{"id":82653,"date":"2020-05-05T08:52:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T12:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/?post_type=cpt_publication&p=82653"},"modified":"2026-08-05T13:10:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T17:10:20","slug":"ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples","status":"publish","type":"cpt_publication","link":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/","title":{"rendered":"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published in The Forestry Chronicle 85(5): 756-761<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top height is one of the most useful variables provided by sample plot measurements conducted during forest inventory programs. Combined with tree age, it allows the determination of site index, a common measure of forest site productivity. Unfortunately, there are cases where the number of site trees is suboptimal; this potential problem can lead to imprecise estimates of top height and site index. We approached this problem using ratio estimation techniques and incomplete data sets from forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec. We tested different combinations of suboptimal sampling of site trees to estimate top height based on their diameters, using only 2 or 3 site trees per 0.04-ha plot, instead of 4. The results show that suboptimal sampling of site trees should not be conducted randomly, and that some combinations consistently performed better than others. Also, some combinations never outperformed others and should be avoided when estimating top height of some important tree species in Qu\u00e9bec using suboptimal sampling of site trees. Finally, for the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published in The Forestry Chronicle 85(5): 756-761 Top height is one of the most useful variables provided by sample plot measurements conducted during forest inventory programs. Combined with tree age, it allows the determination of site index, a common measure of forest site productivity. Unfortunately, there are cases where the number of site trees is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","format":"standard","cptt_secteur":[1179],"cptt_theme":[1180,1181,1182],"cptt_categ_publi":[1149],"cptt_auteurs_ministeriels":[1097],"class_list":["post-82653","cpt_publication","type-cpt_publication","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","cptt_secteur-forests","cptt_theme-forestry-research","cptt_theme-forests","cptt_theme-silviculture","cptt_categ_publi-scientific-article","cptt_auteurs_ministeriels-mailly-daniel-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRatio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RessourcesNaturellesForets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T17:10:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Image-g%c3%a9n%c3%a9rale-hiver_FB.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mrnfqc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/\",\"name\":\"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T12:52:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-05T17:10:20+00:00\",\"description\":\"For the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Publications\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/nos-publications\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\",\"description\":\"Prototype WordPress\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","description":"For the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","og_description":"For the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.","og_url":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/","og_site_name":"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RessourcesNaturellesForets\/","article_modified_time":"2026-08-05T17:10:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Image-g%c3%a9n%c3%a9rale-hiver_FB.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@mrnfqc","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/","url":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/","name":"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-05-05T12:52:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-05T17:10:20+00:00","description":"For the best combinations, we concluded that the ratio estimation technique generally provided precise and unbiased estimates of top height.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/ratio-estimation-improve-estimates-height-suboptimal-samples\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Publications","item":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/nos-publications\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Ratio estimation to improve estimates of top height from suboptimal samples in forest inventory plots in Qu\u00e9bec"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/","name":"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","description":"Prototype WordPress","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication\/82653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cpt_publication"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication\/82653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106324,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication\/82653\/revisions\/106324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cptt_secteur","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_secteur?post=82653"},{"taxonomy":"cptt_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_theme?post=82653"},{"taxonomy":"cptt_categ_publi","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_categ_publi?post=82653"},{"taxonomy":"cptt_auteurs_ministeriels","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_auteurs_ministeriels?post=82653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}