Databases

• Management geospatial coverages for public lands in the Pacific Northwest can be found on our new geospatial data page.
  
  
• Coastal Landscape Analysis and Modeling Study (CLAMS)

CLAMS is a multi-disciplinary research effort sponsored cooperatively through Oregon State University's College of Forestry, the US Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. Their main goal is to analyze the aggregate ecological, economic, and social consequences of forest policies of different land owners in the Oregon Coast Range. This goal will be accomplished by collection socioeconomic and ecological data about the region and a developing a compatible set of spatial data bases and spatial simulation models.

• Databases from the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest Downloadable Databases

The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest on the Willamette National Forest is a Long-Term Ecological Research site. Scientific studies focus on the ecology of old growth forests, as well as timber harvest methods, road construction impacts, and hydrologic cycling.

• Density Management Studies Searchable Database planned

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in western Oregon is evaluating whether density management thinning can be used in 40-70 year-old Douglas-fir forests to accelerate the development of late-successional habitat characteristics while producing significant wood volume. The response of vascular plants flora and vertebrate fauna is being quantified. Riparian buffer studies assessing the effects of thinning in riparian reserves on aquatic vertebrate diversity and associated microhabitats and microclimate gradients. Web site under development.

• Effects of Treatment on Wildlife and Habitat Searchable Database planned

Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study quantifies the effects of varying the level and spatial aggregation of green-tree retention during forest harvest on a variety of ecosystem components.  Wildlife studies quantify patterns of species richness, evenness, and relative abundance of birds, small mammals, bats, and amphibians before and after forest harvest.

• Forest Health Monitoring Browseable Databases

The Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) is a national USDA Forest Service program designed to determine the status and trends in indicators of forest condition on an annual basis. The FHM program uses data from ground plots and surveys, aerial surveys, and other biotic and abiotic data sources.

• Non-Timber Forest Products Searchable Database

Conservation and development information on commercial, recreational, and subsistence extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFP). Diverse topics are covered including cultural, ecological, economic, geographic, and political.

Management Tools

• Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

AHP is especially suitable for complex decisions which involve the comparison of decision elements which are difficult to quantify. It involves building a hierarchy (ranking) of decision elements and then making comparisons between each possible pair in each cluster (as a matrix). This gives a weighting for each element within a cluster (or level of the hierarchy) and also a consistency ratio (useful for checking the consistency of the data).

The EMDS system integrates the NetWeaver knowledge base system with ArcView GIS to provide decision support technology for ecological landscape analysis applications. NetWeaver allows an assessment of the effect of missing information, and the incorporation of knowledge bases that evaluate a range of topics, such as social, economic, aesthetic, and legal issues.

EnVision is a rendering system for stand and landscape images.  Applicable projects range from a few to several thousand hectares.  EnVision does not attempt to model changes to the landscape over time. Basic components of an EnVision project include a digital terrain model to define the ground surface, color and texture maps to define ground surface characteristics, and groups of objects or "actors".  EnVision renders images using a geometrically correct camera model making it possible to match real photographs taken from known viewpoints to simulated scenes.

• Landscape Management System (LMS)

LMS is an evolving application designed to assist in analysis and planning of forest ecosystems by automating the tasks of stand projection, graphical and tabular summarization, stand visualization, and landscape visualization within a cohesive system.

• Oregon Department of Forestry State Forests GIS Tools

The Xtools ArcView extension contains useful vector spatial analysis, shape conversion and table management tools developed, collected, or modified by Mike DeLaune, Oregon Department of Forestry, including buffer, clip erase, identity, intersect and union.  Projector_ol is an ArcView Extension that allows the projection of spatial data between the Oregon Lambert projection and any other projection supported by ArcView.

Regulations

• Washington Forest Practices Board

The Washington Forest Practices Board was established in 1975 by the state legislature under the state Forest Practices Act. By law, the board is charged with establishing rules to protect the state's natural resources while maintaining a viable timber industry. The Washington Forest Practices Manual, Act, and Rules are available at the Board’s website.

• The Oregon Forest Practices Program

  The Oregon Forest Practices Act was adopted by the Legislature into Oregon's forest laws in 1971. The first Oregon Forest Practice Administrative Rules implementing the Act were adopted by the Board of Forestry in 1972. Full information about the Oregon Forest Practices Program is available at the Program's website.

• The Idaho Forest Practices Act (FPA)

  The Forest Practices Act was passed by the 1974 Idaho Legislature to assure the continuous growing and harvesting of forest trees and to maintain forest soil, air, water, vegetation, wildlife, and aquatic habitat. The Act requires forest practices rules for state and private lands to protect, maintain, and enhance our natural resources. Federal land practices must meet or exceed the requirements of the state rules. The Act provides for an advisory board of forest landowners, operators, informed citizens, and environmental and fisheries experts to recommend rules to the State Land Board. Information about Forest Practices in Idaho is available from the website.

Geographic Perspectives
U.S. Programs & Activities | International | California | Central Southwest/Gulf Coast | Great Basin
Mountain Prairie | Pacific Basin | Pacific Northwest | Southern Appalachian | Southwest

This site is developed and maintained by the Fire and Mountain Ecology Lab,the
USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, the University of Washington,
and the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering