MB&G & ODF 1

Using FVS to Develop and TestStructure Based Management

Pam Overhulser, ODFMark Rasmussen, MB&G

2/14/07 FVS Conference

MB&G & ODF 2

Outline

• What is the planning problem?• How does FVS fit into the planning system?• How was FVS used?• Improvements

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ODF planning area

• 632,000 acres– High site– Fire history– Ownership history

• ODF structure– Seven districts– Foresters and managers,

long tenure in place

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ODF Forest Plan Summary

• Structure Based Management– accelerate growth of large diameter trees; – develop multi-storied canopy– produce commercial crops of timber – shifting mosaic of complex structure -- no set asides

• Habitat Conservation Plan• Targets/Outputs

– 50% complex structure target– Maximize even-flow timber volume

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Complex planning questions

• Strategic– Structure v. revenue v. set asides– Agree to HCP?

• Tactical– What to do about SNC?– SBM silvicultural methods– Set harvest levels

• Operational– Adjacency constraints– Road systems– Owl clusters– Location of complex forests

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Analytical process

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H&H Model

Grow Stands Schedule harvest units Operationally feasible solution

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Planning project stats

• Districts/models: 7• Acres: 632,070 • Stands:  6,673 • Harvest units:   14,306 • Polygons: 313,283 • Yield tables:   79,600• Coefficients:   108,564,472

• Budget: $2 million • Time: 36 months 

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Why FVS?

• Evaluated 4 mature stand models,

and 3 young stand models – Data source– Support and documentation – Silviculture– Model behavior– Flexibility

• Growth models evaluated four times – south coast, northwestern districts, western cascades, southern Oregon

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Using FVS

1. Calibrate FVS

2. Choose taper system, merch specs

3. Define structure classes

4. Develop SBM cutting algorithms

5. Develop SBM regimes

6. Build, evaluate, report yields

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Using FVS: Calibrate FVSFG & AT: Sales & SLI v. FVS projections

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Age

Mb

f/ac

re

FG sales

AT sales

TL 544 -354

Cas 398 262

FG 480 243

FG SLI

AT SLI

TL SLI

TPA:Total - >4"

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Using FVS: Volume calculations

1. PN, WC. SORNEC

2. Flewelling taper equations

3. Track volume and value by species by product/size/grade

4. Merch specsDistrict Astoria ElliottLog Length 40’ 32’Minimum Top DIB 5” 5” Trim Allowance 12” 12” Stump Height 1’ 1’ Minimum Log Length 12’ 12’Minimum DBH 8” 8”Defect by age

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Using FVS: Define structure classes

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Using FVS: Develop thinning specs• ODF financing, Auto Mark thinning contracts, 10 years of sales

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Using FVS: Define a set of regimes

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Using FVS: Make and evaluate yields

• YTG Tools

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Planning resultsharvest volume

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

1 6 11 16 21 26

time ( 5-year periods )

annu

al h

arve

st (

mm

bf)

fmp ~ hcp

fmp ~ ta

wood emphasis

reserve-based

complex structure percentage

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1 6 11 16 21 26

time ( 5 year periods )

% c

ompl

ex

fmp ~ hcp

fmp ~ ta

wood emphasis

reserve-based

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Improvements for next time

• FVS– Thinning: clumpy v. uniform – Growth: genetic gain– Silviculture: Young stand and small tree growth

• ODF– Decay Model: Track snag and down wood components– Reprod

• SBM– Structure definition: thresholds v. similarity coefficient

• Inventory– Yield projections: stand v. strata