====== RForMen: R Forest Mensuration ======

**Our Goal:**  //RForMen// is a package of functions for performing data manipulation and analysis in **R** environment according to quantitative techniques used in Forest Mensuration and Forest Quantitative Ecology.



===== The Basic "Structure" =====

RForMen will have 3 basic compenents that should be in the same pacage because we may need functions of the different components to do a data analysis in Forest Mensuration:


==== A) ForVeg - Forest Vegetation ====

Quantitative tools for Vegetation Ecology, such as
  * //"Vegetation composition"//: quantitative analyses by (tree) species, i.e., our brand new approach to replace the old and obsolete "phytossociology" approach.
  * //"Forest structure"//: (tree) size structure analyses based on DBH distribution.
  * //"Diversity indeces"//:
  * //"Abundance models"//: (we might not need it!!!)
  * //"Taxonomic Distinctness"//:

==== B) Dendron - Dendrometric Tools ====

Toos for data manipulation at level of: stem cross-section, individual stem, and individual tree
  * __stem2tree__ - this function already exists but need some "refinisshing", it aggregates stem data to individual tree level.
  * __sec2stem__ - this one does not exists!!!  The idea is to aggregate cross-section data to stem level, i.e., to produce volume/biomass for logs and stems using: 
                * standard approaches: cubication formulas (Smalian, Huber and Newton)
                * splines
  * __tree2plot__ - new function: aggregates tree data to plot (sampling unit) level.  To points to consider:
            * density expansion factors
            * hipsometric relationship: construction and application


==== C) ForSur - Forest Survey ====

Functions that operate on plot level data to produce forest level estimates and reports.  The idea is to be able to process a **Complete Forest Inventory** in a very flexible way.  This component should be left as the last one!!

What it should be able to do?
  * Apply different sampling designs:
           * SRS - simple random sampling (the basics first)
           * Sist - sistematic sampling, possibly with computation of "intra-cluster correlation coefficiente" for variance correction when there are more than one sistematic sample in the area.
           * Strat - stratified sampling
           * DS - Double sampling
           * others . . .
  * Apply geostatistics as a "model based sampling" in Forest Surveys!!!!!!!
  * Fast report productions (let's make our lives easier!!!), with standard output tables for writing reports in LaTeX (let's make our lives A LOT easier!!!!)
  * Fast standard plot presentation functions (let's make our lives EVEN easier!!!!)


 








===== Old Friend "Phyton" =====

Our old friend "Phyton" will have to be adapted