Details of how to use the INBAR bamboo survey app to collect data on the field

1. Guideline for collecting data in the field
Long
Yiyin (Larry) Luo
yyluo@inbar.int

2. Field Survey with INBAR bamboo survey app
Before the filed work
• Check whether the equipment is in working condition.
• Check whether the battery is sufficient
• Check whether the required applications are installed and updated to
the latest version.
• Check whether the username
• Check whether the basemaps are correct and updated
• Look for applications that are running in the background and turn
them off before conducting the survey.

3. Point:
Point is commonly used for single or few bamboo clumps in an individual households
and in farm land.
Example pictures are as below:

4. Polyline:
Polyline can be commonly used for farm boundary planting, steam or river bank
planting. There can be single row of bamboo clumps in a line or two or three rows of
bamboo in a line

5. Polygon:
Polygon can be generally used for block planting in a farm (like a plantation). Pictures
illustrating this is shown below

6. Type of Survey
• Plantation: Plantation is used for quantification or inventory of
bamboo in homesteads and farm land. This will be the most
commonly used – as the primary objective of the bamboo application
is to quantify the bamboo resources in a particular area.
• Natural bamboo forest: Natural bamboo forest active use area
(harvest and management). Bamboo forest is forest that canopy cover
consists of at least 50% of bamboo.
• Barren land for bamboo plantation: Areas of barren land that can be
used for establishment of bamboo plantation

7. Administrative details:
• The country, regions/ provinces are already included. You cannot do
manual entry as it creates error in data analysis.
• District and other administrative units: manually input the text of
administrative units. Please ensure inputting right spelling for all the
entries.
• Name of Owner: Enter the full name of owner manually.
• Telephone Number: Enter the telephone number of owner manually. No
need to put in country code. This attribute feature is optional
• Land tenure or Land Certificate: There are three options – Yes or No or
under processing.
• FSC certificate: There are three options – Yes or No or under processing.
• Site Condition: There are three options (a) Mountainous with steep slope;
(b) gentle slope and (c) flat land

8. Rocky Soil Loamy soil
Clayey soil Sandy Soil
Type of Soil

9. Type of Bamboo
• Clump bamboo: Most of the species in Africa – Yushania alpina,
Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Bambusa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper,
Dendrocalamus giganteus, etc are belonging to clumping variety. It is
alternatively called as sympodial bamboo.
• Running bamboo: This is monopodial bamboo; applies to
Phyllostatchys species found in Madagascar, Uganda (imported from
China). It is also called monopodial bamboo

10. Clumping Bamboo (Above)
Running bamboo

11. clump bamboo
Age of bamboo forest
Age of plantation means the age of bamboo clumps. There are different options (1,2,3,4,5,6,7-10,
11-20, 21-30, 30+years). Age of natural forest: select N/A (Not Available)
Type of plantation:
• Household Planting: One of few bamboo clumps planted in their household or in homestead or in
their farm.
• Farm Boundary planting: Bamboo planted on farm boundaries
• Block Planting (farm): Planted on farm land as block plantation
• Shelter belt: Bamboo planted to protect river bank erosion, etc
• Communal / forest planting: Block planting in communal or forest land
Type of natural bamboo forest:
• Production bamboo forest
• Protection bamboo forest

12. Yushania
alpina (or
commonly
known as
African
highland
bamboo)
Oxytenanther
a abyssinica
(Commonly
known as
African
lowland
bamboo)
Type of bamboo Species

13. Dendrocalam
us giganteus
Bambusa
vulgaris
(yellow)

14. Bambusa
vulgaris
(Green)
Dendrocalamu
s
membranaceu
s
Bambusa
multiplex

15. Dendrocalamus
asper
Cephalostachyum
pergracile
Dendrocalamus
yunnanesis

17. Dendrocalamus
strictus
Dendrocalamus
hamiltonii

18. Bambusa tulda
Dendrocalamu
s longispathus

19. Bambus
a
bambos
Valiha
diffusa

20. What is a clump ? : A cluster of bamboo poles which are inter-connected
or belonging to a single bamboo plant
Number of Clumps: Count the number of clumps in the mapped area and
input it
Measure bamboo in small area(< 1ha)?

21. Average Clump Area: Identify the representative clump among the
different clumps in a point, polyline or polygon and measure the area.
Clump Area = Length X Width (LX W). Once the input of L X W is done,
the application automatically calculates the area of the clump. Please
note, the measurement are in meters.

22. Age of bamboo
Year 1 :located in outer periphery; culm sheath, white hairs and bright
and appealing in color
Year 2: inside perimeter of clump; it is dull in color and have slightly
weathered having slight moulds growth on the outer skin. It is dull
coloured than year 1 bamboo pole and less appealing.
Year 3 and year 3+ : bamboo poles are generally located on center of
clumps, due to weathering and environmental factors, it has high
degree of moulds and fungal growth on surface. As a thumb rule, older
the bamboo poles, it has more mould and fungal growth; thereby more
uglier on the outside surface.

23. Year 1 (<1 Year) Year 2 (1-2 year) Year 3 (2-3 years) Year 3+

24. Average culm / pole height:
Use the bamboo poles cut down by the farmers to measure the
average pole height.

25. Average Clump Diameter:
estimated or measure the diameter of clump.
Average Clump Height:
• the bamboo poles are bent down from the top, estimating few
bamboo clumps
• measure the bamboo poles which are cut down by the farmers to
measure average clump height.
• altimeter

26. Average culm or pole diameter (cm).
Measurement is in Cm. The measurement can be taken at DBH or 150 cm height.
Circumference can be measured and the converted into Diameter
Option 1: Diameter = circumference / Pi or 3.14
Option 2: Just measure the diameter using calliper or meter tape

27. Culm / Pole internodal length (cm)
If there are culms / pole already cut down by the farmers, select the longest and
measure culm intermodal length

28. Culm / pole wall thickness
Measure the culm or pole wall thickness at the bottom portion for culm
of year 3. Use Vernier calliper or meter tape. The measurement is in
cm.

29. Measure running bamboo
• Since the bamboos are not clumped, the number of pole needs to be
estimated for 10 Sq. M. Make three plots, count the number of poles
in each plot; average it and input the number of poles in 10 Sq. M
area.
• All the other attributes for inputs remains the same.

30. Measure Bamboo in Large area(great than 1 ha)
• Lay out some sample plots of 100 m2 each for measurement and
calculation of average parameters: (number of sample plots depends on
the size and heterogeneity of the areas)
• Number of clump per ha:
• Average clump diameter:
• Average clump height:
• Average number of pole per clump:
• Average culm height
• Average DBH(diameter at breast height)
• Average wall thickness:
• Average internode:

31. HARVESTING
This is mainly used by industries / entrepreneurs who purchase bamboo from farmers
to document the benefits to farmers due to bamboo pole supply. This is mainly used
when the supply chain is established, and the industries are procuring bamboo from
the farmers.
• All the other attributes are same as “plantation”
Approx. Date of harvesting:
Method of harvesting (a) mature pole (3+ years harvesting) (b) random harvesting.
Average number of culms harvested per year:
Average cost of culm /poles (in respective currency): Input the cost of bamboo pole
in your currency. No need to include currency before the numbers.
Condition of clump: (a) healthy and (b) unhealthy.
If the clumps have good proposition of year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 and the emerging
new poles are of good size (similar to old ones), then the clumps are healthy or the
clumps are unhealthy. There should be more number of younger poles (Year 1 and
Year 2) and less number of bamboo poles of more than 3 years standing in the clumps

32. HARVESTING
Silvicultural treatment: Age marking; rotational harvesting; Thinning;
Soil mounding
Note of Survey:
• If there is anything unusual observed during the survey that can be
recorded.
• Alternatively, this can also be used for “sustainable management
observation”. Map the area of forest / plantation brought under
sustainable management and harvesting and enter the attribute data.

33. Disturbance
Type of disturbance:
• Fire
• Disease
• Insect and Pests
• Over/Unsustainable Harvesting
• Illegal Harvesting
• Storm/Flood/Landslides
• Flowering
• Grazing
• Others

34. Thank you!
www.inbar.int
Yiyin Luo
yyluo@inbar.int