To Expand the Functionality of SORTIE-ND for use in Forest Management
Project Reference Number: 2007-21
Project Status: Active
Led by: Dave Coates, PhD, Research Silviculturist, Ministry of Forests and Range, Smithers
Funded by: Ministry of Forests, Transfer Agreement (950/60/RERNI07Q0P056)
The purpose of this transfer payment is to expand the functionality of SORTIE-ND for use in forest management, with a special emphasis on mid-term timber supply in mountaing pine beetle damaged forests. This work will be undertaken in co-operation with Dr. Dave Coates and Erin Hall of the Northern Interior Forest Region and Charlie Canham and Lora Murphy, Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York.
The objective of this project is to expand the functionality of SORTIE-ND for use in forest management decisions in MPB damaged forests of northern BC.
Deliverables include:
- An expanded range of graphical display and output and reporting options with particular emphasis on both residual forest structure and yield.
- An expanded library of "behaviours" (ecological processes, management options, reporting and graphical display) that users can invoke in a model simulation, especially around model predictions on drier/poorer and wetter/richer site types than the mesic types where data has been collected.
- Expand model predictions, using Bayesian statistical techniques, to other major subzones of the SBS (beyond the SBSmc and SBSdk).
- Exploring and recommending approaches for adding a harvest optimizer to the model that will allow the model to be run in an adaptive mode in which the model will search for optimal harvesting schemes given constraints set by the user for such features ass yield requirements, minimal retained structure or species diversity. The development of a harvest optimizer should allow the model to search for a silvicultural strategy that meets management objectives for complex stands while optimizing yield.