Measurement
Plot inventory
A plot inventory measures every tree inside a set of marked sample plots, recording species, diameter, height and condition, and scales the result up to the whole area. It is the ground measurement that most carbon and restoration claims rest on.
The plots are chosen by the sampling plan before anyone goes out, so the inventory measures the land rather than the convenient parts of it.
Remeasuring the same plots each round is what makes growth visible. A new set of plots each time measures the difference between plots as much as the change in the trees.