Permanent sampling designs utilize permanent plots and observations on successive occasions and proven to be an ideal tool for providing information on the sustainability of timber production. Are permanent sampling designs an adequate instrument to satisfy information needs concerning the sustainability of the multiple functions of forests? The example of carbon stock inventories is selected to demonstrate that permanent sampling designs are flexible instruments for inventorying and monitoring forests. The theoretical concepts of permanent samples can easily be adapted to new attributes and allow for providing a wide scope of information on wood and non-wood goods and services of forests.
