National forest inventories (NFIs) have been conducted in Sweden since 1923 to provide information for deci- sion-making at national and regional levels. Today it is clear that the forest is much more than a resource for timber production. Long-term forest planning must consider many different uses of the forest including recreational opportunities, preservation of natural for- est, and maintenance of biodiversity. New needs con- tinue to arise, such as the requirement for improved environmental monitoring throughout Sweden. There is also a large and growing need for the NFI to present data for much small geographic areas than is presently possible, and to do so more frequently. Airborne lidar (light detection and ranging) systems have primarily been used to study sea ice and ocean surface characteristics, and to generate near-shore depth