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Browse subject: forest management
Number of records: 825

Community Forestry Resource Center
About this Resource: CFRC offers information and assistance in the following areas: Organizational development, technical assistance and forest management and certification. The webpage offers current news information and newsletters, a calender of upcoming events, a library of online publications, resources, and affiliated organization links and contact information.

Tropical Forest Foundation
About this Resource: The TFF is dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests through sustainable forestry. The primary focus of the Tropical Forest Foundation is to demonstrate and teach sustainable forest management through Reduced-impact Logging. This website offers users information about the Foundation as well as publications such as newsletters, bulletins, and other reports. The site also gives information about how the industry can help, Reduced-impact Logging, forestry in the future, and their sponsors.

Ministere des Ressources naturelles et de la Fauna - Highlights on the Forests
About this Resource: The site provides information on the forests of Quebec. There are links to newsletters, publications, the Real Estate Refund Program, annual forest management plans, and a press room. There is information on their several online products and links to maps, forms, permits, programs, publications, laws and regulations. The site also provides links to information and programs regarding wildlife, energy, mines, territory, and land survey.

Montana Forestry Division
About this Resource: The Forestry Division has two major functions: fire and aviation management, and service forestry. The site provides a link to the Fire and Aviation Bureau and information about conservation seedling, urban and community forestry, insect and disease management, forest management practices, logging waste reduction, and grants. There is also information about grant programs and links to related publications.

Forest Resource Environmental Educational Network | University of Minnesota
About this Resource: A coalition composed of state and federal agencies that are working with and include the University of Minnesota, and various forest product companies in Minnesota; F.R.E.E. (the Forest Environmental Education Network) is facilitating the dissemination of educational information about forest resources and their products. Educational resources are provided for teachers and children. Includes research resources as well.

Great Lakes Forest Alliance
About this Resource: The Great Lakes Forest Alliance ("The Alliance") is a forum to foster and facilitate cooperative efforts that enhance management and sustainable use of the public and private forest lands in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin. The site contains areas about the Alliance, news and events, publications available online, and contact information.

Pennsylvania Forestry Association
About this Resource: The Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA) is the nation's oldest state timber harvesting organization devoted to forest conservation. The website gives information about the Association such as member information, news releases, a calender of events, and scholarships. Also available is information about becoming a member and ordering publications and products online. Links are available to other resources as well.

FAO Forestry
About this Resource: This organization focuses on "how to use trees, forests and related resources to improve people's economic, environmental, social and cultural conditions while ensuring that the resource is conserved to meet the needs of future generations." The website provides information about the organization and also about forest management, forest products and services, forest and the environment, people and forests, policy and institutions, sector studies, assessment and monitoring, and interdisciplinary issues. The site also contains forestry department country profiles, an events calendar, a database and library, publication information, and processes information.

Certified Forest Products Council
About this Resource: This site introduces the concept of forest certification, provides information on the major certification programs around the world and describes the markets for certified wood products. Using the FCRC's search tool, suppliers and buyers can access a database of more than 800 certified forests throughout the world, and more than 4,500 certified locations supplying wood and paper products.

Pacific Forestry Centre
About this Resource: The Pacific Forestry Centre focuses on research in forest biology and forest resources. This includes research in remote sensing, biological control of weeds and insects, insect and disease management, alternative silvicultural systems, timber production, fire management, and ecosystem dynamics. Their website provides information about their research as well as information about related programs, policies, and publications.

Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
About this Resource: The MCFPE is a high-level co-operation of around 40 European countries and the European Community. The website covers the events of the European forest community such as conferences and includes publications and newsletters. At this site the user can find information about the participating countries as well as news from each of them and links to other related sites.

Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
About this Resource: The MCPFE is a political initiative that was developed to work towards the protection and sustainable management of forests. The site provides information about the conference and its events and links to publications, documents, conferences, and participants.

Forestry and Biodiversity Conservation and Management
About this Resource: This webpage is part of the Inter-American Development Bank's Sustainable Development Department. It includes background information about the topic, events, news bulletins, links to related sites and publications that are available online.

PP HARVST
About this Resource: Software that simulates the cost of harvesting operations in ponderosa pine plantations for partial cutting or clear cutting for three types of equipment configurations: a cut-to-length harvester-forwarder system, a whole tree/log length skidder system, and a skyline cable system.

Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions- APAFRI
About this Resource: APAFRI webpage promotes innovative research and development efforts in support of national and regional development. The webpage provides the user with general information about the organization as well as the members. Access to online newsletters, Powerpoint presentations, and publication information is available. The page also provides event information and a directory for Asia Pacific Forestry Researchers.

European Forest Institute
About this Resource: The European Forest Institute's (EFI) mission is to conduct, promote and cooperate in the research of forests, forestry and forest products at the pan-European level, and to make the results of the research known to all interested parties, notably in the areas of policy formulation and implementation, in order to promote the conservation and management of forests for producing goods and services in a sustainable way. The website divides into three sections. EFI describes its' organization, its' activities, and offers a news service. Research emphasis concentrates on: forest ecology and management; forest products; markets and socioeconomics; policy analysis, forest resources and information. EFI is currently advancing seven database services from this website; while most is open, certain parts may be limited to EFI members and partners. These services include: EFIDAS (the European Forestry Information and Data Analysis System); EFISCEN (the EFI Forest SCENario Project); DFDE (the Database of Forest Disturbances in Europe); the Database on Forest Capacities in 18 European Countries; CIS (the Certification Information Service); the Forest Research Network; FINE (the Forest Information Services Network for Europe) and EFIS (the European Forest Information System). EFI offers details on publications; mostly descriptive, pointers identify: research reports, working papers, proceedings, discussion reports, internal papers and related documents.

Forest Practices Code Guidebooks | Ministry of Forests - Government of British Columbia
About this Resource: The Ministry of Forests (Government of British Columbia) provides a series of practical forestry related guidebooks. Offerings are categorized: bark beetle management; biodiversity; boundary marking; channel assessment procedures;community watersheds; defoliator management; and dwarf mistletoe management. There are guidebooks for specific forest regions; the rest involve: fish streams; forest development; forest roads; generic forest health; wildlife management; landscape units; terminal weevils; pine stem rust; pruning; riparian management; root disease management; seed and vegetative material; silviculture prescription; soil conservation; soil rehabilitation; stand management; trails; tree wounding and decay; visual imapct assessment and watershed assessment.

Degradation of methyl isothiocyanate and chloropicrin in forest nursery soils
About this Resource: Recent studies have observed enhanced degradation of methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) from repeated fumigation in agricultural soils. Little is known about fumigant degradation in forest and nursery soils. This study was conducted to determine degradation rates of MITC and chloropicrin (CP) in two forest soils and the impacts of nursery management on degradation of MITC and CP. The half-life values of MITC and CP were evaluated in the laboratory under isothermal conditions (22 +/- 2 degrees C). Three rates representing 0.5x, 1x, and 2x field application rates for each fumigant were used in laboratory incubations. Effect of microbial degradation was determined by conducting incubations with both fresh and sterilized soils. Soil moisture effects were also studied. There was no difference in MITC or CP degradation between fumigated and nonfumigated forest nursery soils. Soil sterilization and high soil moisture content (15% by wt.) reduced MITC and CP degradation. The degradation rates of MITC and CP varied with factors such as nursery history, fumigant application rates, and freshness of tested soils.

Integrated decision support for sustainable forest management in the United States: fact or fiction
About this Resource: Decision support systems have played a prominent role in the implementation of forest management since the early 1980s. However, whereas early systems were typically designed to address relatively simple management questions, more modern systems are increasingly being called upon to address the challenges posed by issues surrounding forest ecosystem management, sustainable forest management, and adaptive management. This paper considers some of the key requirements as they apply to forestry in the United States, and reviews recent decision support system designs in the United States, considering the extent to which they are satisfying the requirements, and opportunities for their continued evolution. The three systems discussed, NED, LMS, and EMDS, are typical of recent approaches to system design insofar as each has taken an evolutionary approach to system implementation in order to develop effective, integrated decision support for forest management in this new, complex problem domain. On considering the current state of system development for the three systems, it is concluded that significant progress has, in fact, been made in the last few years in providing support for evaluation and planning, although it is equally true that substantial opportunities remain for continued development to support plan implementation and forest ecosystem monitoring.

New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands
About this Resource: The Division of Forests and Lands works to protect and promote the values provided by trees and forests by providing forest resource information and education to the public. The site provides links to news, events, a reference library, employment information, FAQs, and related links. There are also links to the following bureaus: Forest Management Bureau; Forest Protection Bureau; Community Forestry & Stewardship Bureau; Land Management Bureau; and National Heritage Bureau.

Nova Forest Alliance
About this Resource: The Nova Forest Alliance is a partnership of researchers, landowners, industry, environmentalists, educational institutions, and government who work together to research and promote sustainable forest management. Their website provides information about Nova Forest Alliance projects, committees, and partners as well as information about the Canadian Model Forest Network. There is also a link to the Canadian Model Forest Network's searchable publications database which houses information on hundreds of forestry topics.

Forestscience.info
About this Resource: ForestScience.info is an online information resource for forest and wood science. Subject coverage includes agroforestry, community forestry, forest management, forests, nonwood forest products, and wood technology. The database is updated weekly and contains content from 1939 to the present. The site also includes links to the Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) and BIOME, a guide to resources in health and life sciences. There is a link to the Society of American Foresters homepage and information on the Forestry compendium.

Western Forestry Leadership Coalition
About this Resource: A state-federal partnership, the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) is currently the product of a fifty year understanding. WFLC engages State and Territorial Foresters, along with USDA's Forest Service. The Coalition seeks to promote science-based forest manaagement while serving society and ensuring the health and sustainability of western forests. The website features brochures, presenations, issue briefs, reports, research and state fact sheets. An events calendar is also included.

Finnish Forest Research Institute
About this Resource: Established in 1917, the Finish Forest Research Institute (Metla) is a signifigant resource realtive to Finland's forests. The website accomodates both English and Finish speaking audiences. Metla provides organizational background for site visitors, with staff introductions and descriptions of research, experiments, services and products. The Institute is making its' publications accessible in full-text and there is an explanation of the METINFO services. A sitemap faciliates site navigation and Metla places emphasis on currency by highlighting news items. The Finnish Forest Research Institute reports to Finland's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The journal "Silva Fennica" is full-text accessible - beginning in 1998 (with pdf formatting), abstracts date back to 1994. The "Working Papers of the Finnish Research Institute" was launched in 2004.

Using Bayesian belief networks in adaptive management
About this Resource: Bayesian belief and decision networks are modelling techniques that are well suited to adaptive-management applications, but they appear not to have been widely used in adaptive management to date. Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) can serve many purposes, from illustrating a conceptual understanding of system relations to calculating joint probabilities for decision options and predicting outcomes of management policies. We describe the nature and capabilities of BBNs, discuss their applications to the adaptive-management process, and present a case example of adaptive management of forests and terrestrial lichens in north-central British Columbia. We recommend that those unfamiliar with BBNs should begin by first developing influence diagrams with relatively simple structures that represent the system under management. Such basic models can then be elaborated to include more variables, the mathematical relations among them, and features that allow assessment of the utility of alternative management actions or strategies. Users of BBNs should be aware of several important limitations, including problems in representing feedback and time-dynamic functions. Nevertheless, when properly used, Bayesian networks can benefit most adaptive-management teams by promoting a shared understanding of the system being managed and encouraging the rigorous examination of alternative management policies.

Douglas-Fir Beetle Response to Artificial Creation of Down Wood in the Oregon Coast Range.
About this Resource: Douglas-fir beetle populations were monitored before and after thinning and felling of trees to create down wood in an 88-year-old Douglas-fir plantation in the Oregon Coast Range. Treatments included an unthinned control, thinning to a target of 75 trees/ha, and thinning to a target of 150 trees/ha. Actual mean tree densities on the plots after thinning were 406, 102, and 154, for the control, 75 trees/ha, and 150 trees/ha treatments, respectively. Fifty trees/ha were felled and left on all thinned plots to create down wood for ecological values. Catches in pheromone-baited traps indicated that the local beetle population increased for 1 year in response to felling and leaving large diameter trees in partial shade. Douglas-fir beetle entrance holes and brood were significantly more abundant on the sides of felled trees and wood borers were significantly more abundant on the upper surface suggesting that treatments that provide maximum exposure of felled trees will create the least favorable habitat for Douglas-fir beetles. However, there were no differences in Douglas-fir beetle entrance holes or brood densities in felled trees between the two thinning intensities. Douglas-fir beetle-caused tree mortality was significantly higher on thinned plots with residual felled trees compared with unthinned controls, although infestation levels were low on all plots (<2 trees/ha). The small increase in beetle-caused tree mortality associated with leaving felled trees would be unlikely to interfere with resource management objectives. These results are applicable to mature, managed forests west of the Cascades with relatively low Douglas-fir beetle populations. In different regions and stand types, or under different environmental conditions, beetle populations could increase to higher densities, remain at high densities longer, and cause higher levels of tree mortality.

Minnesota Division of Forestry
About this Resource: The Minnesota Division of Forestry works to sustain and enhance functioning forest ecosystems, to provide a sustainable supply of forest resources, and to protect lives and property from wildfire. The site provides information about tree care and management, forest fire, forest insects and disease, utilization and marketing, forest certification, and their partner programs. There are links to state forests, state forest nurseries, forestry education, timber harvesting, a timber auction sales calendar, subsection forest resource management planning, community forestry, forestry region and area offices, a fire management section, and a forest management section.

Texas Forest Service | Texas A&M University
About this Resource: Established in 1915, it is the role of the Texas Forest Service (TFS) to "assume direction of all forest interests and all matters pertaining to forestry within the jurisdiction of the state." Local links describe undertakings by TFS with regard to: forest management; fire protection; law enforcement and urban forestry. There are links for: landowners, forestry professionals and children. This Homepage features news and late breaking information. Pointers identify upcoming events. A service from Texas A&M University.

North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
About this Resource: The Division of Forest Resources' primary purpose is to ensure adequate and quality forest resources for the state by providing forest management assistance to private landowners and aiding with reforestation, forest fire prevention and suppression, and insect and disease control. Their website provides information about starting a forest, urban forestry, fire, forest health, and water quality. They also provide access to information about careers, publications, forms and grants. There are links to burning permits, fire weather updates, wildfire updates, and a list of educational state forests.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management and Geomatics
About this Resource: The Department of Forest Resource Management and Geomatics focuses on education and research in the fields of statistics, forest management planning, remote sensing, forest inventory, and environmental monitoring. Courses are offered in statistics, computer science, forest management planning, forest inventry, remote sensing, GIS, and environmental monitoring. There is information about the program on the site. There are links to the Swedish National Forest Inventory and the National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden, which is a national program for the monitoring of biodiversity.

Forest Value Orientations in Australia: An Application of Computer Content Analysis
About this Resource: This article explores the expression of three forest value orientations that emerged from an analysis of Australian news media discourse about the management of Australian native forests from August 1, 1997 through December 31, 2004. Computer-coded content analysis was used to measure and track the relative importance of commodity, ecological and moral/spiritual/aesthetic forest value orientations. The number of expressions of these forest value orientations followed major events in forest management and policy, with peaks corresponding to finalization of Regional Forest Agreements and conflicts over forest management. Over the time period analyzed, the relative share of commodity value orientation decreased and the shares of the ecological and moral/spiritual/aesthetic value orientations increased. The shifts in forest value orientations highlight the need for native forests to be managed for multiple values and the need for continued monitoring of forest values.

Streamflow Modification Through Management of Eastern Forests
About this Resource: Protection of the water resource was a primary objective in establishing the National Forest System in America, and improving quantity, quality, and timing of streamflow is an important objective of forest management in certain regions of the United States.Effective management of the forest for increased streamflow presupposes that impact of various management practices on water yield can be predicted, but prediction equations do not exist for most regions.

Atlantic Forestry Centre
About this Resource: The Atlantic Forestry Centre is one of five CFS research centers that plays a role in regional and national forestry research programs. Their website provides information on several ongoing research subject areas. These research areas include biodiversity, biotechnology, climate change, ecology, entomology, forest fires, forest conditions, forest management, pathology, silviculture, and socio-economics.

North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
About this Resource: This site provides information about starting a forest, urban forestry, fire, water quality, careers with NCDFR, forms and grants, tending your forest, forest health, education and training opportunities, news, and publications. There are also resources for kids, such as the Junior Forest Ranger Program, forest facts, and a Smokey Bear Slide Puzzle.

Amphibian distributions in riparian and upslope areas and their habitat associations on managed forest landscapes in the Oregon Coast Range
About this Resource: Over the past 50 years, forested landscapes of the Pacific Northwest have become increasingly patchy, dominated by early successional forests. Several amphibian species associated with forested headwater systems have emerged as management concerns, especially after clearcutting. Given that headwater streams comprise a large portion of the length of flowing waterways in western Oregon forests, there is a need to better understand how forest management affects headwater forest taxa and their habitats. Mitigation strategies include alternatives to clearcutting, such as harvests that remove only part of the canopy and maintenance of riparian buffer strips. Our study investigates effects of upland forest thinning coupled with riparian buffer treatments on riparian and upland headwater forest amphibians, habitat attributes, and species-habitat associations. Amphibian captures and habitat variables were examined 5-6 years post-thinning within forest stands subject to streamside-retention buffers and variable-width buffers, as well as unthinned reference stands. We found no treatments effects, however, our results suggest that ground surface conditions (e.g., amount of rocky or fine substrate) play a role in determining the response of riparian and upland amphibians to forest thinning along headwater streams. Distance from stream was associated with amphibian abundance, hence retention of riparian buffers is likely important in maintaining microclimates and microhabitats needed for amphibians and other taxa. Moderate thinning and preservation of conditions in riparian and nearby upland areas by way of variable-width and streamside-retention buffers may be sufficient to maintain suitable habitat and microclimatic conditions vital to amphibian assemblages in managed headwater forests.

Effects of reduced-impact logging and forest physiognomy on bat populations of lowland Amazonian forest
About this Resource: 1. As human population size increases, demand for natural resources will increase. Logging pressure related to increasing demands continues to threaten remote areas of Amazonian forest. A harvest protocol is required to provide renewable timber resources that meet consumer needs while minimizing negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) may be a viable option to achieve these goals. 2. Effects of RIL (18 m³ ha⁻¹) and forest physiognomy were assessed for populations of bats from Amazonian terra firme forest in Brazil at 20-42 months postharvest. 3. Based on 64 512 meter-hours of netting, 1468 bats were captured representing 47 species, 30 genera, four families and five feeding ensembles. Five species (one nectarivore and four frugivores) responded to management in a consistent manner: four were more abundant in logged forest and one was more abundant in undisturbed forest. Ten species (one nectarivore, two gleaning animalivores and seven frugivores) responded to forest physiognomy in a consistent manner: nine were more abundant in closed-canopy sites and one was more abundant in gaps. Three species (all frugivores) exhibited idiosyncratic responses to management that were contingent on physiognomy. 4. Using qualitative measures (changes in status from common to rare, or from present to absent), RIL elicited negative responses from 16 species, mostly rare taxa. After accounting for differences in total number of collected individuals, control forest harboured seven to 15 more rare species than did forest subjected to RIL. 5. Synthesis and applications. In the short term, RIL generally did not negatively affect populations of abundant bats. In contrast, reductions in abundance or local extirpation in response to RIL generally characterized uncommon or rare species. Arrangement of RIL sites in a matrix of undisturbed forest may allow source-sink dynamics to mitigate effects of RIL on rare or sensitive species and enhance sustainability at a regional scale.

North Dakota Forest Service
About this Resource: The site provides information about the North Dakota Forest Service, community forestry, fire management, forest resource management, education information, state forests, sustainable forestry, and funding opportunities. There are links to the Towner State Nursery, a personnel directory, a page of related links, North Dakota State University, North Dakota Tree Information Center, and USDA Forest Service.

Managing forest disturbances and community responses: Lessons from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
About this Resource: Managing forest disturbances can be complicated by diverse human community responses. Interviews and quantitative analysis of mail surveys were used to assess risk perceptions and community actions in response to forest disturbance by spruce bark beetles. Despite high risk perception of immediate threats to personal safety and property, risk perceptions of broader threats to community and ecological well-being were found to be more likely to influence participation in community action. Results imply that increased dialogue between resource managers and local community residents contributes to broader risk assessment and prioritization of risk mitigation strategies. Identifying community risk perceptions, tapping into local capacities for action, and accepting controversy facilitate sound decisionmaking and give voice to local concerns regarding risk mitigation after forest disturbance.

Macrohabitat factors affect day roost selection by eastern red bats and eastern pipistrelles in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA
About this Resource: Although roost sites are critically important to bats, we have few data on macrohabitat factors that affect roost selection by foliage-roosting bats. Such data are needed so that forest managers can make informed decisions regarding conservation of bat roosts. Our objective was to examine roost selection by non-reproductive eastern pipistrelles (Perimyotis subflavus) and red bats (Lasiurus borealis) in a dense deciduous forest undergoing low-intensity timber management in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, USA. During May to August 2004-2006, we radiotracked eight red bats and seven pipistrelles to roosts for 1-14 days (red bats, mean = 4.11 days, n =19 roosts; pipistrelles, mean = 7 days, n =15 roosts). We compared roost and random trees or points using paired-sample t-tests for tree and microhabitat characters and logistic regression models of one to three variables for macrohabitat characters. Neither red bats nor pipistrelles selected roosts based on tree or microhabitat characteristics. Red bats used a wide range of stand ages and conditions and, based on our most plausible models for macrohabitat variables, roosted closer than expected (mean = 70.6 m ) to linear openings such as gated roads. Pipistrelles only used stands >=72 years in age and roosted closer than expected (mean = 185.6 m) to non-linear openings and at elevations lower than expected (mean = 882 m) . Combined evidence of multiple variables indicated that pipistrelles preferred to roost close to streams. Our results indicate that land managers in the southern Appalachians should maintain a diversity of age classes to provide roosting habitat for both species, and that pipistrelles in particular may benefit from retention of mature stands or buffer zones near perennial streams. Furthermore, non-reproductive red bats and pipistrelles may prefer to roost near openings to minimize commuting costs when openings comprise a small proportion of a densely forested landscape.

North East State Foresters Association
About this Resource: The NEFA's website allows users to obtain information about the Association's goals and mission, their board of directors and staff, the small-grants program, and the Northern Forest Lands Council conference. The site also provides links to other forestry sites and online publications from the Association.

Annotated Bibliography of Publications on Watershed Management by the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, 1928-1970
About this Resource: This bibliography contains annotated citations to all publications by the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station on watershed management from 1928 to 1970. Citations are indexed by subject category.

Visual Simulations of Forest Wildlife Habitat Structure, Change, and Landscape Context in New England
About this Resource: Visualization is a powerful tool for depicting projections of forest structure and landscape conditions, for communicating habitat management practices, and for providing a landscape context to private landowners and to those concerned with public land management. Recent advances in visualization technology, especially in graphics quality, ease of use, and relative ease of learning, make it readily usable by natural resource managers. Concerns about the appearance of even-aged practices, which have the greatest potential to enhance wildlife diversity, have constrained forest management. We developed realistic visual simulations to display the outcomes of forest management practices used to create and maintain a range of wildlife habitat conditions in New England, and to project future landscape appearance for periods up to 100 years. We describe the simulation process so that it can be used elsewhere. Realistic visual images can be a useful tool to clearly display habitat management alternatives for landowners and participants in public land management and to improve communication about the long-term appearance of the landscape as periodic treatments are applied.

Canadian Forestry Links
About this Resource: This directory points to links related to Canadian forestry. Organizational links are identified by the following arrangements: government, universities, associations companies and forest publications. The topical indexes relate to: biodiversity, forest genetics, forest products, forest fires, forest management, silviculture, sustainable forestry, soils, insects and disease and geographical information systems.

The forest vegetation simulator: a review of its structure, content, and applications
About this Resource: The Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) is a distance-independent, individual-tree forest growth model widely used in the United States to support management decisionmaking. Stands are the basic projection unit, but the spatial scope can be many thousands of stands. The temporal scope is several hundred years at a resolution of 5-10 years. Projections start with a summary of current conditions evident in the input inventory data. FVS contains a self-calibration feature that uses measured growth rates to modify predictions for local conditions. Component models predict the growth and mortality of individual trees, and extensions to the base model represent disturbance agents including insects, pathogens, and fire. The component models differ depending on the geographic region represented by regionally specific model variants. The differences are due to data availability and the applicability of existing models. The model supports specification of management rules in the input, such as thinning if density is too high. The rules can be extended to represent other factors. For example, the effect of climate change on stand development by entering rules that specify how growth and mortality will change in response to changing climate. Applications range from development of silvicultural prescription for single stands to landscape and large regional assessments. Key issues addressed with FVS include forest development, wildlife habitat, pest outbreaks, and fuels management. The predictions are used to gain insights into how forested environments will respond to alternative management actions. Broad-scale forest management policies have been studied with FVS. For the 30 years since the model was initially introduced, the development team has anticipated and provided needed enhancements and maintained a commitment to working with and training users. The existence of an adequate user interface and the continued use of the original programming language are often overlooked factors for the success of this model. Future work will focus on improving FVS by adopting recent biometric techniques and including new information linking geomorphology to mortality and growth. Extending the model to more closely represent biophysical processes and adapting the model so that it is more relevant to management questions related to predicted climate change are also foci. Providing ways to dynamically link FVS to other models is our current strategy for providing major new capabilities.

Informed multi-objective decision-making in environmental management using Pareto optimality
About this Resource: 1. Effective decision-making in environmental management requires the consideration of multiple objectives that may conflict. Common optimization methods use weights on the multiple objectives to aggregate them into a single value, neglecting valuable insight into the relationships among the objectives in the management problem. 2. We present a multi-objective optimization procedure that approximates the non-dominated Pareto frontier without the use of weightings, allowing for visualization of the trade-offs among objectives. The non-dominated Pareto frontier is approximated by the simultaneous optimization of a vector objective function; two vector objective functions are defined as non-dominated if improvement with respect to one objective is at the detriment of another objective. 3. We demonstrate the method with a case study for the optimum distribution of forest fuels treatments that reduce the impact of fire on a forest. The multiple objectives are to protect habitat of an endangered species, protect late successional forest reserves and minimize the total area treated. In the comparison of three optimization searches, the number of non-dominated solutions increases with the dimensions of the objective space, but with only two objectives the search is ineffective in minimizing fire impact in the different landscape types. Key challenges include the extensive computation time required to approximate the non-dominated set, and reducing the number of solutions that are analysed in detail. 4. Synthesis and applications. The multi-objective optimization program presented can be adapted to other environmental management problems, and easily incorporates a wide range of quantifiable objectives. This tool provides decision-makers with a set of alternatives that estimates the full range of trade-offs among multiple objectives and provides a common ground from which dialogue can come to an informed compromise and decision in environmental management problems.

Decision support systems for forest management: A financial analysis for South Carolina's state forests
About this Resource: Decision support systems (DSS), also known as forest resource information systems, focus on providing forest managers information to make better decisions. DSS in forestry organizations have evolved from the integration of geographic information systems and database management systems with common forestry applications. These types of systems are becoming widely used within forestry organizations as the planning and documentation of activities become ever more critical due to forest certification activities and increased public scrutiny. While methods to define the cost of these types of technologies are relatively straightforward, defining the benefits associated with system implementation is more difficult. A benefit/cost analysis of a DSS for South Carolina's state forests is presented. This analysis derives the majority of the benefits from improvements in business process, not the effects of individual applications or functions. Process alternatives currently available to forest managers and the benefits and cost of these alternatives are identified. While results presented apply specifically to South Carolina's state forests system, the alternatives and methodology have broad implications to medium and large forest landowners.

Modeling trade-offs between fire threat reduction and late-seral forest structure.
About this Resource: Evaluating the effects of managing for one forest resource in terms of associated impacts on other resources is not easy. Yet methods to identify potential trade-offs among forest resources are necessary to inform people about the implications of management options on public land. This paper uses a case study from a forest reserve in the northwestern United States to quantify trade-offs between fire threat (FT) and late-seral forest (LSF) structure at stand and landscape levels. Simulation of forest dynamics was done with and without silvicultural treatments. A landscape optimization algorithm maximized FT reduction subject to constraints on amount of LSF structure and total area treated. Results suggest that compatibility between the two objectives is possible at the landscape level when LSF structure is about 45% or less of the total reserve area. Conflict can exist between them at the stand level and when more area is required to be in LSF structure in the reserve landscape.

Plantation Management Intensity Affects Belowground Carbon and Nitrogen Storage in Northern California
About this Resource: Belowground C and N storage is important in maintaining forest productivity and to CO2 sequestration. How these pools respond to management is poorly understood. We investigated effects of repeated applications of complete fertilizer and competing vegetation control with herbicides on C and N storage in forest-floor, fine-root, and mineral-soil C and N pools to 1-m depth at three Pinus ponderosa P. Lawson & C. Lawson var. ponderosa plantations across a site quality gradient in northern California. Belowground C pools without treatment were 66, 153, and 199 Mg C ha-1 for the low-, intermediate-, and high-quality sites, respectively, and N pools were 5.1, 6.7, and 6.5 Mg N ha-1, respectively. Treatments increased tree-bole volume at 20 yr as much as 400%, while changes in C and N pools belowground were less dramatic. Herbicide treatment increased forest-floor C pools 35% at the poorer quality site. Fertilization increased forest-floor C and N storage 46 to 106% at all sites. Fertilization decreased fine-root C pools at 0 to 0.3 m at the most productive site 43% and increased this N pool 43% at the least productive site, but did not influence fine-root pools to 1 m. Fertilization increased mineral-soil C pools on lower quality sites, resulting in 12 to 57% more belowground C storage. At the intermediate site, fertilization increased total belowground N storage 12%. Results of this study suggest that the major sequestration mechanism up to this point in stand development is through gains in tree biomass rather than storage in fine roots and soil belowground.

A method for integrating multiple components in a decision support system
About this Resource: We present a flexible, extensible method for integrating multiple tools into a single large decision support system (DSS) using a forest ecosystem management DSS (NED-2) as an example. In our approach, a rich ontology for the target domain is developed and implemented in the internal data model for the DSS. Semi-autonomous agents control external components and communicate using a blackboard. We illustrate how this multi-agent approach with its blackboard architecture supports the expansion of a DSS (in this case, NED-2) to incorporate new models and decision support tools as they become available. The exemplar NED-2 DSS developed using this method is a goal-driven DSS that integrates a sophisticated inventory system, treatment plan development, growth-and-yield models, wildlife models, fire risk models, knowledge based systems for goal satisfaction analysis, and a powerful report generation system.

Forestry AgNIC
About this Resource: This web site provides significant information, resources, associations, databases, and links on forestry and the related sciences such as agroforestry, wilderness management, and outdoor recreation.