The National Forest Inventory (NFI) is being implemented to assess and monitor the extent, state, and sustainable development of Canada's forests in a timely and accurate manner. Information is collected to a set of uniform standards, enabling consistent reporting across the country on the extent and state of Canada's land base to establish a baseline of where the forest resources are and how they are changing over time. In addition to providing consistent estimates for traditional forest inventory attributes, the NFI provides a framework for collecting additional data relevant to sustainable development, forest health, biodiversity and forest productivity.