{"id":24224,"date":"2024-02-14T01:34:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T17:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rakansarawak.com\/v3\/?p=24224"},"modified":"2024-03-08T07:39:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T23:39:24","slug":"strengthening-forest-officers-capability-in-forest-resource-inventory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rakansarawak.com\/v3\/2024\/02\/14\/strengthening-forest-officers-capability-in-forest-resource-inventory\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening Forest Officers\u2019 Capability in Forest Resource Inventory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From 23 to 26 January 2024, a refresher course was organised by Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) through its Planning and Management Division in Sibu, focusing on the skills and techniques of forest resource inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 50 participants comprising officers from the Planning and Management Division at the department\u2019s headquarters and all Regional Forest Offices in Sarawak, as well as a team of project consultants from Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), attended the course, which took place as part of the third phase of Projek Inventori Sumber Hutan Sarawak (ISH) di Kawasan Hutan Simpan Kekal (HSK) di Seluruh Sarawak<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The refresher course on forest resource inventory in Sibu from 23 to 26 January 2024 saw the participation of 50 Forest Department Sarawak personnel involved in the department’s inventory project. Photo from Forest Department Sarawak Facebook page<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It aimed to strengthen the capabilities of FDS staff who are involved in data collection work, and provide comprehensive initial exposure to those who are newly assigned to the forest resource inventory project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course covered topics including introductions to forest inventory, forest species identification and low- and high-level plant identification. Participants also learned field data collection techniques, processing, and their practical application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCourses like this are very important because at the Regional Forest Office level, there is a need for more people who are able to identify forest species accurately with proper field data collection techniques,\u201d FDS said in a Facebook post<\/a>, adding that given the participants\u2019 positive response such courses would be held again in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Forest Inventory?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Europe began gathering information on its forests in an orderly manner in the late 18th<\/sup> century<\/a>, the idea of recording forest resources that are available \u2013 more so because forests now only account for 31 per cent<\/a> of land area on Earth \u2013 has become a global effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) defines forest inventory<\/a> as \u201cthe systematic collection of data on the forestry resources within a given area\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Screenshot from https:\/\/redd.nrecc.gov.my\/mrv-framework\/national-forest-monitoring-system\/. UNFCCC stands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It is an integral aspect of sustainable forest management because it enables the assessment of the latest status on forests and their resources, and sets the foundation for further analysis and planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, FAO suggests following these steps to ensure effective forest inventory operations, taking into consideration the purpose, targeted audience, and scale:<\/p>\n\n\n\n