Unlocking the Power of FIA Data with ResourceWise’s Timber Supply Analysis 360 and Carbon 360

The USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is the backbone of forest resource intelligence in the United States. Described as the nation's "census of trees," the FIA provides current, consistent, and credible data on forest extent, health, land use, carbon stocks, and more.

For nearly a century, FIA data has guided forest management, public policy, and private investment, offering an indispensable window into America's forested landscapes. But despite its significance, many forest professionals face challenges in navigating its vast datasets and complex tools.

At ResourceWise, we've developed two powerful tools—Timber Supply Analysis 360 and Carbon 360—to bridge that gap. These solutions transform FIA data into actionable intelligence, enabling smarter decisions for timber procurement, carbon accounting, and sustainable forest management.

A Century of Trusted Forest Intelligence

The FIA program traces its roots back to the 1928 McSweeney-McNary Forestry Research Act and has evolved through decades of legislation aimed at safeguarding the nation's forest resources. Mandated by Congress and administered by the USDA Forest Service, FIA's mission is to deliver a continuous, comprehensive assessment of forest conditions and trends across all ownerships and ecological types in the U.S.

FIA data supports:

• Business Decisions – Understanding regional wood supply to guide mill investments.
• Public Policy – Assessing wildfire impacts on carbon stocks or forest productivity.
• Sustainability Planning – Evaluating forest growth versus harvest rates.
• Landowner Insights – Capturing landowner attitudes and behaviors through the National Woodland Owner Survey.

Yet, as noted in an FRA-published opinion by Eric Kingsley, current FIA tools, while powerful, require significant technical know-how and time investment. "These tools don't always meet today's expectations of 'User Interface,'" Kingsley notes, "but a little time on any tool will let you answer a broad range of questions related to the forest resource.”

That's where ResourceWise comes in—offering intuitive, business-ready platforms that make FIA data accessible and actionable.

Turning FIA into Insights with Timber Supply Analysis 360

Timber Supply Analysis 360 clarifies and contextualizes FIA's extensive timberland information with an intuitive interface that puts relevant filters and visualization tools at users' fingertips.

It's the only product offering unified access to vital forest asset data on a single digital platform. Timber Supply Analysis 360 provides a full-spectrum view of regional timber growth, inventory, and harvests across the U.S., utilizing data from multiple sources like the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis, and key state agencies in the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Oregon Department of Forestry, Washington Department of Natural Resources).

Key Benefits

• Normalized, Market-Relevant Data: Refines FIA data to reflect real-world market dynamics, including harvest restrictions, land use classifications, and region-specific constraints.

• Growth and Yield Modeling: This method uses sophisticated growth and yield models to simulate forest growth and quantify local demand, enabling long-term forecasts of forest inventory, supply, demand, and price.
• Strategic Planning and Visibility: Enhances the ability to plan with confidence by offering greater transparency into the wood raw material supply chain.
• Streamlined Inventory Analysis: Simplifies the process of analyzing forest inventory data with up-to-date, basin-specific information.
• Flexible, Interactive Views: Interactive maps display multiple key data points such as Acres/Land Acres, Growth, Removals, Inventory per Acre, and Growth/Inventory, allowing for detailed, customizable analysis.

Carbon 360: In-Depth Carbon Insights for the Forest Industry

Carbon 360 leverages FIA's deep carbon datasets to quantify aboveground carbon stocks, removals, and net changes across diverse geographies and ownership types. It offers a full-spectrum view of forest industry carbon metrics essential for meeting sustainability criteria and certification schema in a single platform.

• Interactive Data Visualizations: Maps, charts, and tables help visualize forested geographies and their corresponding carbon storage data, down to the county level.
• In-Depth Carbon Pool Analysis: Examine specific carbon pool types, such as live aboveground and live belowground, deadwood, litter, soil, and organic matter.
• Customizable Filters: Refine data by location, land basis, stand age, size, origin, forest type, and ownership. Data can be viewed in aggregate or broken down by tons per acre.
• Exportable Insights: Download and share data and visualizations for reporting, analysis, and further decision-making.

A Smarter Future Built on Strong Foundations

The Forest Resources Association and the USDA Forest Service both emphasize the FIA's critical role in shaping a resilient, well-informed forest sector. At ResourceWise, we share this vision and are helping to modernize how FIA data is accessed, applied, and acted upon.

Timber Supply Analysis 360 and Carbon 360 empower users to harness the full value of FIA data without requiring advanced statistical expertise or hours of manual work. From supply chain planning to carbon reporting, these tools are making trusted forest data more usable, relevant, and impactful.