Project Monitoring on Open Forest Protocol
This guide walks you through the steps necessary to begin monitoring tree data for your project.
Last updated
This guide walks you through the steps necessary to begin monitoring tree data for your project.
Last updated
Project Monitoring occurs for every stage of your project's lifecycle. You will repeat the following steps for every stage. When you are ready to begin the monitoring of your project, click the 'Start Project' button in the Project Operator dashboard.
IMPORTANT: ONLY click 'Start Project' when your project is ready to begin recording tree measurements, trees must already be planted. Once the countdown clock starts, you have 6 months before your first report is due. Please note that it may take a minute or two for the interface to update once you start your project.
Set up the Monitoring Zone
After you have started your project, click on 'Setup Monitoring Zone' and determine the area your organization will be collecting ground data from during this monitoring stage (monitoring stage = 6 months).
There are two options when determining your monitoring zone;
Entire Monitoring Zone - If the entire land area of your KML already has trees planted and it is operationally feasible for you to the measure all the sample plots within a 6-month period, you can select this option.
Draw a smaller zone - You can create a smaller monitoring zone within your KML for the initial 6-month stage. If for example, you are staggering your tree planting activity over several years and there are sections of the land area with no trees, you can include this land area in a later monitoring stage.
A monitoring zone should be a zone where trees have already been planted and of a minimum size of 0.3 ha. It can be the entire project area. It should NOT include buildings, lakes, etc.
Set up the Sample Plots
Provide the expected tree density once trees are mature. NOTE: Please be as accurate as you can with intended tree density as this number calculates the radius of your sample plots and determines how many trees you will measure.
The protocol will randomly place sample plots to monitor over the lifetime of your project duration.
IMPORTANT: You can move a certain percentage of generated sample plots that may of been placed in inaccessible areas or not located in a forested zone. It is important to ensure sample plots are in the best locations to measure your forest growth.
Assign Field Agents
Click on 'Assign Field Agents' and create Field Agents (with name and email) or assign existing Field Agents to sample plots for data collection.
Field Agents will receive an email (open email on mobile device) and will then be prompted to download the Forester Mobile App and will be able to see the project and sample plots to monitor.
Collect Ground Monitoring Data Please make sure your Field Agents follow the best practices to :
Prepare ground monitoring session and collect the ground data, see next page titled 'Data Collection Guide for OFP Field Agents'
Prepare and Submit Stage Report
Once forest data is collected, your Field Agents send the data back to the Project Operator Dashboard, by clicking 'Save'. It's best to do this in a wifi or strong 4G zone, including photos, it's a lot of data. Once data is uploaded to the Project Operator Dashboard, click on 'Submit Stage Report'.
IMPORTANT: Please check and verify that ALL the data is collected to a high standard, following the Standard Operating Procedures (next page), and visible before submitting the report. Coordinate and check with Field Agents if needed, submitting a report with missing or inaccurate data may result in a Denied validation.
You may add documentation and comments that could be relevant for validators. Once your stage report is ready for validation, click 'Submit Stage Report.'
Repeat this process every six months for the first two years, then annually thereafter. The following link is a video demonstrating the entire project creation process, Click Here.
