Outputs
Carbon report for user-specified location
Restrictions and Limitations
COLE draws from FIA data. The FIA program is considered the "nation's forest census," and reports on the status, trends, and health of forests through annual on-the-ground sampling. So, the accuracy of a COLE-generated carbon report is related to the sample size of the underlying data. This is the reason why COLE works from a county-scale on up. The more filters that a user applies, the more important it becomes to choose a larger (multiple counties, states, etc.) area over which to apply these filters. While COLE will not prevent you from generating a very specific report (e.g. an aboveground carbon stock report for overstocked, privately owned, white oak/red oak/hickory stands in Elk County, PA), the user should be aware that such a detailed report on a small scale is subject to sample-size inaccuracies.