e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-2-8:

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Attached [Recommended FIA filter criteria for BIEN.docx, FIA tables and columns to import to BIEN.docx] is a description of the protocol we are recommending for filtering the FIA plots. Give it a try and let me know if you have questions.

If you want to check the meanings of different tables and columns yourself, see the most recent FIA database manual (http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/database-documentation/current/ver5.1.4/FIADB_user%20manual_5-1-4_p2_11_2012.pdf). It's a monster, but you can ignore most of it and just navigate to the table and column descriptions. Chap. 3 pages 19-26 gives a thorough description of primary and foreign keys.

Attached also is an example R script from Jes Coyle (a student of Bob Peet) showing how she compiled and filtered FIA plots for a study of eastern US forests. I include it only as an example; please use the filter criteria provided in my document, not hers.

Finally, I've  prepared a list of the columns that should be imported to BIEN, after you haver constructed the primary keys and completed filtering (Bob, Brian M, if you think anything is missing from that list, let us know).

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