Intro
Preface
Literature
Contents
1: What Is a Forest?
1.1 Classifications of Plant Communities
1.1.1 Global Classifications
1.1.2 Regional Classifications
1.1.3 Potential Natural Vegetation
1.1.4 Novel Forests
1.2 Popular Myths
1.2.1 The Myth of the Climax Community
1.2.2 The Myth of the Primeval Forest
1.3 Forest Anthromes: Domesticated Ecosystems
1.3.1 To Act or Not to Act?
Literature
2: Forest Assessment and Observation
2.1 Forest Assessment
2.1.1 Some Selected Issues
2.1.1.1 The Nested Plot Design

2.1.1.2 Simulating a Test Area with Mapped Trees
2.1.1.3 Seedlings, Saplings, and Shrubs
2.1.1.4 The Regeneration Circular Plot
2.1.1.5 The Regeneration Neighborhood
2.1.1.6 Generating a Sampling Scheme on a Regular Grid
2.1.1.7 An Example from Mongolia
2.1.2 Remote Assessments
2.1.2.1 Use of Airborne Laser Scanning in Forest Inventory
Interpretation of ALS Data
Area-Based Interpretation
2.1.2.2 Numerical Delineation of Forest Stands
Segmentation
Automated Stand Delineation
Cellular Automata in Stand Delineation

Other Possibilities for Stand Delineation
2.1.2.3 Landsat
2.1.2.4 Terrestrial Laser Scanning
2.1.2.5 Estimating NPP Based on MODIS
2.1.3 Cost-Benefit Issues
2.2 Field Experiments
2.2.1 Spacing Experiments for Planted Ecosystems
2.2.2 Short-Rotation Coppice Experiments
2.2.3 Ecosystem Functioning and Biodiversity Experiments
2.2.4 Longitudinal, Cross-sectional, and Interval Studies
2.3 Continuous Forest Observation
2.3.1 Early Observational Infrastructures
2.3.2 New Forest Observational Studies
2.3.2.1 China
2.3.2.2 South Africa

2.3.2.3 India
2.3.2.4 Mexico
2.3.2.5 Global Forest Observation
2.3.2.6 Machine Learning
2.3.3 Establishing an Observational Field Plot
2.3.4 Assessment Protocols
2.3.5 Presentation Standards
2.3.5.1 Species Codes and Colors
2.3.5.2 Plot Maps
2.3.5.3 Plot Summaries
Literature
3: Analyzing Forest Ecosystems
3.1 Forest Density
3.1.1 Measuring Forest Density
3.1.1.1 Basal Area
3.1.1.2 Leaf Area Index
3.1.1.3 Stand Density Index
3.1.1.4 Nilson's Sparsity
3.1.1.5 Relative Spacing
3.1.1.6 Crown Competition Factor

3.1.1.7 Patterns of Density
3.1.2 Estimating Maximum Forest Density
3.1.2.1 Planted Forests
3.1.2.2 Natural Forests
3.2 Forest Heterogeneity and Structure
3.2.1 Species Diversity
3.2.2 The Species-Area Relationship
3.2.3 Nonspatial Structure
3.2.3.1 Unimodal Diameter Distributions
3.2.3.2 Bimodal Diameter Distributions
3.2.3.3 Specific Diameter-Height Relationships
3.2.3.4 Generalized Diameter-Height Relationships
3.2.3.5 Spatially Explicit Diameter-Height Relationships
3.2.3.6 Bivariate Diameter-Height Distributions
3.2.4 Spatial Structure