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Airborne laser scanning, collected in a sampling mode, has the potential to be a valuable tool for estimating the biomass resources available to support bioenergy production in rural communities of interior Alaska. In this study, we present a methodology for estimating forest biomass over a 201,226-ha area (of which 163,913 ha are forested) in the upper Tanana valley of interior Alaska using a combination of 79 field plots and high-density airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) collected in a sampling mode along 27 single strips (swaths) spaced approximately 2.5 km apart. A model-based approach to estimating total aboveground biomass for the area is presented. Although a design-based sampling approach (based on a probability sample of field plots) would allow for stronger inference, a model-based approach is justified when the cost of obtaining a probability sample is prohibitive. Using a …