The Rural Technology Initiative ceased operations in 2011. This site is maintained as an archive of works from RTI collaborators from 2000 to 2011 and is no longer updated. RTI's successor and remaining staff can be found at NRSIG.org


     
 
   
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Forestry Tools and References

Use the hyperlinks below to navigate Forestry Tools and References.
To navigate the entire site, use the menu to the left.




Pegger

Pegger is designed to assist the landowner in the initial design of forest roads. Using a contour theme Pegger can "peg in" a road from any point on the landscape at any grade. Pegger allows for quick analysis of alternative road designs in a GIS environment where other analysis tools can assist the planner in making educated decisions about road location. Pegger also assists in the editing of existing road themes by making available merge and spline functions to combine and smooth existing road data.

Click here to view a streaming video presentation of Pegger.

Click for more information on Pegger

CULSED

Culvert Placement to Minimize Road Sediment Delivery to Stream Networks

CULSED is a GIS decision support tool that runs within ArcMap 8.2. It was programmed by UW College of Forest Resources graduate student Flo Damian, and uses culvert placement as a method for reducing sediment delivery to stream networks from forest roads. For more information and a free download, click here.

Modeling Overland FlowClick to link to the CULSED information and download page

Forest stand growth over time using LMS

The Landscape Management System

LMS is an evolving application designed to assist in landscape level analysis and planning of forest ecosystems by automating the tasks of stand projection, graphical and tabular summarization, stand visualization, and landscape visualization. LMS is implemented as a Microsoft Windows (TM) application that coordinates the activities of other programs (projection models, visualization tools, etc.) that makeup the overall system. Click on the link above to access the Free LMS Download page. Below is a report that summarizes the use of LMS to manage a tree farm located 20 miles west of Mt. Rainier.
The University of Washington College of Forest Resources Silviculture Laboratory and Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies are working cooperatively with the Cradle of Forestry in America to develop forestry educational programs for K-12 audiences using the Landscape Management System.
Cradle of Forestry in America logo Mission: The Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association, in cooperation with the Cradle of Forestry in America, the USDA Forest Service, and other partners, will make available to this and future generations the birthplace of forestry and forestry education in America and will promote, demonstrate, and stimulate interest in and knowledge of the sustainable management of America's forest lands for the multiple benefits.

The Landscape Management System: A Practical Application

By: Christopher Townsend
Coburg Tree Farms

In 2002, the Coburg tree farm had identified a problem (declining growth in a too-tightly packed forest), and a possible solution (pay for thinning by selling poles). The solution to the problem asked questions like:
     - How many trees should be taken?
     - How many trees per acre should remain?
     - Which trees should be thinned out?
     - Is thinning really the best answer?

Aiding the Townsend family in the decision making process was the Landscape Management System (LMS). Click here to read a pdf of the report (to read this report, Adobe Reader is needed ).



Green arrows show the mean aspect of each stand calculated using the LMS Analyst

Forest stand boundaries on an analytically hillshaded digital elevation model arrows indicate calculated mean aspect per stand.

LMS Analyst

LMS Analyst is an Arcview extension to assist in the creation of Landscape Management System landscape portfolios. The current version calculates zonal mean slope, aspect and elevation for stands using a digital elevation model.

LMS Analyst was designed and written by Phil Hurvitz - (phurvitzu.washington.edu) College of Forest Resources GIS guru and wizard. See some of Phil's other work on his homepage.


Click to go to the Free LMS Inventory Wizard download page

LMS Inventory Wizard

The LMS Inventory Wizard is a tool to help foresters and landowners import their forest data into the Landscape Management System (LMS). Users can enter their inventory plot data into on-screen forms, and the inventory wizard will then generate files that can be imported into LMS.

The LMS Inventory Wizard runs on Windows-based computers that have Microsoft Access installed.

The LMS Inventory Wizard was developed by the Rural Technology Initiative at the University of Washington and is available for free download below. There is also a tutorial available to demonstrate how to use this tool to create LMS portfolios.

Go to the Free LMS Inventory Wizard download page.

Click to go to the LMS Economatic download page.

LMS Economatic

The “Economatic” is a spreadsheet-based economic and financial analysis companion program for the Landscape Management System (LMS). It takes management simulation data directly from LMS and automatically computes a variety of economic values such as discounted cash flow, soil expectation value, and internal rate of return. The interface is easy to use, and users can completely customize costs, prices, tax rates, and other input parameters. Results are summarized at both the stand and landscape level in a series of useful tables and charts.

Go to the Free LMS Economatic download page.

 

Stand Visualization System image

The Stand Visualization System

SVS is a product of the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. The program is used to generate graphic images depicting stand conditions represented by a list of individual stand components, e.g., trees, shrubs, and down material. The images produced by SVS, while abstract, provide a readily understood representation of stand conditions. Images produced using SVS help communicate silvicultural treatments and forest management alternatives to a variety of audiences.

EnVision (Environmental Visualization System)

EnVision is also a product of the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. It is designed to be a full featured rendering system for stand- and landscape-scale images. Applicable projects range from a few to several thousand acres. For more information and a Free Download of Envision, click on the link above.
EnVision image example

Forestry References

Consulting Forester Directory

WSU Cooperative Extension Natural Resource Sciences has put together a list of some of the Forestry Consultants for the state of Washington and neighboring states. The link above will take you to the WSU directory information page.

Washington Department of Revenue logo

Online Tutorial -
Forest Excise Tax Return for Washington

Did you know that when you cut timber in Washington, you owe the Forest Excise Tax? This video walks small timber harvesters through each step needed to fill out their Washington State Forest Excise Tax Return.


Logos for Purdue University and the US Forest Service

National Tax Management for Timberland Owners!

Very few sections of the Internal Revenue Code are written specifically for timber. This means there is a considerable amount of interpretation involved. This website was developed to be used by timberland owners, as well as a reference source for accountants, attorneys, consulting foresters and other professionals who work with timberland owners by answering specific questions regarding the tax treatment of timber.


Link to the Timberland Decision Support System

The Timberland Decision Support System

TDSS was developed and made available by the Texas Forestry Service. It provides excellent information on some common financial concepts, along with easy-to-use calculators to facilitate your decision making process. Anyone looking to make a forestry related investment should check out this site.

Log Marketing Assistance

Search for log buyers in Oregon, Northern California, and Southwest Washington using the Oregon Log Buyer Database. Developed by Oregon State University Extension Service forestry faculty, the database is organized by county and offers information on the log requirements of each company listed, as well as contact information.


Link to Washington State forestry data
Forestry Data

Use public forestry data to find out current forest harvest volumes in Washington and the tax applied to their sales. You can also compare current data with historical trends.

Link to Washington State Secondary Wood Products Directory

Washington State Secondary Wood Products Directory

CINTRAFOR has added an on-line directory of value-added manufacturers to its website. The directory is searchable by product, company name or location, and includes an alphabetic listing of companies as well.

 
School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
USDA Forest Service State & Private Forestry
WSU Cooperative Extension
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Last Updated 10/13/2022 12:35:05 PM