Germany

Forest statistics and forest inventories have a long tradition in Germany originating in the nineteenth century (Tomppo et al. in National Forest Inventories—Pathways for Common Reporting. Springer, Heidelberg, p 612, 2010). A nationwide sample-based National Forest Inventory (NFI) based on mathematical and statistical methods was implemented in the old German Laender within the years 1986–1990 (NFI 1987) and was extended to the new German Laender within the years 2001–2002 (NFI 2002).