INTEGRATION OF FOREST GROWTH AND YIELD PREDICTION WITH FOREST INVENTORY SYSTEMS

NUMEROUS LAND MANAGERS REQUIRE ACCURATE AND TIMELY INFORMATION ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOREST RESOURCE SUPPLY. HISTORICALLY, LITTLE WORK HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREST GROWTH AND YIELD MODELS WHICH CAN BE BOTH DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED FORM EXISTING INVENTORY DATA. FURTHER, EFFORTS TO INTEGRATE THE MODELS INTO THE DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF LOCAL PUBLIC AGENCIES HAVE BEEN WEAK AND SCATTERED. IN THIS PROJECT, STAND-LEVEL, EMPIRICAL GROWTH AND YIELD MODELS WILL BE DEVELOPED FROM THEOPERATIONAL INVENTORY DATA OF SEVERAL MINNESOTA COUNTIES. THE MODELS WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR THE MAJOR COVER TYPES IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND THEN THEY WILL BE INTEGRATED INTOA DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THE MODEL OUTPUT CAN BE EITHER NUMERIC, OR GRAPHICAL THROUGH THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. BENEFITS WILL BE DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED TIMBER SUPPLY AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION FOR SHORT AND LONG TERM PLANNING. RESULTS WILL LEAD TO 1) INCREASED FOREST MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY, 2) IMPROVEMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, 3) IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF CONFLICTS BETWEEN RESOURCE USES AND 4) ENHANCEMENT OF NON-TIMBER BENEFITS FROM FOREST LANDS.