, supporting forest-related (sub)national AGB estimates and country mitigation efforts, while inspiring confidence in biomass maps' application.