Abstract
Line-intersect sampling based on segmented transects is adopted in many forest inventories to quantify important ecological indicators such as coarse woody debris attributes. By assuming a design-based approach, Affleck, Gregoire and Valentine (2005, Environ Ecol Stat 12:139–154) have recently proposed a sampling protocol for this line-intersect setting and have suggested an estimation method based on linear homogeneous estimators. However, their proposal does not encompass the estimation procedure currently adopted in some national forest inventories. Hence, the present paper aims to introduce a unifying perspective for both methods. Moreover, it is shown that the two procedures give rise to coincident estimators for almost all the usual field applications. Finally, some strategies for efficient segmented-transect replications are considered.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Affleck DLR, Gregoire TG and Valentine HT (2005). Design unbiased estimation in line intersect sampling using segmented transects. Environ Ecol Stat 12: 139–154
Affleck DLR, Gregoire TG and Valentine HT (2005). Edge effects in line intersect sampling using segmented transects. J Agric Biolo Environ Stat 10: 460–477
Baddeley A and Jensen EBV (2005). Stereology for statisticians. Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton
Barabesi L (2003) A Monte Carlo integration approach to Horvitz-Thompson estimation in replicated environmental designs. Metron LXI, pp 355–374
Barabesi L and Fattorini L (1998). The use of replicated plot, line and point sampling for estimating species abundancies and ecological diversity. Environ Ecol Stat 5: 353–370
Barabesi L and Marcheselli M (2003). A modified Monte Carlo integration. Int Math J 3: 555–565
Barabesi L and Marcheselli M (2005). Some large-sample results on a modified Monte Carlo integration method. J Stat Plan Infere 135: 420–432
Barabesi L, Marcheselli M (2008) Improved strategies for coverage estimation by using replicated line-intercept sampling. Environ Ecol Stat (in press)
Barabesi L and Pisani C (2004). Steady-state ranked set sampling for replicated environmental sampling designs. Environmetrics 15: 45–56
Gregoire TG (1998). Design-based and model-based inference in survey sampling: appreciating the difference. Can J Forest Res 28: 1429–1447
Gregoire TG, Affleck DLR, Valentine HT (2005) Conditioning inference on line orientation in line intersect sampling. In Hobbelstad K (ed) Forest inventory and planning in nordic countries, proceedings of SNS meeting at Sjusjøun, Norway, September 6–8, 2004. NIJOS Rapport 9/2005, Norwegian Institute of Land Inventory, pp.121–129
Gregoire TG and Valentine HT (2003). Line intersect sampling: ell-shaped transect and multiple intersection. Environ Ecol Stat 10: 263–279
Gregoire TG and Valentine HT (2008). Sampling strategies for natural resources and the environment. Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton
Kaiser L (1983). Unbiased estimation in line-intercept sampling. Biometrics 39: 965–976
U.S.D.A. Forest Service (2005) Forest inventory and analysis phase 3 field guide, section 14: down woody materials. U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Washington Office
Valentine HT, Ducey MJ, Gove JH, Lanz A and Affleck DLR (2006). Corrections for cluster-plot slop. Forest Sci 52: 55–66
Valentine HT, Gove JH and Gregoire TG (2001). Monte Carlo approaches to sampling forested tracts with lines or points. Can J Forest Res 31: 1410–1424
Williams MS (2001). New approach to areal sampling in ecological surveys. Forest Ecol Manage 154: 11–22
Williams MS, Ducey MJ and Gove JH (2005). Assessing surface area of coarse woody debris with line intersect and perpendicular distance sampling. Can J Forest Res 35: 949–960
Woodall C, Williams MS (2005) Sampling protocol, estimation, and analysis procedures for the down woody materials indicator of the FIA program. General Technical Report NC-256, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, North Central Research Station, St. Paul, MN
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barabesi, L. Some comments on design-based line-intersect sampling with segmented transects. Environ Ecol Stat 14, 483–494 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10651-007-0042-z
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10651-007-0042-z