As forests are large ecosystems, their inventories require use of representative sample. Then, what is the minimum percentage of forest area to be sampled to minimise the errors and get acceptable results in forest studies? Thanks
Sample size and representativity of sample (resulting from sample and plot design) are important issues, and not the "percentage of area" which has more/less psychological importance. However, there is no single answer of adequate sample - It depends on the variability of variables being estimated and also on the aim of the inventory. Results from previous inventories or studies in similar conditions could be very useful in addition to scholar books on that topic.