In September 2017, five field officers based in Laclubar and Soibada were trained in forest inventory methods and tools needed for forest assessments. These methods included setting up circular plots in steep terrain and edge plots, tree diameter measurements (dbh) and tree heights. The measurements will assist in calculating carbon stocks for carbon certification and entering the carbon market. The field team was also trained in the use of hand held GPS, capture of waypoints, data downloads and storage of the information in electronic format. The goal was to provide the team with skills to map planted areas and collect field data to validate our land use map. A manual of mapping and forest inventory procedures were drafted in both English and Tetum. Safety gear was also provided.
Jorge Ramos (left), CSU forest researcher training field staff from Laclubar and Soibada