Inventory Design
Sampling design, plot design and survey planning.
Sampling Design
Kenya had not yet carried out a full National Forest Inventory when the FRL was prepared. Emission factors therefore came from a pilot inventory of 121 plots across all ten forest classes (ICFRA, KFS 2016; CADEP-SFM, JICA 2017), using stratified sampling.
| Stratum | Canopy | Plots | Mean AGB t/ha | Std dev | Locations | Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montane & western rain forests | Dense | 8 | 244.8 | 157.94 | Nyeri (Tetu, Aberdare, Gathiuru, Narumoru, Kabaru) | ICFRA, JICA |
| Montane & western rain forests | Moderate | 7 | 58.43 | 34.64 | Nyeri | ICFRA, JICA |
| Montane & western rain forests | Open | 5 | 18.31 | 6.97 | Nyeri (Kabaru) | JICA |
| Mangroves & coastal forests | Dense | 18 | 94.63 | 45.03 | Kilifi (Gede, Jilore); Kwale mangroves | ICFRA, JICA |
| Mangroves & coastal forests | Moderate | 11 | 52.75 | 18.33 | Kilifi (Gede, Jilore); Kwale (Msambweni) | ICFRA, JICA |
| Mangroves & coastal forests | Open | 14 | 24.01 | 14.18 | Kwale (Kwale, Msambweni) | ICFRA, JICA |
| Dryland forests | Dense | 7 | 42.43 | 32.11 | Baringo (Marigat); Makueni (Kibwezi) | ICFRA, JICA |
| Dryland forests | Moderate | 8 | 34.52 | 15.01 | Baringo (Marigat); Makueni (Kibwezi) | ICFRA, JICA |
| Dryland forests | Open | 7 | 14.26 | 6.89 | Baringo (Marigat) | ICFRA |
| Plantation forest | — | 36 | 324.79 | 249.38 | Kericho (Londiani); Baringo (Koibatek, Eldama Ravine, Esageri); Nyeri | ICFRA, JICA |
The very large spread within strata shows the need for a full NFI with permanent plots and more sub-strata: separating montane, bamboo and western rain forests, and mangroves from coastal forests.
Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, The National Forest Reference Level for REDD+ Implementation, December 2019 (Kenya’s FRL submission to the UNFCCC). Chapters 3.2.1, 7.2 and 8.1, Annex 3.