West Fork Timber Company (WFTC) is a private timber company that manages approximately 54,000 acres on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. West Fork's goal was to develop a long-term harvest plan that would improve asset value over time, while simultaneously ensuring that habitat requirements set forth in their Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) would be realized. The primary constraint set forth in the HCP is the maintenance of a unique Dispersal Landscape Index (DLI) within a narrow (+/- 5%) range of pre-determined levels for the life of the HCP. The DLI is derived by assigning different values to areas within specific distances of existing dispersal habitat (DH) in a complex formula; the dispersal habitat (DH) values are then summed and divided by the total number of acres in the forest to arrive at a DLI value for the ownership. This paper discusses DLI calculation and the challenges involved in modeling this problem, including the types of constraints needed in the strategic model, the spatial allocation of activities associated with existing and future stands in a Model II framework, and the development of a rapid DLI calculator to facilitate the evaluation of alternatives. Overall, West Fork was able to meet objective of higher returns from the forest while simultaneously demonstrating improvement in dispersal habitat over the next four decades.
THE EFFECTS OF CLEARCUT SIZE ON THE BIRD COMMUNITY IN THE SECOND COLLEGE GRANTjoshmooney
Abstract. This study examines the effects of forest opening (clearcut) size on the surrounding forest-bird community with the objective of offering management suggestions for foresters who employ the clearcut method. I hypothesized that large and small clearcuts would have different effects on the forest-bird assemblage associated with each. I used the point-count method to assess bird abundance in clearcuts, on the edges, and 100 m into the forest from the edges of large and small clearcuts. I found that Neotropical migrant birds and forest-interior birds were the most affected by large clearcuts showing significantly lower abundance in forest areas 100 m from large clearcut edges than in forest areas 100 m from small clearcuts. Edge-open birds were more abundant in large clearcut openings and edges than in small clearcut openings and edges. Blue jays (an avian nest predator) were more abundant on the edges of large clearcuts than on the edges of small clearcuts. A recent study found that forest-interior bird abundance levels off after 100 m distance from small (0.4 ha) forest openings. This result combined with my findings suggest that small openings in the Second College Grant represent less of a disturbance to Neotropical migrants and forest-interior birds. Additionally, given higher abundances of an avian nest predator in large clearcuts, reproductive success could be much lower in areas associated with large clearcuts. Some species such as the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), however preferred large clearcuts suggesting that there are some benefits to overall bird abundance by including large clearcuts in a managed landscape.
This study investigated how vegetation characteristics influence grassland bird biodiversity in restored prairies in Southwest Michigan. Bird and vegetation surveys found significant differences between restored prairies and other grasslands in regards to obligate grassland birds. Obligate grassland birds preferred grasslands with greater litter depth, taller vegetation, higher vertical density, and a higher percentage of cool-season plants than what was found in restored prairies. Mixed-management grasslands had higher numbers of obligate grassland birds than restored prairies. The results help inform management of restored prairies to increase grassland bird biodiversity.
This document summarizes research on the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) in Pacific Northwest forests of the USA. Key points:
- Flying squirrels are a keystone species that disperse fungi and are an important prey source. They tend to be most abundant in old growth forests over 100 years old.
- Life history attributes like body mass, reproduction, and density vary between geographic regions and between managed and old growth forests.
- The author conducted long-term research trapping and tracking flying squirrels across different forest types to understand patterns of abundance and ecology. This research provides insights for forest management to conserve biodiversity.
A framework for assessing and projecting climate change effects on forest com...Jennifer Costanza
Presented at US-IALE annual meeting in Baltimore, MD. We are using hierarchical classification to produce an empirical set of forest tree assemblages for use in projection, assessment, and monitoring of global change effects on forest communities.
This document summarizes a study on the regeneration of woodland vegetation after deer browsing in Sharon Woods Metro Park in Ohio. Key findings include:
1) Deer densities in the park were reduced from 347 deer (112 deer/km2) in 1992 to around 40 deer (14 deer/km2) currently through culling and birth control.
2) Deer exclosures established in 1990 showed that vegetation diversity and biomass recovered more under complete protection from browsing compared to areas still experiencing browsing.
3) Species richness, diversity, and floristic quality of forest floor species were consistently lower under continued browsing, where more disturbance-tolerant native species increased.
4) Further reduction of
Rangelands are more than just grass but rather complex and biodiverse ecosystems. Covering nearly half the world’s land area, they are in need of restoration and sustainable management.
This document summarizes a student project studying the northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) population on brownfield sites in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. The student aims to compare lapwing populations on brownfield sites classified as Open Mosaic Habitats on Previously Developed Land (OMH) to populations found on preferred habitats like wetlands and farmland. Over the breeding season, the student will count and statistically analyze lapwing numbers on brownfield sites versus ideal habitats. The results will help determine if brownfield sites provide important foraging and breeding habitat for the declining lapwing species.
The document evaluates different ensemble classifiers for mapping Natura 2000 heathland habitats in Belgium using spaceborne CHRIS/Proba hyperspectral imagery. Random Forest, Adaboost, and Support Vector Machines were tested on nadir and multi-angular imagery. Overall accuracy improved when using multi-angular vs nadir imagery alone. Random Forest achieved the highest mean class accuracies while Support Vector Machines had the highest overall accuracies but did not improve as much with additional features. Parameter tuning was faster for Random Forest and Adaboost compared to Support Vector Machines. Classification accuracy was generally lower for Calluna and Erica dominated habitats compared to Molinia dominated habitats. Future sensors covering a wider spectral range may further increase
THE EFFECTS OF CLEARCUT SIZE ON THE BIRD COMMUNITY IN THE SECOND COLLEGE GRANTjoshmooney
Abstract. This study examines the effects of forest opening (clearcut) size on the surrounding forest-bird community with the objective of offering management suggestions for foresters who employ the clearcut method. I hypothesized that large and small clearcuts would have different effects on the forest-bird assemblage associated with each. I used the point-count method to assess bird abundance in clearcuts, on the edges, and 100 m into the forest from the edges of large and small clearcuts. I found that Neotropical migrant birds and forest-interior birds were the most affected by large clearcuts showing significantly lower abundance in forest areas 100 m from large clearcut edges than in forest areas 100 m from small clearcuts. Edge-open birds were more abundant in large clearcut openings and edges than in small clearcut openings and edges. Blue jays (an avian nest predator) were more abundant on the edges of large clearcuts than on the edges of small clearcuts. A recent study found that forest-interior bird abundance levels off after 100 m distance from small (0.4 ha) forest openings. This result combined with my findings suggest that small openings in the Second College Grant represent less of a disturbance to Neotropical migrants and forest-interior birds. Additionally, given higher abundances of an avian nest predator in large clearcuts, reproductive success could be much lower in areas associated with large clearcuts. Some species such as the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), however preferred large clearcuts suggesting that there are some benefits to overall bird abundance by including large clearcuts in a managed landscape.
This study investigated how vegetation characteristics influence grassland bird biodiversity in restored prairies in Southwest Michigan. Bird and vegetation surveys found significant differences between restored prairies and other grasslands in regards to obligate grassland birds. Obligate grassland birds preferred grasslands with greater litter depth, taller vegetation, higher vertical density, and a higher percentage of cool-season plants than what was found in restored prairies. Mixed-management grasslands had higher numbers of obligate grassland birds than restored prairies. The results help inform management of restored prairies to increase grassland bird biodiversity.
This document summarizes research on the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) in Pacific Northwest forests of the USA. Key points:
- Flying squirrels are a keystone species that disperse fungi and are an important prey source. They tend to be most abundant in old growth forests over 100 years old.
- Life history attributes like body mass, reproduction, and density vary between geographic regions and between managed and old growth forests.
- The author conducted long-term research trapping and tracking flying squirrels across different forest types to understand patterns of abundance and ecology. This research provides insights for forest management to conserve biodiversity.
A framework for assessing and projecting climate change effects on forest com...Jennifer Costanza
Presented at US-IALE annual meeting in Baltimore, MD. We are using hierarchical classification to produce an empirical set of forest tree assemblages for use in projection, assessment, and monitoring of global change effects on forest communities.
This document summarizes a study on the regeneration of woodland vegetation after deer browsing in Sharon Woods Metro Park in Ohio. Key findings include:
1) Deer densities in the park were reduced from 347 deer (112 deer/km2) in 1992 to around 40 deer (14 deer/km2) currently through culling and birth control.
2) Deer exclosures established in 1990 showed that vegetation diversity and biomass recovered more under complete protection from browsing compared to areas still experiencing browsing.
3) Species richness, diversity, and floristic quality of forest floor species were consistently lower under continued browsing, where more disturbance-tolerant native species increased.
4) Further reduction of
Rangelands are more than just grass but rather complex and biodiverse ecosystems. Covering nearly half the world’s land area, they are in need of restoration and sustainable management.
This document summarizes a student project studying the northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) population on brownfield sites in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. The student aims to compare lapwing populations on brownfield sites classified as Open Mosaic Habitats on Previously Developed Land (OMH) to populations found on preferred habitats like wetlands and farmland. Over the breeding season, the student will count and statistically analyze lapwing numbers on brownfield sites versus ideal habitats. The results will help determine if brownfield sites provide important foraging and breeding habitat for the declining lapwing species.
The document evaluates different ensemble classifiers for mapping Natura 2000 heathland habitats in Belgium using spaceborne CHRIS/Proba hyperspectral imagery. Random Forest, Adaboost, and Support Vector Machines were tested on nadir and multi-angular imagery. Overall accuracy improved when using multi-angular vs nadir imagery alone. Random Forest achieved the highest mean class accuracies while Support Vector Machines had the highest overall accuracies but did not improve as much with additional features. Parameter tuning was faster for Random Forest and Adaboost compared to Support Vector Machines. Classification accuracy was generally lower for Calluna and Erica dominated habitats compared to Molinia dominated habitats. Future sensors covering a wider spectral range may further increase
The document evaluates different ensemble classifiers for mapping Natura 2000 heathland habitats in Belgium using spaceborne CHRIS/Proba hyperspectral imagery. Random Forest, Adaboost, and Support Vector Machines were tested on nadir and multi-angular imagery. Overall accuracy improved when using multi-angular vs nadir imagery alone. Support Vector Machines achieved the highest accuracy but saw little improvement from additional features, while Random Forest had the best mean class accuracy. Parameter tuning was fastest for Random Forest and Adaboost. Classification of Calluna and Erica dominated habitats remained challenging with 38-58% accuracy.
EverCrop aims to develop improved farming systems for the crop-livestock zone incorporating perennials. It addresses constraints to adopting perennials and develops tools to evaluate their role. Experiments are conducted across rainfall zones to determine the productivity and tradeoffs of incorporating perennials into low rainfall cropping systems. Research includes modelling fodder shrub growth, measuring saltbush and Rhagodia preisii performance across landscapes, and evaluating summer-growing grasses to fill feed gaps in the Victorian Mallee.
This study analyzed land use change and current forest structure at the Howard Falls Land Trust property in northwestern Pennsylvania using aerial photographs from 1939 to 1992 and tree core samples. The property experienced a shift from 43% cultivated land in 1939 to 63% forested land by 1992. Forest patches on the property ranged in age from at least 25 to over 75 years old based on the aerial photo analysis and tree core dating. Red maple dominated both the tree density and basal area in all seven forest plots sampled, though tree species richness across the plots was 10 species. The results indicate the property's forest development follows typical patterns observed in other former agricultural areas of the eastern deciduous forest region.
4 ijfaf feb-2018-3-effect of different growth mediaAI Publications
Cordiaafricana(Lam.)is an economically and ecologically important component tree species of the Bamenda Highlands Forest which is under threat from over-exploitation. There is a need to develop high quality planting stock for increased availability and sustainability of the species. A study was carried out at the National Forestry Development Agency (ANAFOR) in Bamenda, North West of Cameroon, to evaluate the effect ofgrowth medium on sprouting and growth of vegetatively propagated C.africana(Lam.). Hardwood cuttings from lower branches of trees were grown in sand, sawdust, and a 1:1 sand: sawdust mixture in a non-mist propagator for three months. Data on percentage sprouting, days to sprouting, number of shoots, shoot height, stem diameter, stem volume, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, and leaf area were subjected to analysis of variance(ANOVA) and Scheffé’s multiple means comparison test at 5% level of probability. While sawdust significantly reduced values of all the plant traits, no significant differences were detected between sand and the sand: sawdust mixture. The results show that sand and 1:1 sawdust: sand are suitable alternatives for propagation of C. africana(Lam.)from branch cuttings.
Ecological Forestry in Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Forests of the Pac...Lily Tidwell
Ecological forestry is an emerging concept in the field of forest management based on silvicultural techniques that emulate natural disturbance regimes, thus preserving a relatively natural functioning forest ecosystem. This paper discusses the application of these concepts in Douglas-Fir forests of the Pacific Northwestern United States.
EcoSummit: Ecological Complexity and Sustainability, China 2007 Dr. Amalesh Dhar
The document compares the structural diversity and population characteristics of two English yew populations in Austrian gene conservation forests. It finds that population B has smaller and younger yews than population A, but with better overall vitality. Higher interspecific competition is associated with lower vitality for individual yews. Management recommendations include reducing interspecific competition through selective thinning to improve yew population viability long-term.
Growth, yield and economic returns of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophth...Md. Atick Chowdhury
The influence of stocking density plays one of the major roles in the final production for profitable aquaculture. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of stocking density on growth, yield and economic return of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). The fish were reared in cages at three different stocking densities. Fishes were stocked at 19, 22 and 25 fish/m3 densities indicated as T1, T2 and T3. After 90 days of the experimental period, growth and yield parameters were studied and economic analysis regarding farm profitability was carried out. Fish growth performance significantly decreased with increasing stocking density. The mean yields were 12.27 ± 0.08, 14.00 ± 0.14 and 15.01 ± 0.20 kg/m3 in T1, T2 and T3, respectively and showed significant variations (P < 0.05) with increasing stocking density. RGR, SGR, PER between 19 and 22 fish/m3 were not significantly different, but they were significantly higher than 25 fish/m3. The FCR was significantly lower in 19 and 22 fish/m3 than the 25 fish/m3 stocked cages. Environmental parameters were within the acceptable range. The benefit-cost analysis revealed significantly higher BCR in 19 and 22 fish/m3. Overall, best farm profitability was achieved from the stocking density of 22 fish/m3 among three stocking densities experimented in the study.
Wildlife corridors are areas of habitat that connect separate areas of similar habitat and allow animal movement and gene flow between populations. They are important for maintaining biodiversity as they help counteract the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Effective corridors should be wide and maintain natural vegetation and habitat. They enable species migration and support genetic diversity. Management aims to enhance habitat quality and protect ecological processes within corridors. The Siju-Rewak Corridor in India links two protected areas and preserves an important elephant crossing point along the Simsang River.
This study investigated the effects of slope position, gap size, and competition on the survival and growth of American chestnut hybrids and tulip poplar seedlings planted in experimental plots in Virginia over seven years. Chestnut saplings grew best in large gaps with mesic soil but only significantly differed from growth in large gaps with xeric soil. Chestnut survival was higher in plots on upper slopes due to lower rodent predation on lower slopes. Both chestnut and tulip poplar grew best and survived best in small gaps with xeric soil where competition was lowest.
Effect of selective logging on the flora composition in the rainforest of GhanaHopeson Eli Etsra
Selective logging has been used as a management tool in Ghana's forest reserves. This study assessed the effects of selective logging on species composition in Asenanyo River Forest Reserve. The study found 104 species from 33 families in logged and unlogged sites. Species diversity was high across all sites and not significantly different. Though species composition varied between sites, selective logging had no real impact on overall composition and abundance. The study concluded that selective logging can be used sustainably in Ghana's forests when proper felling cycles and techniques are followed.
Ring-tailed lemurs were once widely distributed throughout parts of southern and southwestern Madagascar, but their populations have sharply declined in recent decades due to habitat loss and hunting. A recent survey of 34 sites found that ring-tailed lemurs have been extirpated from 15 sites and their numbers have dwindled to under 30 individuals at 12 sites. Only 3 sites still contain populations over 200 animals. With an estimated total of just 2,000-2,400 ring-tailed lemurs remaining in Madagascar, the species may become extinct in the wild in the near future if threats are not addressed.
This presentation provides an overview of a field-based practical exercise that allows students in forestry, ecology and natural resources to develop their understanding of forest stand dynamics. The exercise involves measurement of key tree growth parameters in four even-aged, single-species plantation stands of different age but occupying sites with similar soil and environmental characteristics. The selected stands represent key stages in stand development, from establishment to rotation age for fibre production. In the field, students work in small teams to gather data from an equal number of plots within each stand. Tree parameters include top height, crown diameter, live crown ratio and diameter at breast height. In addition, information on stand density and understorey vegetation is collected. Plot size and number can be varied to suit the constraints of class size and available time, though circular plots of 100 m2 are recommended. In the classroom, data are pooled and analysis focuses on presenting tree and vegetation changes through time. The simplest way of interpreting the data is to prepare graphs and charts for each of the parameters, though more advanced statistical interpretations are possible. The project as outlined here can be modified to meet the needs of different groups, and has been successfully used in undergraduate teaching of silviculture and forest ecology, as well as in postgraduate courses in natural resources management.
Download Paper at URL: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/254307252_The_development_of_even-aged_plantation_forests_an_exercise_in_forest_stand_dynamics
Influence of some site factors on germinative parameters of Quercus seedsAI Publications
The genus Quercus has a high economic and ecological potential in Mexico. Nonetheless, its populations are reducing yearly, which demands the implementation of efficient management strategies to preserve them. To determine germinating capacity of seeds, and to learn about their relationship with some conditions of collecting sites (latitude N, accumulated degree-days >5 C in the frozen-free period (AD), precipitation of growing season (PGS)) we used information of seeds and collecting sites for natural populations of Quercus crassifolia, Q. jonesii, Q. polymorpha and Q. potosina. We determined that Q. potosina, the northernmost population; showed higher values of seeds mean weight, percentage of germinated seeds (PGS), average germination time (AGT), peak value (PV), and germination energy (GE), than other species. Q. polymorpha also showed high mean values of seeds weight, PGS, PV, and GE and it was collected at northern latitudes near those of Q. crassifolia and Q. jonesii. Q. jonesii was the southernmost population and showed lower values in these parameters. On the other hand, the analysis also determined that Q. jonesii, Q. plymorpha, and Q. potosina had quicker germination than Q. crassifolia. We inferred that for the species in the analyzed sites, increasing PGS improves sites conditions, which promotes better germination of germplasm.
This document describes a study that used GIS and satellite imagery to identify breeding habitat characteristics of the Coastal Forest Merlin falcon in Washington and British Columbia. Researchers analyzed landscape variables within 8km plots centered on known nest sites and random sites between 1986-2013. They found that habitat edges, heterogeneity, and richness were most significant for Merlin breeding. The results are intended to inform conservation decisions to protect valuable habitat for this species.
This document discusses the importance of wildlife corridors and their status in Nepal. It notes that wildlife corridors are important as they allow the movement and migration of wildlife, provide habitat, and enable gene exchange between populations. The document reports that Nepal has identified seven corridors in the Terai Arc Landscape, and that major threats include land use change, infrastructure development, grazing, and logging. It concludes that corridor conservation has been initiated by governments and organizations, and recommends that Nepal establish policies and incentives to support connectivity conservation.
This study analyzed the diet and habitat use of five frugivorous bird species in agroforest home gardens, secondary forests, and pastures in Brazil. The researchers found that overall habitat use frequency was higher in secondary forests than home gardens or pastures for four of the five bird species. However, the number of feeding bouts was higher in home gardens than forests for all species except one. Differences in monthly feeding activity were only statistically significant for two species. The total number of food taxa was larger in home gardens than forests. The results support agroforestry systems as an important habitat for frugivorous birds.
This document summarizes a study that analyzed fern species richness along an elevational gradient in central Nepal from 100-4800 meters above sea level. The study found a unimodal relationship between species richness and elevation, with the maximum number of fern species occurring at 2000 meters. Fern species richness was found to have a unimodal response to energy gradients and a linear response to moisture gradients. The peak in fern species coincided with elevations that have higher moisture levels due to more rainy days and presence in the cloud zone.
Presented by Patrick Woerner and John Reiser at the Northeast Arc Users Group, November 10, 2015.
Wildlife habitat change trend information is a necessary and fundamental component for successful assessment and management of wildlife species. Habitat loss and fragmentation continue to be the two most serious threats to wildlife populations. To effectively protect endangered and threatened species populations and to evaluate protection and management efforts, it is important for wildlife agencies to actively identify and monitor habitat for each listed species. New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife adopted a habitat change analysis approach to track wildlife habitat transition and fragmentation trends over time. The programmatic GIS analysis approach extracts potential habitat from available Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data based on species habitat associations and range extents. The analysis spans four time periods between 1986 and 2012. Analysis outputs provide readily available, up-to-date, multi-level, species-specific habitat change information to support agency initiatives. Resulting maps and data serve as a guide to help prioritize work for particular species and their habitats and provide baseline information for the development of species status assessments and recovery plans. Outputs also provide a basis for additional analyses such as evaluating habitat change in regulated vs. unregulated areas, evaluating habitat conservation planning efforts, and other land-use planning, land management and preservation efforts.
Amazing students of gyan vihar university jaipur with social commitments ch...Dr. Trilok Kumar Jain
The document discusses an amazing student at Suresh Gyan Vihar University named Mr. Chinmaya who has started social initiatives like organizing cleanliness drives, health awareness campaigns, and encouraging cycling. He founded an NGO called ECO PADDLERS in 2012 to promote these causes. The document interviews Mr. Chinmaya about the various social activities he has organized over the years to raise public awareness on health, environment and civic issues. He discusses the challenges faced in encouraging behavior change and working with government bureaucracies. Mr. Chinmaya is also launching a social networking platform called kinglemingle.com to empower youth.
This case study profiles Ajay Chopra, an innovative entrepreneur in the media industry. [1] Chopra draws on a variety of experiences, including working in over 50 different businesses, to inform his innovative approach. [2] He emphasizes the importance of understanding ground realities and making connections between diverse experiences. [3] Chopra's ability to find opportunities to add value, such as constructing an open-air theater to support a cultural event, demonstrates his innovative mindset.
The document evaluates different ensemble classifiers for mapping Natura 2000 heathland habitats in Belgium using spaceborne CHRIS/Proba hyperspectral imagery. Random Forest, Adaboost, and Support Vector Machines were tested on nadir and multi-angular imagery. Overall accuracy improved when using multi-angular vs nadir imagery alone. Support Vector Machines achieved the highest accuracy but saw little improvement from additional features, while Random Forest had the best mean class accuracy. Parameter tuning was fastest for Random Forest and Adaboost. Classification of Calluna and Erica dominated habitats remained challenging with 38-58% accuracy.
EverCrop aims to develop improved farming systems for the crop-livestock zone incorporating perennials. It addresses constraints to adopting perennials and develops tools to evaluate their role. Experiments are conducted across rainfall zones to determine the productivity and tradeoffs of incorporating perennials into low rainfall cropping systems. Research includes modelling fodder shrub growth, measuring saltbush and Rhagodia preisii performance across landscapes, and evaluating summer-growing grasses to fill feed gaps in the Victorian Mallee.
This study analyzed land use change and current forest structure at the Howard Falls Land Trust property in northwestern Pennsylvania using aerial photographs from 1939 to 1992 and tree core samples. The property experienced a shift from 43% cultivated land in 1939 to 63% forested land by 1992. Forest patches on the property ranged in age from at least 25 to over 75 years old based on the aerial photo analysis and tree core dating. Red maple dominated both the tree density and basal area in all seven forest plots sampled, though tree species richness across the plots was 10 species. The results indicate the property's forest development follows typical patterns observed in other former agricultural areas of the eastern deciduous forest region.
4 ijfaf feb-2018-3-effect of different growth mediaAI Publications
Cordiaafricana(Lam.)is an economically and ecologically important component tree species of the Bamenda Highlands Forest which is under threat from over-exploitation. There is a need to develop high quality planting stock for increased availability and sustainability of the species. A study was carried out at the National Forestry Development Agency (ANAFOR) in Bamenda, North West of Cameroon, to evaluate the effect ofgrowth medium on sprouting and growth of vegetatively propagated C.africana(Lam.). Hardwood cuttings from lower branches of trees were grown in sand, sawdust, and a 1:1 sand: sawdust mixture in a non-mist propagator for three months. Data on percentage sprouting, days to sprouting, number of shoots, shoot height, stem diameter, stem volume, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, and leaf area were subjected to analysis of variance(ANOVA) and Scheffé’s multiple means comparison test at 5% level of probability. While sawdust significantly reduced values of all the plant traits, no significant differences were detected between sand and the sand: sawdust mixture. The results show that sand and 1:1 sawdust: sand are suitable alternatives for propagation of C. africana(Lam.)from branch cuttings.
Ecological Forestry in Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Forests of the Pac...Lily Tidwell
Ecological forestry is an emerging concept in the field of forest management based on silvicultural techniques that emulate natural disturbance regimes, thus preserving a relatively natural functioning forest ecosystem. This paper discusses the application of these concepts in Douglas-Fir forests of the Pacific Northwestern United States.
EcoSummit: Ecological Complexity and Sustainability, China 2007 Dr. Amalesh Dhar
The document compares the structural diversity and population characteristics of two English yew populations in Austrian gene conservation forests. It finds that population B has smaller and younger yews than population A, but with better overall vitality. Higher interspecific competition is associated with lower vitality for individual yews. Management recommendations include reducing interspecific competition through selective thinning to improve yew population viability long-term.
Growth, yield and economic returns of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophth...Md. Atick Chowdhury
The influence of stocking density plays one of the major roles in the final production for profitable aquaculture. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of stocking density on growth, yield and economic return of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). The fish were reared in cages at three different stocking densities. Fishes were stocked at 19, 22 and 25 fish/m3 densities indicated as T1, T2 and T3. After 90 days of the experimental period, growth and yield parameters were studied and economic analysis regarding farm profitability was carried out. Fish growth performance significantly decreased with increasing stocking density. The mean yields were 12.27 ± 0.08, 14.00 ± 0.14 and 15.01 ± 0.20 kg/m3 in T1, T2 and T3, respectively and showed significant variations (P < 0.05) with increasing stocking density. RGR, SGR, PER between 19 and 22 fish/m3 were not significantly different, but they were significantly higher than 25 fish/m3. The FCR was significantly lower in 19 and 22 fish/m3 than the 25 fish/m3 stocked cages. Environmental parameters were within the acceptable range. The benefit-cost analysis revealed significantly higher BCR in 19 and 22 fish/m3. Overall, best farm profitability was achieved from the stocking density of 22 fish/m3 among three stocking densities experimented in the study.
Wildlife corridors are areas of habitat that connect separate areas of similar habitat and allow animal movement and gene flow between populations. They are important for maintaining biodiversity as they help counteract the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Effective corridors should be wide and maintain natural vegetation and habitat. They enable species migration and support genetic diversity. Management aims to enhance habitat quality and protect ecological processes within corridors. The Siju-Rewak Corridor in India links two protected areas and preserves an important elephant crossing point along the Simsang River.
This study investigated the effects of slope position, gap size, and competition on the survival and growth of American chestnut hybrids and tulip poplar seedlings planted in experimental plots in Virginia over seven years. Chestnut saplings grew best in large gaps with mesic soil but only significantly differed from growth in large gaps with xeric soil. Chestnut survival was higher in plots on upper slopes due to lower rodent predation on lower slopes. Both chestnut and tulip poplar grew best and survived best in small gaps with xeric soil where competition was lowest.
Effect of selective logging on the flora composition in the rainforest of GhanaHopeson Eli Etsra
Selective logging has been used as a management tool in Ghana's forest reserves. This study assessed the effects of selective logging on species composition in Asenanyo River Forest Reserve. The study found 104 species from 33 families in logged and unlogged sites. Species diversity was high across all sites and not significantly different. Though species composition varied between sites, selective logging had no real impact on overall composition and abundance. The study concluded that selective logging can be used sustainably in Ghana's forests when proper felling cycles and techniques are followed.
Ring-tailed lemurs were once widely distributed throughout parts of southern and southwestern Madagascar, but their populations have sharply declined in recent decades due to habitat loss and hunting. A recent survey of 34 sites found that ring-tailed lemurs have been extirpated from 15 sites and their numbers have dwindled to under 30 individuals at 12 sites. Only 3 sites still contain populations over 200 animals. With an estimated total of just 2,000-2,400 ring-tailed lemurs remaining in Madagascar, the species may become extinct in the wild in the near future if threats are not addressed.
This presentation provides an overview of a field-based practical exercise that allows students in forestry, ecology and natural resources to develop their understanding of forest stand dynamics. The exercise involves measurement of key tree growth parameters in four even-aged, single-species plantation stands of different age but occupying sites with similar soil and environmental characteristics. The selected stands represent key stages in stand development, from establishment to rotation age for fibre production. In the field, students work in small teams to gather data from an equal number of plots within each stand. Tree parameters include top height, crown diameter, live crown ratio and diameter at breast height. In addition, information on stand density and understorey vegetation is collected. Plot size and number can be varied to suit the constraints of class size and available time, though circular plots of 100 m2 are recommended. In the classroom, data are pooled and analysis focuses on presenting tree and vegetation changes through time. The simplest way of interpreting the data is to prepare graphs and charts for each of the parameters, though more advanced statistical interpretations are possible. The project as outlined here can be modified to meet the needs of different groups, and has been successfully used in undergraduate teaching of silviculture and forest ecology, as well as in postgraduate courses in natural resources management.
Download Paper at URL: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/254307252_The_development_of_even-aged_plantation_forests_an_exercise_in_forest_stand_dynamics
Influence of some site factors on germinative parameters of Quercus seedsAI Publications
The genus Quercus has a high economic and ecological potential in Mexico. Nonetheless, its populations are reducing yearly, which demands the implementation of efficient management strategies to preserve them. To determine germinating capacity of seeds, and to learn about their relationship with some conditions of collecting sites (latitude N, accumulated degree-days >5 C in the frozen-free period (AD), precipitation of growing season (PGS)) we used information of seeds and collecting sites for natural populations of Quercus crassifolia, Q. jonesii, Q. polymorpha and Q. potosina. We determined that Q. potosina, the northernmost population; showed higher values of seeds mean weight, percentage of germinated seeds (PGS), average germination time (AGT), peak value (PV), and germination energy (GE), than other species. Q. polymorpha also showed high mean values of seeds weight, PGS, PV, and GE and it was collected at northern latitudes near those of Q. crassifolia and Q. jonesii. Q. jonesii was the southernmost population and showed lower values in these parameters. On the other hand, the analysis also determined that Q. jonesii, Q. plymorpha, and Q. potosina had quicker germination than Q. crassifolia. We inferred that for the species in the analyzed sites, increasing PGS improves sites conditions, which promotes better germination of germplasm.
This document describes a study that used GIS and satellite imagery to identify breeding habitat characteristics of the Coastal Forest Merlin falcon in Washington and British Columbia. Researchers analyzed landscape variables within 8km plots centered on known nest sites and random sites between 1986-2013. They found that habitat edges, heterogeneity, and richness were most significant for Merlin breeding. The results are intended to inform conservation decisions to protect valuable habitat for this species.
This document discusses the importance of wildlife corridors and their status in Nepal. It notes that wildlife corridors are important as they allow the movement and migration of wildlife, provide habitat, and enable gene exchange between populations. The document reports that Nepal has identified seven corridors in the Terai Arc Landscape, and that major threats include land use change, infrastructure development, grazing, and logging. It concludes that corridor conservation has been initiated by governments and organizations, and recommends that Nepal establish policies and incentives to support connectivity conservation.
This study analyzed the diet and habitat use of five frugivorous bird species in agroforest home gardens, secondary forests, and pastures in Brazil. The researchers found that overall habitat use frequency was higher in secondary forests than home gardens or pastures for four of the five bird species. However, the number of feeding bouts was higher in home gardens than forests for all species except one. Differences in monthly feeding activity were only statistically significant for two species. The total number of food taxa was larger in home gardens than forests. The results support agroforestry systems as an important habitat for frugivorous birds.
This document summarizes a study that analyzed fern species richness along an elevational gradient in central Nepal from 100-4800 meters above sea level. The study found a unimodal relationship between species richness and elevation, with the maximum number of fern species occurring at 2000 meters. Fern species richness was found to have a unimodal response to energy gradients and a linear response to moisture gradients. The peak in fern species coincided with elevations that have higher moisture levels due to more rainy days and presence in the cloud zone.
Presented by Patrick Woerner and John Reiser at the Northeast Arc Users Group, November 10, 2015.
Wildlife habitat change trend information is a necessary and fundamental component for successful assessment and management of wildlife species. Habitat loss and fragmentation continue to be the two most serious threats to wildlife populations. To effectively protect endangered and threatened species populations and to evaluate protection and management efforts, it is important for wildlife agencies to actively identify and monitor habitat for each listed species. New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife adopted a habitat change analysis approach to track wildlife habitat transition and fragmentation trends over time. The programmatic GIS analysis approach extracts potential habitat from available Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data based on species habitat associations and range extents. The analysis spans four time periods between 1986 and 2012. Analysis outputs provide readily available, up-to-date, multi-level, species-specific habitat change information to support agency initiatives. Resulting maps and data serve as a guide to help prioritize work for particular species and their habitats and provide baseline information for the development of species status assessments and recovery plans. Outputs also provide a basis for additional analyses such as evaluating habitat change in regulated vs. unregulated areas, evaluating habitat conservation planning efforts, and other land-use planning, land management and preservation efforts.
Amazing students of gyan vihar university jaipur with social commitments ch...Dr. Trilok Kumar Jain
The document discusses an amazing student at Suresh Gyan Vihar University named Mr. Chinmaya who has started social initiatives like organizing cleanliness drives, health awareness campaigns, and encouraging cycling. He founded an NGO called ECO PADDLERS in 2012 to promote these causes. The document interviews Mr. Chinmaya about the various social activities he has organized over the years to raise public awareness on health, environment and civic issues. He discusses the challenges faced in encouraging behavior change and working with government bureaucracies. Mr. Chinmaya is also launching a social networking platform called kinglemingle.com to empower youth.
This case study profiles Ajay Chopra, an innovative entrepreneur in the media industry. [1] Chopra draws on a variety of experiences, including working in over 50 different businesses, to inform his innovative approach. [2] He emphasizes the importance of understanding ground realities and making connections between diverse experiences. [3] Chopra's ability to find opportunities to add value, such as constructing an open-air theater to support a cultural event, demonstrates his innovative mindset.
The document summarizes key facts about the eight planets in our solar system. It describes their relative sizes, compositions, distances from the sun, and other notable characteristics. The inner planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars - are smaller rocky bodies. The outer planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - are larger gas giants. Key differences among the planets include Venus' slow rotation and lack of magnetic field, Earth's atmosphere and seasonal tilt, Mars' polar ice caps, Jupiter's massive size, Saturn's iconic rings, and Neptune's great distance from the sun.
Amazing managerial skills of students of suresh gyan vihar university jaipurDr. Trilok Kumar Jain
Students at Gyan Vihar University in Jaipur worked for 15 days under a professor to create the world's largest egg-free pie, which was over 6 feet wide and 12 feet long. Over 200 students carefully coordinated to purchase ingredients, design special pans, and bake the huge pie. On the day of completion, over 2,500 visitors came to see the pie being finished and cut, and were entertained with music and movies. The complex coordination displayed by the students in creating the large pie provided them valuable skills in teamwork, management, and confidence.
Este documento presenta una tabla que resume los principales grupos funcionales de la química orgánica, indicando su fórmula, función, sufijo o prefijo según sea grupo principal o sustituyente, y un ejemplo. La tabla incluye ácidos, ésteres, amidas, nitrilos, aldehídos, cetonas, alcoholes, aminas, éteres, alquenos, alquinos, nitrocompuestos y haluros de alquilo.
A variable retention harvest is proposed for a 60-year-old forest stand on BLM land in Oregon's Salem District to create diverse early seral habitat while providing timber revenue. This method emulates natural disturbances and maintains structural diversity better than clearcutting. It would retain 25% of trees and debris to benefit species. The $1.2 million revenue would support local economies under the O&C Act. While some impacts like reduced carbon sequestration occur, the action complies with environmental laws and benefits both ecology and economy more than alternatives. Public acceptance may be increased through education on how variable retention differs from clearcutting.
An Assessment of the Focal-Species Approach for Conserving Birds in Variegate...Miranda Anderson
This study assessed the focal-species approach for developing conservation guidelines for woodland birds in fragmented landscapes in southeastern Australia. Bird surveys were conducted in 72 woodland remnants varying in size, isolation, and habitat complexity. The Hooded Robin required the largest areas (>100 ha) and most complex habitat, so it was identified as the focal species for area and resource limitations. The eastern Yellow Robin was most impacted by isolation, so it was the focal species for connectivity. However, a revegetation scenario based on these species' needs was not feasible, as over 95% of remnants were too small, isolated, and lacked complexity. Guidelines focused on increasing remnants to 10 ha and ensuring complex understory and isolation of less than 1.
The Relationship Between the Understory Shrub Component of Coastal Redwoods6D45520z848622K444
The document discusses the relationship between understory shrub cover in coastal forests and carnivore conservation. Historically, coastal forests had dense shrub layers but logging has reduced shrub complexity. Three carnivore species were studied: American martens prefer dense shrub cover above 80% and their range has declined 95%; fishers and gray foxes use lower shrub cover below 60% and have expanded their ranges into coastal forests. Maintaining shrub cover is important for carnivore diversity in coastal forests, especially for the conservation of American martens.
This study examined the diversity and abundance of fruit-feeding butterflies across four habitat types in a Costa Rican cloud forest: primary forest, natural secondary regrowth forest, planted secondary regrowth forest, and pastureland. The researchers trapped 174 butterflies of 27 species over six weeks. They found that planted secondary regrowth forest had the highest species richness, diversity, and evenness, indicating reforestation efforts were improving diversity. Climate change may be causing butterflies to move to new elevations.
The document provides guidelines for using managed grazing to protect riparian areas. It discusses how unmanaged grazing can degrade riparian areas by compacting soil, selectively grazing plants, trampling streambanks, and depositing manure in streams. However, managed grazing that rotates livestock between small paddocks, provides alternative water sources, and allows for adequate rest periods between grazings can help maintain riparian vegetation and water quality while supporting agricultural operations. The guidelines aim to help farmers and ranchers identify locally appropriate practices to protect these environmentally sensitive areas.
The document provides guidelines for using managed grazing to protect riparian areas. It discusses how unmanaged grazing can degrade riparian areas by compacting soil, selectively grazing plants, trampling streambanks, and depositing manure in streams. However, managed grazing that rotates livestock between small paddocks, provides alternative water sources, and allows for adequate rest periods between grazings can help maintain riparian vegetation and water quality while supporting agricultural operations. The guidelines aim to help farmers and ranchers identify locally appropriate practices to protect these environmentally sensitive areas.
This document provides habitat guidelines for mule deer in the Southwest Deserts ecoregion. Precipitation highly influences deer populations as winter rainfall determines spring forb production critical for doe nutrition and fawning success. Excessive grazing can reduce forage availability, negatively impacting deer reproduction. Conservation efforts should focus on maintaining adequate forage through management of livestock and other herbivores.
Restoration, Reconciliation, and Reconnecting with Nature Nearby
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For more information, Please see websites below:
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Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children
http://scribd.com/doc/239851214
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Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech
http://scribd.com/doc/239851079
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Free School Gardening Art Posters
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159`
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Increase Food Production with Companion Planting in your School Garden
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159
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Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success
http://scribd.com/doc/239851348
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City Chickens for your Organic School Garden
http://scribd.com/doc/239850440
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Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide
http://scribd.com/doc/239851110
Theory To Practice Can We Manage Riparian Areas For More Than Big TreesEcoshare
The document discusses managing riparian areas and vegetation in the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon. It notes the importance of restoring road runoff/sediment control, riparian vegetation, and in-stream habitat. However, the National Marine Fisheries Service currently prohibits thinning trees within 100 feet of coho salmon streams due to short-term impact risks. The Forest Service proposes limited thinning farther than 100 feet to accelerate development of large trees, while maintaining streamside shade, but this remains an ongoing disagreement without resolution.
This study examined the relationship between seagrass coverage and invertebrate abundance on the island of South Caicos. Researchers measured seagrass coverage using transects and quadrats at six sites and recorded observed invertebrate species. The data analysis found no significant correlations between seagrass density and invertebrate abundance. While previous studies found such correlations, the researchers believe methodological issues and environmental conditions affected their results. Further research with improved methods is needed to better understand these relationships and inform plans to remove seagrass beds.
Regrowth to Rainforest: Assessing the conservation values of Camphor LaurelJessica Pinder
The document summarizes a case study assessing the recovery potential of invasive Camphor Laurel stands in subtropical Australia. Key findings include:
1. Old-growth rainforest has greater plant biodiversity and aboveground biomass than 40-year old Camphor Laurel regrowth, though some Camphor stands approached rainforest diversity levels.
2. The Camphor Laurel canopy was dominated by two species, while primary rainforest had a more diverse and even canopy composition across many species.
3. Very few of the same canopy tree species were found in both the Camphor Laurel and primary rainforest sites after 40 years, indicating distinct canopy structures between the two forest types.
Spatial distribution and species abundance area of Non Timber Forest Products...AI Publications
This document examines the spatial distribution and species abundance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Mount Cameroon National Park and surrounding forest zones. Key findings include:
1) The most widely distributed NTFP species across the four clusters studied were plum, njangsa, bush pepper, bush mango, bitter kola, pygeum, eru, and bush onion.
2) Analysis of species abundance areas showed that most NTFP species were located in abundance in Mount Cameroon National Park, farmlands, and community forests.
3) It is recommended that more ecological and livelihood data on NTFPs be collected regularly to monitor changes in their management
Forest conservation in light of climate changetheREDDdesk
This document discusses forest conservation strategies in light of climate change in Africa. It begins with definitions of forest and forest conservation. It then outlines observed and projected climate trends in different African eco-regions, including warming temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. These climate changes impact trees, forests, and biodiversity. Effective forest conservation under climate change requires both research and adaptive policy approaches. Strategies discussed include identifying and protecting climate refugia, expanding protected areas, and increasing landscape connectivity. The concepts of species sensitivity, adaptation, accommodation, and transformation are also introduced to frame conservation responses under increasing climate threats.
1) Grasslands provide important ecosystem functions such as carbon storage, nutrient recycling, and habitat. They also act as a buffer between deserts and forests.
2) Fires play an essential role in grassland ecosystems, occurring naturally every 4-20 years on average depending on climate and vegetation. Fire controls species dominance and facilitates germination.
3) Widespread conversion of grasslands to agriculture and urbanization has dramatically reduced grassland areas worldwide. Remaining grasslands face threats from overgrazing, invasive species, and changes in historic fire regimes.
The document summarizes information about the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), including its taxonomy, natural history, conservation status, threats, husbandry requirements, and veterinary challenges. It discusses how the Komodo dragon was originally thought to kill prey with toxic bacteria but is actually venomous. Conservation efforts include the Komodo National Park and captive breeding programs. Husbandry requires large enclosures that mimic natural habitats. Veterinary challenges include administering anesthesia due to their size and treating common issues like parasites, injuries, and arthritis.
Seedlings_ Substrate Preferences in a Minnesota Old Growth Thuja-Stephen Rossiter
This study examined seedling substrate preferences in an old-growth Thuja-Betula forest in Minnesota. The author established 20 plots to measure seedling densities across different height classes and substrate types, including coarse woody debris (CWD) and leaf litter. Statistical analysis showed Thuja occidentalis seedlings preferred moss-covered, highly decayed conifer CWD, but regeneration was failing due to lack of taller seedlings. Betula alleghaniensis seedlings preferred moss-covered, highly decayed CWD and may be replacing itself, though limited by canopy gaps. CWD traits had nearly twice the influence on Betula seedlings as site-level variables. Suitable CWD is important for regeneration
The document analyzes the impacts of energy development on wildlife populations in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming. It finds that habitat loss from energy projects like coal mining, oil and gas development, and wind farms is negatively affecting species like mule deer, pronghorn, and sage-grouse by reducing their populations and health. This is threatening the hunting tradition in the region as well as the tourism industry. The key impacts are direct habitat loss from energy infrastructure and indirect loss from animals avoiding areas near development. If energy expansion continues without proper protections, it could drastically alter wildlife habitats in the two states.
This document analyzes suitable habitat for gopher tortoises at the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. It uses GIS map analysis to survey the Arboretum and determine where suitable tortoise habitat exists based on factors like land cover, soil density, and distance from habitat edges. Three maps were created analyzing these factors and reclassified on a 5-point scale of suitability. The maps were combined through weighted sum analysis into a final suitability map to identify potential restoration sites that could increase tortoise populations at the Arboretum.
Rangeland Degradation and Rehabilitation: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and...AI Publications
Pastoralists’ perceptions and indigenous ecological knowledge of vegetation changes are often ignored despite the debate about their role in rangeland management. Yet, pastoralists are known to have extensive ecological knowledge which could complement scientific knowledge and contribute to improved understanding and sustainable management of savanna Ecosystems. This study was aimed at exploring pastoralists’ perceptions regarding rangeland degradation in the Adamawa highland plateau. More specifically, it was geared to examine their awareness of rangeland degradation, the current status/condition of the rangelands, the drivers and major root causes of degradation, negative consequences, existing management practices, and a methodological framework to make these measures more resilient. The study applied a descriptive statistics method. Focus group discussions, field observations and structured/semi-structured survey questionnaires, were used for data collection, where 240 pastoralists were targeted. The study covered 4 sub-divisions within Faro & Deo District of the plateau based on the intensity of degradation (high, medium and less). The major findings indicate that, the main livelihood activity is cattle rearing and crop cultivation (86.43%) with a certain degree of sedentarization. The major livestock production constraint proved to be insufficient and poor pasture available for cattle (65.71%). A great majority (93.6%) also confirmed that the present rangeland state/condition has become poor and non-conducive for cattle production. This is clearly interpreted in the drastic drop of the ‘cheptel’ (average holdings) and a decline in the quality of pastoral resources/outputs offered to the communities. The major root causes of degradation were overgrazing, bush encroachment, uncontrolled bush fires, soil erosion, population pressure and limited care/attention paid to rangelands. The major socio-economic consequences were poverty, food insecurity, conflicts, loss of cultural heritage, rural exodus and high crime waves. Through their indigenous ecological knowledge pastoralists conserve their rangelands through: mechanical and chemical fight against bush encroachment (Bush clearing and use of selective herbicide respectively), seasonal herd mobility/transhumance, use of paddocking systems, destocking of herds, adoption of improved pastures, and improvement on pastoral hydraulics. Government and NGOs’ supports to rangeland management, proved to be limited in the study area. The degradation of rangelands in the study area is progressing at an alarming rate which gives the impression of difficulty to restore it in the future if proper measures are not taken by stakeholders.
Presentation by Dr. Jim Guldin to support the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) J.W. Jones Ecological Research Center Workshop held January 12-14, 2016
Similar to Management of timber under a habitat conservation plan (HCP) in the Pacific Northwest (20)
This document summarizes Remsoft's 20 years of experience operationalizing analytics in forestry planning. Key points:
- Remsoft has evolved from a small software vendor to a solutions provider helping clients with short-term operational planning problems.
- Operationalizing analytics involves making optimization tools accessible to non-experts through collaborative problem definition, reusable workflows, and fast turnaround of models.
- Remsoft is working with Coillte, the Irish forestry board, on an operational planning solution using Remsoft technologies to schedule harvest crews while meeting resource and delivery demands.
- Critical technologies developed over 20 years like Woodstock, the Allocation Optimizer, and model publishing capabilities now enable Remsoft's
The document discusses operationalizing analytics and Remsoft's 20 years of experience in this area. It describes operationalizing analytics as requiring a collaborative environment, reliable architecture, and repeatable processes. It outlines Remsoft's solutions over time for clients like Coillte, including optimization engines, integration with databases and models, and an interface in Excel. Lessons learned include the need to stay ahead of trends in technology and data and provide flexible modeling environments. Remsoft offers educational partnerships with discounted or free software access.
This document discusses optimal scheduling of silvicultural activities across tree farm hierarchies. It is a complex problem that requires coordinating multiple activities like planting, fertilizing, and equipment allocation over long planning horizons. The document presents a highly simplified example of assigning equipment and workers from nearby towns to plantations to maximize area planted within time and resource constraints. It also provides examples of how this problem can be formulated and scheduled in Woodstock syntax using prescriptions, sequences, and accounting variables.
This study examines the impact of age class aggregation on harvest schedule models. It compares results from linear programming models using annual age classes to those using aggregated age classes. The study finds that models using aggregated age classes consistently show higher predicted harvest volumes compared to models with annual age classes. This is due to assumptions made when using aggregated age classes about initial stand age and timing of harvests within planning periods. The study aims to provide insights into potential biases introduced by age class aggregation that forest planners should be aware of.
In this article, I will explore these the stumpage-price and delivered-priced harvest scheduling models, first by delving into the mechanics involved in building them, and then by discussing their implications for managers. Of the two, a stumpage-price
model is the more common and easier model to formulate.
The difficulty faced in Champion's southeastern regions is that the majority of the forest land has been converted to large, uniform plantations that exceed the maximum opening size restrictions under S&S. In order to use the Remsoft blocking tools effectively, these large tracts need to be subdivided into smaller units. However, since the topography in the area is virtually flat with minimal variation in site quality, natural boundaries could not be used to subdivide plantations. Instead, a systematic method of subdivision had to be developed.
This paper describes Woodstock, a forest management modeling system that accommodates binary search, Monte Carlo simulation and linear programming based models within a single input file format. By employing a language interpreter approach to modeling, Woodstock enables the construction of forest models that can be analyzed using very different solution techniques with only minor changes in syntax.
Recently, member companies of the American Forest & Paper Association adopted guidelines for the management of their lands that impose significant challenges to harvest scheduling. In particular, foresters face difficulties not only in scheduling harvest blocks, but even in delineating them. The spatial forest-planning problem (SFPP) involves simultaneous allocation and scheduling of cells to form harvest blocks that meet adjacency, green-up and opening-size constraints. A preliminary investigation of simulated annealing and tabu search was made to test their suitability to the SFPP. Simulated annealing yielded better solutions and shorter execution times for a number of contrived but otherwise representative problems.
Member companies of the American Forest and Paper Association have adopted common operating principles called the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) that call for marked reductions in the size of clearcut harvest areas, green-up intervals and proximity restrictions on the harvest of adjacent areas. A commercially available hierarchical planning software suite is used to analyze the impacts of the adjacency and harvest size objectives within SFI on a representative forest of the U.S. southeast. Ten spatially feasible tactical plans were developed for a 15-year planning horizon and yielded harvest levels 24.4% to 26.6% lower than predicted in the non-spatial strategic harvest schedule. The best of these schedules yielded harvest volumes that came within 0.3% of optimum. Spatially feasible harvest levels were negatively affected by increasingly restrictive spatial parameters: the cost of increasing the green-up interval by one year was at least 5% of the strategic harvest volume, and reducing the maximum opening size from 180 acres to 60 acres yielded a 10% reduction in harvest. The planning software has been implemented at Champion International, providing planners with a valuable tool for strategic and tactical forest planning.
The purpose of this project was to compare the current forest management planning process in New Brunswick with an alternative based largely on computer software tools. Two New Brunswick Crown Licenses were used as case studies: forest classification schemes, yield estimates and assumptions about forest dynamics used in the study were identical to those used by each of the participating Licensees in their respective forest planning models. However, Remsoft staff used Woodstock to develop a strategic forest management schedule, Crystal to generate potential harvest blocks and Block to develop a spatially feasible block harvest schedule.
Harvest blocking is a fundamental decision of timber management. The size, location and timing of harvest blocks directly affects the development and structure of the forest at the current time, but for future time periods as well. In developing automated blocking tools, we have found that obtaining the required adjacency and proximity information to implement these tools properly can be problematic. Part of the problem lies with semantics -- in general, we all know what is meant by adjacency and proximity. Depending on the task at hand (blocking versus scheduling) it takes some forethought about the relationships among stands to avoid adjacency and maximum opening size constraint violations.
This document describes a two-stage spatial forest planning system developed by Remsoft to help Champion International Corp. optimize harvest scheduling while complying with sustainability guidelines. Stage one uses linear programming to determine optimal harvest volumes over time. Stage two uses heuristics to allocate harvests to contiguous blocks that meet size, proximity, and green-up constraints, yielding near-optimal solutions within 15 minutes. The system provides satisfactory solutions for Champion's large, complex forests.
One of the most important yet commonly overlooked issues in harvest schedule modeling is age-class aggregation. Bias caused by aggregated age classes was first examined by Barber (1985). Since that time, Barber’s work has been widely cited as justification for assumptions made during model formulation. The applicability of his results to constrained linear programming harvest schedule models is unclear. A study was conducted to examine the relationship between aggregation assumptions and harvest volume, area, and average age bias in constrained linear programming models. Methods parallel those employed by Barber (1985), with changes reflecting the use of mathematical modeling as well as updated management practices. Results indicate that constrained harvest schedule models with aggregated age classes consistently exhibit positive volume bias relative to models with annual age classes. These results differ from Barber, who noted a bias toward underestimating harvest volume and indicate that extending Barber’s earlier work to constrained mathematical programming models should be approached with caution.
The document discusses new forest planning rules from the Forest Service that aim to streamline the national forest planning process. It summarizes key aspects of the new rules, including using an EMS framework, a 2-3 year planning process, and treating the allowable sale quantity as an upper bound rather than a requirement. It then discusses implications, including the need for auditing and measuring actions against plans. The document also presents an example forest planning problem modeled using goal programming to achieve goals like reducing fire risk while maintaining timber harvests.
This presentation investigates the role of forest structure in limiting the achievement of harvest and/or revenue goals of forest management. Results show that some spatial arrangements of stands suffer much greater reductions in goal achievement than others. Some means of ameliorating the reductions is also given.
The document summarizes a habitat conservation plan for managing timber lands to protect the northern spotted owl. It describes establishing reserves along streams and dispersal habitat for juvenile owls on the 53818 acre property. A dispersal landscape index model was developed to quantify dispersal habitat amounts and spatial distribution over time, ensuring the habitat exceeds targets in the conservation plan while maintaining economic viability of timber harvests. Strategic and tactical planning tools were used to develop a 150-year forest management plan maximizing financial returns while meeting dispersal habitat goals.
We evaulate the impact of measurement error on three components of a forest planning model: initial inventory, first period harvest and silvicultural activities chosen. Calculated initial inventory was off by as much as 15%, and significantly different objective function values and activity schedule also resulted.
Zodiac Signs and Food Preferences_ What Your Sign Says About Your Tastemy Pandit
Know what your zodiac sign says about your taste in food! Explore how the 12 zodiac signs influence your culinary preferences with insights from MyPandit. Dive into astrology and flavors!
Digital Marketing with a Focus on Sustainabilitysssourabhsharma
Digital Marketing best practices including influencer marketing, content creators, and omnichannel marketing for Sustainable Brands at the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit 2024 in New York
At Techbox Square, in Singapore, we're not just creative web designers and developers, we're the driving force behind your brand identity. Contact us today.
How to Implement a Real Estate CRM SoftwareSalesTown
To implement a CRM for real estate, set clear goals, choose a CRM with key real estate features, and customize it to your needs. Migrate your data, train your team, and use automation to save time. Monitor performance, ensure data security, and use the CRM to enhance marketing. Regularly check its effectiveness to improve your business.
How MJ Global Leads the Packaging Industry.pdfMJ Global
MJ Global's success in staying ahead of the curve in the packaging industry is a testament to its dedication to innovation, sustainability, and customer-centricity. By embracing technological advancements, leading in eco-friendly solutions, collaborating with industry leaders, and adapting to evolving consumer preferences, MJ Global continues to set new standards in the packaging sector.
The Genesis of BriansClub.cm Famous Dark WEb PlatformSabaaSudozai
BriansClub.cm, a famous platform on the dark web, has become one of the most infamous carding marketplaces, specializing in the sale of stolen credit card data.
[To download this presentation, visit:
https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg/training-presentations]
This presentation is a curated compilation of PowerPoint diagrams and templates designed to illustrate 20 different digital transformation frameworks and models. These frameworks are based on recent industry trends and best practices, ensuring that the content remains relevant and up-to-date.
Key highlights include Microsoft's Digital Transformation Framework, which focuses on driving innovation and efficiency, and McKinsey's Ten Guiding Principles, which provide strategic insights for successful digital transformation. Additionally, Forrester's framework emphasizes enhancing customer experiences and modernizing IT infrastructure, while IDC's MaturityScape helps assess and develop organizational digital maturity. MIT's framework explores cutting-edge strategies for achieving digital success.
These materials are perfect for enhancing your business or classroom presentations, offering visual aids to supplement your insights. Please note that while comprehensive, these slides are intended as supplementary resources and may not be complete for standalone instructional purposes.
Frameworks/Models included:
Microsoft’s Digital Transformation Framework
McKinsey’s Ten Guiding Principles of Digital Transformation
Forrester’s Digital Transformation Framework
IDC’s Digital Transformation MaturityScape
MIT’s Digital Transformation Framework
Gartner’s Digital Transformation Framework
Accenture’s Digital Strategy & Enterprise Frameworks
Deloitte’s Digital Industrial Transformation Framework
Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Framework
PwC’s Digital Transformation Framework
Cisco’s Digital Transformation Framework
Cognizant’s Digital Transformation Framework
DXC Technology’s Digital Transformation Framework
The BCG Strategy Palette
McKinsey’s Digital Transformation Framework
Digital Transformation Compass
Four Levels of Digital Maturity
Design Thinking Framework
Business Model Canvas
Customer Journey Map
Top mailing list providers in the USA.pptxJeremyPeirce1
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The APCO Geopolitical Radar - Q3 2024 The Global Operating Environment for Bu...APCO
The Radar reflects input from APCO’s teams located around the world. It distils a host of interconnected events and trends into insights to inform operational and strategic decisions. Issues covered in this edition include:
Industrial Tech SW: Category Renewal and CreationChristian Dahlen
Every industrial revolution has created a new set of categories and a new set of players.
Multiple new technologies have emerged, but Samsara and C3.ai are only two companies which have gone public so far.
Manufacturing startups constitute the largest pipeline share of unicorns and IPO candidates in the SF Bay Area, and software startups dominate in Germany.
How to Implement a Strategy: Transform Your Strategy with BSC Designer's Comp...Aleksey Savkin
The Strategy Implementation System offers a structured approach to translating stakeholder needs into actionable strategies using high-level and low-level scorecards. It involves stakeholder analysis, strategy decomposition, adoption of strategic frameworks like Balanced Scorecard or OKR, and alignment of goals, initiatives, and KPIs.
Key Components:
- Stakeholder Analysis
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- Adoption of Business Frameworks
- Goal Setting
- Initiatives and Action Plans
- KPIs and Performance Metrics
- Learning and Adaptation
- Alignment and Cascading of Scorecards
Benefits:
- Systematic strategy formulation and execution.
- Framework flexibility and automation.
- Enhanced alignment and strategic focus across the organization.
Event Report - SAP Sapphire 2024 Orlando - lots of innovation and old challengesHolger Mueller
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B2B payments are rapidly changing. Find out the 5 key questions you need to be asking yourself to be sure you are mastering B2B payments today. Learn more at www.BlueSnap.com.
Part 2 Deep Dive: Navigating the 2024 Slowdownjeffkluth1
Introduction
The global retail industry has weathered numerous storms, with the financial crisis of 2008 serving as a poignant reminder of the sector's resilience and adaptability. However, as we navigate the complex landscape of 2024, retailers face a unique set of challenges that demand innovative strategies and a fundamental shift in mindset. This white paper contrasts the impact of the 2008 recession on the retail sector with the current headwinds retailers are grappling with, while offering a comprehensive roadmap for success in this new paradigm.
Navigating the world of forex trading can be challenging, especially for beginners. To help you make an informed decision, we have comprehensively compared the best forex brokers in India for 2024. This article, reviewed by Top Forex Brokers Review, will cover featured award winners, the best forex brokers, featured offers, the best copy trading platforms, the best forex brokers for beginners, the best MetaTrader brokers, and recently updated reviews. We will focus on FP Markets, Black Bull, EightCap, IC Markets, and Octa.
Organizational Change Leadership Agile Tour Geneve 2024
Management of timber under a habitat conservation plan (HCP) in the Pacific Northwest
1. Management Of Timber Under A Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) In
The Pacific Northwest
Karl R. Walters, FORSight Resources, LLC, 3813 H Street, Vancouver, WA 98663 and
Gene McCaul, West Fork Timber Company, LLC, 3819 100th St SW, Suite 5B,
Lakewood, WA 98499.
ABSTRACT. West Fork Timber Company (WFTC) is a private timber company that manages
approximately 54,000 acres on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. West Fork's goal was to
develop a long-term harvest plan that would improve asset value over time, while simultaneously ensuring
that habitat requirements set forth in their Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) would be realized. The
primary constraint set forth in the HCP is the maintenance of a unique Dispersal Landscape Index (DLI)
within a narrow (+/- 5%) range of pre-determined levels for the life of the HCP. The DLI is derived by
assigning different values to areas within specific distances of existing dispersal habitat (DH) in a complex
formula; the dispersal habitat (DH) values are then summed and divided by the total number of acres in the
forest to arrive at a DLI value for the ownership. This paper discusses DLI calculation and the challenges
involved in modeling this problem, including the types of constraints needed in the strategic model, the
spatial allocation of activities associated with existing and future stands in a Model II framework, and the
development of a rapid DLI calculator to facilitate the evaluation of alternatives. Overall, West Fork was
able to meet objective of higher returns from the forest while simultaneously demonstrating improvement in
dispersal habitat over the next four decades.
Key Words: habitat conservation plan, northern spotted owl, spatial planning, spatial restrictions, harvest
scheduling.
INTRODUCTION
West Fork Timber Company, LLC (WFTC) is a private timber company that manages approximately 54,000 acres
on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Washington, known as the Mineral Tree Farm. In 1993, the US
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) believed that continued harvest of mature forest habitat on WFTC lands
presented the risk for an incidental take of resident northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina). To minimize
and mitigate the effects of any incidental take, Murray Pacific Corporation, WFTC’s parent company and owners of
the Mineral Tree Farm, agreed to manage the tree farm under the terms and conditions of a habitat conservation plan
(HCP) for 100 years (Murray 1993). The permit provided assurance that WFTC could continue to operate the tree
farm without risk of prosecution for the take of owls. Continued operation of the tree farm provided the means for
WFTC to undertake conservation and management requirements of the HCP. And finally, the HCP provided the
USFWS assurance of long-term management consistent with recovery of the northern spotted owl.
The Mineral Tree Farm
The Mineral Tree Farm encompasses 53,818 acres on the west slope of the Cascade Mountains, and is characterized
by steep terrain, abundant precipitation and dense coniferous forest predominated by younger age classes (< 60 yr).
Age Class Distribution
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
Acres
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
Age Class (5 yr)
Figure 1. Age-class distribution of Mineral Tree Farm (2005).
2. Virtually all of the tree farm has been managed for commercial timber production, and most of it has been clearcut
or partially harvested at least once since 1913. Extensive logging also occurred in the mid to late 1980s with a
significant curtailment in the mid to late 1990s.
Figure 2. Forest cover and extent of the Mineral Tree Farm (2005).
Figure 3. Spatial distribution of age classes across the Mineral Tree Farm (2005).
The tree farm is surrounded by private, state and federal timberlands. The private and state timberlands are managed
for commercial timber production much like the tree farm, but the federal lands of the Gifford Pinchot National
Forest that border the Mineral Tree Farm to the east and west are largely managed as late-successional reserves with
the objective of maintaining mature and old-growth forest.
3. Dispersal Habitat
Dispersal has been defined as the movement an animal makes from its point of origin to the place where it
reproduces or would have reproduced if it had survived and found a mate (Howard 1960). It is distinguished from
movements made by individual animals within home ranges or seasonal migrations made between summer and
winter habitats. Juvenile dispersal best fits the definition of innate dispersal (Howard 1960), which is a spontaneous,
random movement related more to genetics than proximal environmental conditions.
Juvenile spotted owls initiate dispersal in September and October of their first year (Allen and Brewer 1985, Herter
1992). Dispersal is rapid at first, but is interrupted by a period of “settling” in the winter. Both Gutierrez et al (1985)
and Miller (1989) reported active and settled phases to dispersal. Juveniles that died during the settled phase had
considerably smaller ranges than those that survived and re-initiated dispersal (Miller 1989). The total straight-line
distance between the nest and the final point of detection (which represented the location of death for many juvenile
owls) has been reported to be more than 30 miles in some cases in Washington (Allen and Brewer 1985). Miller
(1989) noted that owls that survived until their second year had a mean straight-line dispersal distance of only 9.4
miles, which may indicate that first-year survival depends on how quickly an owl locates suitable, vacant habitat in
which to settle.
While dispersal appears to move randomly across a landscape, the spotted owl tends to show preference for roosting
in older stands. Although owls were observed roosting in a variety of habitats, Miller (1989) noted that mature and
old-growth forest were used disproportionately to their availability, closed sapling pole/sawtimber habitat 1 was used
roughly in proportion to availability, and younger forest types were avoided. From a management perspective, the
goal of an HCP should be to provide suitable roosting and foraging habitat in such a manner that an owl moving
randomly across a landscape is more likely to encounter suitable habitat than unsuitable habitat. Thus, it is
imperative that suitable habitat not be confined to a few concentrated areas and corridors but scattered over the
landscape.
HCP Rationale
Based on the scientific literature and recommendations of the Interagency Scientific Committee Report (Thomas et
al. 1990), it was decided that the Mineral Tree Farm would be managed to provide dispersal habitat and contribute to
the maintenance of a general landscape amenable to the dispersal of juvenile spotted owls. The shape of the tree
farm and its proximity to other habitat conservation areas (HCAs) nearby would allow dispersal habitat on the
ownership to function as a link connecting them. Habitat management on the tree farm was to focus on three main
areas: protection of water quality and fish habitat, growth and maintenance of mature forest habitat in designated
reserve areas (primarily along streams), and enhancement of wildlife habitats in managed commercial stands across
the tree farm. WFTC’s contributions to habitat management complement the efforts on adjacent public lands, by
interconnecting late-successional habitat on adjacent federal lands through the habitat reserves across the tree farm,
and by providing habitat for early and mid-successional species elsewhere. Protection of streamside areas along fish-
bearing streams and reduction in sediment delivery to streams also figured prominently in the HCP. The most
important element of the HCP, however, was management of the commercial timberlands.
Historically, WFTC harvested timber at an economic rotation age of 40 to 60 years. Under the HCP, this
management prescription is still permitted in areas where it does not conflict with the maintenance of dispersal
habitat. The management of stands between harvests and the size and timing of harvests were modified from
previous standard practices when necessary to create a landscape conducive to dispersal including,
1. avoidance of large areas of very young forest (gaps in dispersal landscape),
2. reducing the time stands exist in early successional conditions,
3. thinning stands to hasten development of suitable habitat conditions and,
4. retaining logs and snags after harvest to increase habitat diversity for owl prey.
1
Defined as coniferous forest with average stand dbh between 1 and 21 inches and canopy closure exceeding 60%
(Hall et al. 1985). In all likelihood, owls select for stands of larger trees and against those of smaller trees.
4. Like any natural landscape, the Mineral Tree Farm is a complex mosaic of physical and biological conditions.
Management of such a mosaic over time is a dynamic and iterative process that cannot be done according to a rigid
set of rules established at a single point in time. Instead, progress toward and achievement of a dispersal landscape
would be monitored over time, allowing for deviations from guidelines on individual harvest units, so long as those
deviations fit within the overall landscape objectives.
Dispersal Landscape Index
The spatial arrangement of stands is just as important as the total area of forest in determining habitat for dispersing
spotted owls. To evaluate and monitor dispersal habitat (DH) at the landscape level, a numerical index was
developed called the dispersal landscape index (DLI). To calculate DLI, all areas within the Mineral Tree Farm were
assigned a dispersal habitat value (DHV) value based on their proximity to stands of suitable DH. As originally
developed, the process for calculating DH values involved the creation of a series of concentric buffers around
stands of suitable habitat and assigning progressively lower values to buffers more distant.
Figure 4. Defining dispersal habitat values for 3 suitable stands.
In Figure 4, there are 3 stands that are deemed suitable dispersal habitat for spotted owls. Interior portions of stands
meeting the definition of roosting and foraging habitat (beyond 200 ft from a clearcut edge) are assigned the highest
DHV of 10, and edge areas within the stand are assigned a DHV of 8. Beyond the stand boundary, forest areas that
are within ⅛ mi of the stand boundary are assigned a DHV of 7; within buffers of ¼ mi, ½ mi, ¾ mi, DHVs of 5, 3
and 1 are assigned, respectively. Forest areas greater than ¾ mi from suitable dispersal habitat are deemed to have
no dispersal habitat value. Once DHVs have been calculated for every acre of the forest, the DLI is calculated
simply by summing DHVs for each acre in the forest, and dividing the total by the total number of acres. For
example, if the total DHV for the Mineral Tree Farm was calculated to be 240,000, the DLI score would be 4.59.
The net effect of the scoring is to give higher DLI values to landscapes with greater dispersal habitat and more
uniform distribution of that habitat. Forests with comparable acres of dispersal habitat can have very different DLI
scores: clumping of the habitat does not increase scores of the stands since interior portions are already at the
maximum DHV, and if the habitat is clumped there are necessarily greater amounts of gap in the landscape. A DLI
value of 10 would place the entire tree farm in dispersal habitat, but no harvesting could take place without
increasing gap areas. Therefore, to make the tree farm economically sustainable, it was determined that the optimum
configuration of stands within a landscape managed for timber production and owl dispersal be composed of stands
5 to 120 acres in size (with an optimum size of 40 acres) spaced no more than ¼ mile apart, which yields a DLI of
5. 7.50. At the time the HCP was signed, the Mineral Tree Farm DLI was 5.34, and the projected DLI after the first 50
years implementation of the HCP was 7.47, after which it was to remain at or above this value.
WFTC developed a geographic information system database for tracking stand conditions and a model for predicting
dispersal habitat (DH). Future dispersal habitat was initially estimated by modeling the growth of existing stands
using the Stand Projection System (SPS) growth and yield model (Arney 1986) for the first 50 years of the HCP. All
stands then considered suitable were considered to remain suitable unless harvested. Stands that were not considered
suitable initially would become suitable when they attained an average dbh of 9.2 inches and a minimum age of 27
to 53 years, depending on site class. This was considered a conservative estimate because many stands would meet
the DH criteria before they reached an average dbh of 9.2 inches, but it was used as a limit to avoid the risk of
assuming a stand being deemed DH before it actually qualified as such. By projecting stands forward through time,
and estimating harvests based on guidelines established in the HCP, WFTC was able to predict how the forest would
develop, and calculate DLI for the Mineral Tree Farm for the next 50 years.
Trend for Dispersal Landscape Index for Mineral Tree Farm
8
7.5
Dispersal Landscape Index (DLI)
7
6.5
6
5.5
5
1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023 2028 2033 2038 2043 2048
Year
Figure 5. DLI trend for the Mineral Tree Farm for implementation of HCP for 50 years.
WFTC operated the tree farm for over 10 years under the HCP, using periodic re-projections of the existing
inventory (as described) to demonstrate continued improvement in dispersal habitat and dispersal landscape index
scores, while continuing to harvest timber. However, the timber markets in the Pacific Northwest had changed
significantly in the ten years that had passed since the HCP was signed. WFTC management was interested in
exploring optimization and spatial planning tools to see if the economic returns from the Mineral Tree Farm could
be simultaneously improved along with dispersal habitat. FORSight Resources, LLC (FORSight) was contracted in
2005 to develop a strategic forest management model and spatial harvest schedule for the Mineral Tree Farm.
Strategic Model
FORSight chose the Remsoft Spatial Planning Suite as the modeling environment for this project, with Spatial
Woodstock as the strategic modeling environment and Stanley as the tactical planning tool. WFTC management had
numerous objectives that required the development of a fairly sophisticated strategic planning model. The
mountainous conditions on the tree farm make stand elevation and logging season important considerations in
running a profitable logging operation and cost-effective silviculture program. The mix of steep terrain and valley
floors require controls on logging method to balance operations assigned to shovel, hi-lead and helicopter logging.
The goal of maintaining and improving dispersal habitat across the forest necessitated the inclusion of existing
6. suitable-habitat stands, watersheds, reserve areas, and management emphasis in the overall stratification. A tree-
based growth and yield model (Organon-SMC variant) was used to develop yield tables, based on cover type, basal
area, site and stocking/planting density. Overall, WFTC’s strategic planning model required 13 landscape themes to
fully describe the forest land base. A planning horizon of 150 years, composed of 5-year planning periods was
chosen to match the resolution of the growth and yield model, and to provide sufficient time to avoid model artifacts
within the first 10 planning periods that are attributable to the effects of the end of the planning horizon.
The silvicultural program implemented in the model included planting (2 species – Douglas-fir and noble fir, 2
planting densities each), precommercial thinning to 4 different spacings, fertilization and herbaceous competition
control, commercial thinning, pruning and clearcut harvesting. Pruning and precommercial thinning to four spacings
are not typical for commercial timberlands and many would question their economic value to timber production. In
direct terms, these treatments generally do not improve volume or value growth sufficiently to warrant the
expenditure, but WFTC was interested to know if these treatments would pay indirectly by developing suitable
foraging and roosting habitat sooner in younger stands.
Objective function
The objective function used for the strategic planning model maximized discounted revenue from timber harvesting,
net of silviculture, logging and hauling costs. Instead of a pure-stumpage model, WFTC opted for a coarse-level
delivered price model using mill-delivered prices, average hauling costs, and sophisticated logging cost functions for
each logging method that varied by stand volume.
Skyline-Helicoptor - $/MBF Logging Costs
$2,500.00
$2,000.00
$1,500.00
$/MBF
$1,000.00
$500.00
$-
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
F&B $150.00 $75.00 $50.00 $37.50 $30.00 $25.00 $21.40 $18.80 $16.70 $15.00 $13.60 $12.50
Y&L $2,000.0 $1,000.0 $666.70 $500.00 $400.00 $333.30 $285.70 $250.00 $222.20 $200.00 $181.80 $166.70
Total $2,150.0 $1,075.0 $716.70 $537.50 $430.00 $358.30 $307.10 $268.80 $238.90 $215.00 $195.40 $179.20
Low Vol $1,004.0 $860.50 $717.00 $573.50 $430.00
Med Vol $430.00 $376.25 $322.50 $268.75
Hi Vol $268.80 $246.40 $224.00 $201.60 $179.20
MBF/Acre
F&B Y&L Total Low Vol Med Vol Hi Vol
Figure 6. Skyline and helicopter logging cost function for Mineral Tree Farm (2005).
Constraints
WFTC management had specific objectives for improving economic efficiency. Based on their previous projections
(described earlier), they believed that they had reasonable estimates of annual harvest volumes that could be
achievable under the HCP. What they were lacking were controls on harvest volume flows, not only from year-to-
year, but on a quarterly basis. Given the mix of logging equipment available in the area, it was important for WFTC
to schedule a mix of flat and steep-terrain, as well as summer versus winter harvest blocks. Constraints were
included that required the number of acres assigned to shovel logging be greater than or equal to the acres assigned
to the more expensive helicopter logging operations. Total saw log harvests were allowed to vary by as much as
10% period-to period, provided that harvest volumes never fell below harvest goals established with WFTC’s
previous projection methods.
7. Because the calculation of DLI is complex and inherently non-linear, it was impossible to directly constrain it in the
strategic model. WFTC used stand age and a projected time to reach a DBH of 9.2 as a proxy for estimating time to
reach DH status. FORSight decided to try to model DH directly by tracking several stand parameters in the growth
and yield projections. Considerations in the determination of DH status are:
• Species. A stand must be dominated by conifer species.
• Density. A stand must have fewer than 300 trees/ac and basal area of at least 70 ft2/ac in trees greater than
10” DBH.
• At least 20’ of clear flying space must be available.
The last requirement is difficult to model directly but we decided to include as a yield component in the model a
proxy: average height to crown base (AVHCB) - the space between the ground and lowest branches of the live
crown. The calculation of AVHCB depends not only on height growth but crown recession as well. Clear flying
space would also depend on how quickly trees shed dead limbs. Using WFTC’s experience with monitoring
dispersal habitat, an empirical relationship was developed by calculating the AVHCB for stands that already qualify
as DH. Within the strategic planning model, acres are counted as DH if they meet the species and density
requirements and exceed a threshold value for AVHCB. The higher the threshold, the longer it takes to achieve DH
status. The threshold values of AVHCB that best matched the empirical data were 35 ft for unthinned stands, 30 ft
for thinned stands and 25’ for pruned stands. Once DH acres could be calculated in the model, it was easy to
formulate floor constraints on acres of dispersal habitat that corresponded to the acres specified in the HCP.
Tactical Model
FORSight used Spatial Woodstock and Stanley in concert to block out the first 40 years of the planning horizon (8
five-year periods) that corresponded to the time remaining in the HCP to reach a maximum DLI. The process was
complicated by the need to control both activity-generated outputs (harvest volumes) and inventory outputs (DH),
and the need to spatially allocate activities on future stands. At that time, Stanley was not able to control for
inventory-based outputs, or spatially allocate activities beyond the final harvest. To get around this limitation,
FORSight developed an iterative rollover process of spatial allocation, until all 8 periods of the tactical planning
horizon were completed.
A spatial simulation (Remsoft's term for allocating activities without spatial restrictions) mapped out most
treatments well. Blocking final harvests worked so long as only stands that currently existed were harvested,
because the thematic attributes matched what was in the shapefile. Once a stand was thinned or pruned or fertilized,
its thematic attributes in Woodstock no longer matched the theme fields in the shapefile. The rollover process
involved the following steps:
1. Run Stanley to allocate initial harvest blocks (Schedule file attributes match shapefile). Post activities to
Treatments field.
2. Use the Assign Schedule to Polygons feature to spatially allocate the mid-rotation treatments (Append to
Treatments field).
3. Use the time selector to advance one period.
4. Copy virtual thematic attributes to temporary fields
5. Use time selector to revert to the previous period and copy thematic attributes from temporary fields to
theme fields.
6. Repeat process iteratively until all periods are adequately allocated.
Once the activities were spatially allocated, thematic maps indicating the location of suitable DH stands had to be
produced for each of the tactical planning periods for DLI calculation. A sequence file was also generated so that
reports of the tactical harvest schedule could be produced by running the tactical harvest schedule back through
Woodstock.
8. Updated DLI calculation
The original process of calculating DLI using a GIS to generate iterative buffers was too slow and cumbersome for
this process. Instead, a raster-based method using ESRI software was developed by FORSight to process vectorized
versions of the maps produced after spatial allocation. A pixel size of 220 feet was chosen because all of the DLI
buffer distances were integer multiples except one: the interior space of a suitable stand would be slightly
underestimated because the required edge buffer needed to only be 200 feet. Since this would yield a conservative
estimate of DLI, it was deemed acceptable. In minutes, the new DLI calculator was able to process 9 DH maps and
produce DLI scores corresponding to the end of each planning period plus initial conditions.
The process of generating DH maps required Spatial Woodstock’s time selector to project future conditions. A
thematic map was created based on the inventory output DH. After the treatments from the Stanley allocation were
posted to the Treatments field, it was easy to use the time selector to generate maps of DH condition for current and
future planning periods. A shapefile was exported for each time period of interest, and these in turn were converted
to a raster format using ESRI’s ArcGIS software. Once rasterized, the DLI calculation was performed for each
mapped time step.
Results
In total, 12 runs of the strategic model were completed before a preferred alternative was selected. Because this was
the first time WFTC had used an optimization approach, it was important to see the effects of the various constraints
on the objective function (present net value). The first model run was completely unconstrained to serve as a
benchmark for later runs and additional constraints. Over the course of the analysis, some constraints were
eliminated; for example, the constraints on harvest season made a difference of only a few thousand dollars over the
entire planning horizon, and WFTC management considered the benefit to be minimal. The constraints on minimal
dispersal habitat were tightened in the strategic model by 2.5% in each period to facilitate tactical planning: since
there is usually some fall-down in output levels from the strategic plan in a Stanley solution, requiring more DH
than the minimum in the strategic solution would allow a fall-down in the tactical solution that still met
requirements of the HCP. Under the HCP, WFTC is restricted to clearcut no more than 10,000 acres per decade and
no more than 2,500 acres in any given year. Since the planning model uses 5 year periods, it was decided to
constrain using the more restrictive limit (1,000 ac per year), requiring no more than 5,000 acres of clear cut
harvesting in any planning period.
Strategic results
One of the motivations for WFTC to explore optimization in their planning was to determine if it was possible to
increase harvest levels while continuing to comply with the requirements of the HCP. The strategic model
demonstrated that increased harvest levels were indeed possible in the final preferred alternative. In the first three
planning periods, total saw log harvests exceeded WFTC’s previous volume goals by at least 47% and as much as
62%. The source of this additional harvest volume was attributed to the harvest of existing DH stands, which could
be harvested sooner through a form of allowable cut effect.
Allowable cut effects are usually attributable to non-declining flow constraints and improved growth of future
stands, such that an immediate increase in harvest can be attained. In the case of the Mineral Tree Farm model, it
was not a change in volume growth that allowed the increased harvest, but a shortening of the time to DH through
silviculture (thinning and pruning). WFTC management was surprised by the extent of pruning selected in the
optimal solution but quickly realized how the model was trading off the additional expense of silviculture against the
holding cost of retaining existing DH stands longer in the future. By producing suitable DH stands at a younger age
through silviculture, the model demonstrated how it was possible to shorten overall timber rotations and thus
improve economic returns from the tree farm.
Tactical results
While the results of the strategic modeling exercise were exciting, there was no guarantee that similar benefits
would accrue once the solution was allocated spatially. WFTC was interested in a spatial solution for the first 40
years of the planning horizon, but to give Stanley some extra flexibility in choosing candidate stands FORSight
9. decided to schedule the first 10 planning periods with Stanley. And though the objective function in the Woodstock
model maximized discounted net revenue, it seemed more prudent to set harvest volume and acre outputs as the
objectives for the Stanley runs. Six Woodstock outputs were chosen as the weighted scoring criteria: total saw log
harvest volume (weight = 2.0), Douglas-fir saw log volume (weight = 1.5), white wood saw log volume (weight =
1.5), clearcut acres (weight = 1.25), hi-lead logging acres (weight = 1.0) and shovel logging acres (weight = 1.0).
The results were remarkably good for a heavily constrained harvest schedule. Relative to the minimum volume goals
specified as constraints for the first 10 periods, the Stanley tactical solution generated 14% more volume over the
first 10 periods, using a Woodstock solution that was 21% higher than the minimum targets. The tactical solution
attained 93% of the present net value predicted in the strategic planning model.
Harvest Volume Comparison by Period
180
160
140
Volume (MMBF)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Planning Period
Stanley Woodstock Goal
Figure 7. Projected harvest levels in Stanley and Woodstock solutions relative to WFTC goals.
Figure 7 indicates illustrates that planning periods 3, 7 and 8 are more adversely affected by spatial constraints,
exhibiting significant reductions from the predicted volumes in the corresponding Woodstock solution. Only in the
latter periods does the Stanley result fall below the goal values established by WFTC in earlier analyses, and the
shortfalls are minor.
There is also remarkably close correspondence between the Woodstock and Stanley solutions in terms of acres
allocated to mid-rotation silviculture and final harvests. No timing choice deviations on the mid-rotation silvicultural
treatments and only minimal deviations on the timing of harvests (clearcuts, commercial thins) were allowed, to
facilitate the roll-over process described earlier. In early periods, it is trivial to allocate mid-rotation silvicultural
treatments because the treated stands already exist. In later periods, where a mid-rotation treatment is applied to a
stand that does not yet exist (it was final harvested earlier), it becomes more problematic since the final harvest in
the Stanley solution that led to its creation may have deviated from the Woodstock solution. This issue could
probably be overcome by iteratively going back and forth to the Woodstock model, each time including more pre-
allocated treatment decisions from the previous Stanley solution. However, the time and effort required would be
substantial but would not yield significantly improved results.
10. Commercial Thinning Activity Pruning Activity
400 2,500
350
2,000
300
250 1,500
Acres
Acres
200
1,000
150
100
500
50
0 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Planning Period Planning Period
Stanley Woodstock Stanley Woodstock
PCT Activity Final Harvest Activity
4000 6,000
3500
5,000
3000
4,000
2500
Acres
Acres
2000 3,000
1500
2,000
1000
500
1,000
0
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Planning Period
Planning Period
Stanley Woodstock Stanley Woodstock
Figure 8. Acres allocated in the tactical solution relative to the strategic planning model solution.
The final hurdles to declaring success in this planning effort were to demonstrate that dispersal habitat acres and
DLI scores for the Mineral Tree Farm conformed to the requirements of the HCP. For DH acres, the tactical solution
could not allow DH acres to fall below the minimum acres specified in the HCP. For DLI scores, a margin of error
of ±5% around the values specified in the HCP are permitted.
Dispersal Habitat Production vs. Goal
30,000
25,000
20,000
Acres of DH
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Planning Period
Stanley Woodstock Goal
Figure 9. Projected dispersal habitat and DLI scores.
Because dispersal habitat was an inventory measure in the strategic model and could not be directly controlled in
Stanley, there was concern that DH acres may have varied too greatly in the tactical solution. Luckily, this was not
the case but the model was constructed to allow constraints on activities at the watershed level. If necessary,
harvests could have been concentrated in watersheds or dispersed across watersheds to bring the DLI scores closer
to desired levels. In both cases, the tactical solution met or exceeded the requirements of the HCP. Moreover, the
11. projected DLI scores exceeded the baseline requirements in every planning period by a substantial amount, although
still within the 5% margin of error.
Discussion
WFTC undertook this planning effort to determine if optimization and hierarchical planning tools could improve
financial returns on the Mineral Tree Farm. Based on the results, the answer was a resounding yes. Some of the
important outcomes included,
• An economically efficient strategic plan was devised using an optimization model with discounted net
revenue as its objective; previous planning efforts at WFTC focused on volume production as the objective.
• Relative to goals established in previous WFTC planning efforts, harvest levels over the first 50 years were
21% higher in this strategic planning solution and 14% higher in the tactical planning solution. Harvest
levels were constrained to fluctuate within acceptable tolerances, and harvest acres were kept within
allowable limits.
• The results indicated that investments in thinning and pruning, while not necessarily economically
advantageous from a timber production standpoint, had the potential to reduce timber rotations by
producing foraging and roosting habitat in less time, requiring less holding time for existing DH stands.
• Dispersal habitat creation met or exceeded targets established in the HCP and the spatial arrangement of
harvests in the tactical solution yielded DLI scores that were well within tolerances specified in the HCP.
• A new DLI calculator was developed using a raster-based approach instead of the vector-based buffer
approach used previously. The new calculator was significantly faster.
The Mineral Tree Farm HCP is unique in the State of Washington in the use of the dispersal landscape index as a
basis for evaluating management progress; the authors are aware of no other habitat conservation plans that use this
approach. Nevertheless, it could be used to supplement planning efforts on other habitat conservation areas where
the northern spotted owl is an important consideration.
Literature Cited
ALLEN, H.L. AND L.W. BREWER. 1985. A review of current northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina)
research in Washington State. IN R.J. Gutierrez and A.B. Carey, eds. Ecology and management of the spotted
owl in the Pacific Northwest, USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept. PNW-185, Portland, OR.
GUTIERREZ, R.J., A.B. FRANKLIN, W. LAHAYE, V.J. MERETSKY AND J.P. WARD. 1985. Juvenile spotted owl
dispersal in northwestern California: Preliminary results. IN R.J. Gutierrez and A.B. Carey, eds. Ecology and
management of the spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept. PNW-185,
Portland, OR.
HERTER, D.R. 1992. Spotted owl monitoring reports: 15 September 1991 to 15 December 1991 and 15 December
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