However, they cannot convey assertions for smaller reference units well; the number of samples is often too small for statistically substantiated evaluations. Yet for the Federal and Länder governments, the inventory is a primary information source for their forest policies. The data is used to represent forestry interests in the European Union (e.g. in climate negotiations) and serves as a planning basis for industry, for example for the development and creation of processing capacities. In addition, the data are a fixed element of international reports such as those required by the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.