Austrian National Forest Inventory: Caught in the Past and Heading Toward the Future

The Austrian National Forest Inventory (AFI) started in 1961 on a temporary plot design with a systematic grid and a period of 10 years. For the first 30 years it was conducted as a continuous forest inventory. Since 1981 a permanent plot system has been used and the assessment period was reduced. Only slight changes in the plot design have occurred since the beginning of the inventory. During the past 45 years AFI changed from a survey of forest area, growing stock, and increment to a complex monitoring system covering many aspects of the forest ecosystem.