There are plenty of forest attributes that could be monitored. But when is the time to do so? Small landowners have limited time and resources to devote to tracking change on their forests. NNRG recommends a standard monitoring frequency that adjusts according to major disturbance on your property, which become prime opportunities to systematically track change.

For example, if you are planning to conduct a pre-commercial thin, you will benefit from having forest measurements before you begin. You can refer to pre-harvest assessments in subsequent monitoring to understand if you’ve met your post-harvest objectives.

The following flow chart refers to various monitoring forms, which you can find here. Use the chart to determine when you should be planning your next monitoring efforts, depending on whether you’re a large or small landowner.