Abstract:
In Tanzania, the state and trends of the forestry resources are largely unknown. The
existing information is fragmented and outdated. Reliable information on Tanzanian
forest resources is mainly constrained by the lack of institutional capacity. Under the
National Forest Programme of Tanzania, the National Forestry Resources Monitoring
and Assessment (NAFORMA) was identified as a priority activity for the Forest and
Beekeeping Division (FBD). The results of NAFORMA are needed to support the
national policy processes for the enhancement of sustainable forest management
(SFM) while at the same time addressing issues of Reduced Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and Green House Gas (GHG) as
international reporting obligations.
Yet, the demand of the stakeholders in Tanzania for data and information on the state
of the forestry resources is continuously expanding. This project is planned to develop
complete and sound baseline information on the forest and tree resources, assist the
FBD to set up a specialized structure and put in place a long term monitoring system
of the forestry ecosystems. The inventory will eventually yield information about
vegetation cover, forest resources, forest utilization, and importance of forests and
forest product for communities in Tanzania. When the inventory exercise is based on
statistically sound sampling design, careful field work, and advanced data analysis,
the final inventory report will provide estimates for biomass and carbon in Tanzanian
forest lands. This information will serve emerging demands when building up forest
monitoring system and international carbon trade schemes.
Proper planning is crucial for the project to meet its goals. This includes preparation
of field manual to enable field crews to collect relevant data for the project. The
purpose of this field manual is to provide the FBD inventory staff with structured
information on the inventory techniques that will lead to the achievement of the
intended output.
