Protocol documents

"What's the protocol?" or "What is the standard operating proceedure?" or just "How do I do this?" These are the most common questions I get. Several organizations have put together manuals (a.k.a protocols, standard operating proceedures, how to guides etc...). I am collecting links to these on this page.

It may seem confusing or counterintuitive that there should be multiple, seemingly different ways to collect and use LAI data. I ask you to look for the commonalities among these documents, however, rather than focusing on the differences. You will find there is no single "right" way to "do" LAI, and that there can be variations in things like equipment choice or area surveyed depending on your specfic research question and resources. Having said that there are elements such as high overlap, sharp imagery, scale and depth measurements (among others) that are non-negotiaable. These are the common elements that you will find in all of these protocol documents.