Impact Monitoring

Crummy shot of a whiteboard, but illustrated is the sample design for a network of permanent sample plots (PSP) to monitor the ecological impact of harvesting rattan from the world's first FSC-certified, sustainable rattan operation at Ban Sopphuane, Laos (see Thin Red Line). Twenty-five plots scattered throughout three harvest areas to monitor changes in the population structure of 14 rattan species. I call this a good day. [NOTE: This didn't really take all day. The morning was occupied with analyzing growth data and explaining to everyone how the original rattan inventories were conducted. We knocked out the PSP design in about an hour late in the afternoon. I still call this a good day].