1. Forest Coordinator Training – Fieldwork and Backup Schedules
National Visitor Use Monitoring
Forest Service

2. Fieldwork Schedule
Tells you when, where & what type of survey (interview, traffic counter, or combination) is required.
The field work schedule is your friend! It tells you when, where, and what type of survey to prepare for. Please get out your fieldwork schedules for reference. If you don’t have one handy, there is an example of a fieldwork and a backup schedule in the files pod in Adobe Connect. You can click to highlight one or both of the excel documents and then click download files at the bottom of the file pod. I recommend not using the dropdown feature at the top of the file pod, as that will download the entire suite of shared files.

3. Take a look
Grab your fieldwork schedule (and back-up) and lets take a look at it.
Let’s take a look at your calendars. If you have a Survey Calendar handy, please take it out and follow along.

4. Information Includes:
Region, Forest, District
Sub-unit
Month, Day, Year
Site Name & Number
Site Type
Proxy or Non-Proxy
Sample Strata
Survey Time (AM/PM)
Notes (special instructions for counters, timeframes, etc.)
Looking from left to right across the top of the spreadsheet, each column contains important information about the survey, like the Region, Forest, District, and the Month, Day, and Year of the Survey.
Looking down the left hand side of the spreadsheet, each row contains information about the specific survey at a specific site.

5. Decoding.
Region & forest number – administrative info for interview forms and tracking.
District name – provided to help coordinators sort survey workload by district.
The first thing I do when I receive my fieldwork schedule is use filters to sort my data. You can do this by highlighting the column headers across the top of your spreadsheet and Clicking Sort & Filter and then Filter. Let me know if you need help with this and I can send you a screen capture of instructions.
So now that you are looking at your survey calendar, let’s decode some of the column headers.
Of course you are all familiar with the Region, and Forest Number, as well as the District names.
As a NVUM forest coordinator or field interviewer, you can use a filter that I mentioned to filter the calendar by District to see only the surveys on a particular district.

6. Decoding..
Sub-unit
If used, identifies which subunit the site belongs to.
Subunits were identified in inventory design (don’t guess).
When using back-up schedule, pay attention to subunit.

7. Decoding... Month, day, year– identifies the date of the survey.
Site name & number – identifies the name/location of the site and number.
Name needs to be put on forms exactly as listed in fieldwork schedule.
Number is randomly assigned by system and could be the Infra #, but may not be.

8. Decoding .... Site Type– 5 different types
DUDS – Day use Developed Site
OUDS – Overnight Use Developed Site
GFA – General Forest Area
Wilderness – Designated Wilderness
View – View Corridor

9. Decoding ..... Proxy Site Non-Proxy Site
Actual counts are separate from interviewer surveys (typically fee sites)
No counters needed
Non-Proxy Site
Automated counter set-up required
Counter left out for 24 hours

10. Decoding ...... Sample Strata – based on exiting traffic volume
Very High
High
Medium
Low
Not all forests will have all strata
Not all site types will have all strata
Strata and Use Levels were identified in inventory design (don’t guess)

11. Decoding
Survey time
The time assigned for the 6 hour interview period.
AM – 8 am to 2 pm (0800 – 1400)
PM – 2 pm to 8 pm (1400 – 2000)
Proxy sites have no AM or PM survey window – pick a 6-hour timeframe to catch highest exiting traffic volume.
The survey period can be adjusted to ensure that interviewers are not out when it’s dark.

12. Decoding………
Notes
There are four different entries in the Notes column:
Blank
Standard Protocol – Survey, Hand Tally and Traffic Count
Set up Traffic Counter Only – 8am Start
Placeholder day – if Unoccupied, Use Next Occupied Day as Substitute

13. Notes Blank cells = conduct standard protocol
GFA Low days have two different notes:
Standard protocol – interviews, hand tally counter, traffic counter
Counter only – place the traffic counter out, but no interviews

14. Standard Protocol: Standard Protocol – Non-Proxy
Set out counter
Interview for 6 hours (AM or PM)
Return to site 24 hours later and pick up counter
Standard Protocol – Proxy
Interviews for 6 hours (during peak exiting traffic)

15. Set up Traffic Counter Only:
Set up traffic counter as close to 8 am as possible
Do not conduct interviews
Leave counter out for at least 24 hours
Return and pick up counter

16. Placeholder Days
Placeholder day – if Unoccupied, Use Next Occupied Day as a Substitute:
Generally listed for group sites or recreation rentals.
Site may or may not be occupied that day.
Select the next closest day that the site is occupied to do interview.

17. Other Special Situations
Recreation Rentals can be done on the phone
Obtain contact info from reservations
Contact visitor 2-3 days after they have left site
Fill out the form as if interviewing them the day of their exit
For all proxy sites – try to avoid zero days
Reschedule interview day as needed

18. Questions… 1
Historically, there is a lot of confusion about the notes section and special situations

19. The Back-up Schedule
May be needed if special circumstances warrant alternative survey days.
Program Manager determines whether Back-up Schedule use is necessary.

20. When can you use the Back-up?
Recreation Special Event – an event is planned at the site, and it is expected to change the use level (say from Low to High).
Strategic Purposes – cannot possibly get all the equipment & interviewers to all the locations (do not use unless all other options have been exhausted).
Sick Interviewer – interviewer is sick and no one else is available.
Proxy Sites – we do not want any zero days for proxy sites (can use calendar or just select a different day).

21. When can’t you use the Back-up?
Bad weather – go to site to see if anyone is there or just take the “zero” day.
Fire closes the forest – a random event, same as bad weather days, note is on the DSF.
No/Low/Heavy Snow year – same as above, go out to site to see if anyone is recreating.
Site is closed and we thought it would be open – just the luck of the draw, take a “zero” day.
One district has too many surveys – not designated for district estimates, just forest estimates.

22. How to use the Back-up? Use the site type and use level of missed day
Find the site type in back-up schedule, then
Find the use level or proxy code, then
Pick the next available day
If this causes logistical problems, can go to next day on list
The replacement survey may not be the same site or the same district – that is OK – this is a forest sample!

23. Back-up cont. You can not “shop” for replacement days.
Pay attention to subunit when selecting day.
If there are no more days on the list, contact Don English.

24. How to fill in form…

25. Practice… Get your back-up fieldwork schedule Find a back-up for a
DUDS
Medium
After April 7, 2018

26. Questions….. 1

27. Next… Preparing for Fieldwork Background Overview Resources Costs
Technical Terms and Proxy Codes
Fieldwork and Backup Schedules
Preparing for Fieldwork
Managing the Fieldwork
Preventing Mistakes