Non Technical Summary
The primary goal of this project is to provide forest landowners tools and knowledge for assessing carbon additionality and for modeling mixed-species eastern U.S. forests. Short-term goals include expanding eYield to mixed-species forests, modeling carbon additionality, training students, facilitating stakeholder engagement, assessing use of technology, and enhancing an online educational system (OLAF). Long-term goals include enhancing the quality of and assisting in efficient management of U.S. forests, sustaining economic viability of small private forests, and enhancing landowner quality of life. Objectives are to: (1) develop contemporary quantitative methods for modeling growth of mixed-species forests, and incorporate these into the eYield model; (2) incorporate established methodology for quantification of carbon additionality into eYield; and (3) assess end-user satisfaction with the enhanced eYield model, develop tutorials and videos that illustrate its usefulness, and develop outreach content to complement eYield and enhance OLAF offerings. As an integrated project, the research component addresses knowledge gaps critical to mixed species growth and yield and management practices. The extension component addresses modeling carbon additionality, user satisfaction with the eYield model, and onlineeducational opportunities.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
123	0611	1070	25%
123	0613	1070	50%
123	0621	1070	25%

Knowledge Area
123 - Management and Sustainability of Forest Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0621 - Broadleaf forests of the South; 0611 - Conifer forests of the South; 0613 - Mixed conifer-broadleaf forests;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Goals / Objectives
The primary goal of this integrated project is to enhance the ability of small and medium-sized private forest landowners to assess carbon additionality and mixed species management options. Short-term goals are to: (1) develop the knowledge and expand the capability of the eYield model to adequately estimate the growth of mixed-species natural forests of the eastern US, and (2) construct and apply an integrated framework for modeling and reporting options for carbon additionality on small and medium-sized forests. Complementary short-term education and outreach goals are to: (3) train students and staff to help achieve a digitally-capable workforce, (4) facilitate stakeholder engagement to ensure adoption and integration of the technologies, (5) assess and promote the adoption and use of the technologies through published works and presentations (live and recorded), and (6) develop online course content that concisely describes issues related to forest carbon markets.The long-term goals of the project are to enhance the quality and character of eastern forest resources on which part of the US economy depends, assist in the efficient management of small and medium-sized forests, help sustain the economic viability of small and medium-sized forests, and help enhance the quality of life of rural forest landowners. The objectives of the project include the following:1. Develop methodologies for modeling mixed-species natural forests typical of the eastern US, and incorporate these processes into an enhanced version of eYield.2. Incorporate methodology for quantification of carbon additionality into eYield, along with reports that illustrate the potential financial opportunities for forest landowners.3. Assess user satisfaction with enhancements to the eYield model through workshops and surveys of workshop participants. Develop tutorials and videos that illustrate the usefulness of the enhanced eYield model to small and medium private landowners. Develop OLAF courses related to carbon markets and carbon additionality.

Project Methods
Objective 1: Develop methodologies for modeling mixed-species natural forests1. Conduct a thorough review of approaches for naturally developed, mixed-species growth and yield of common forest trees of the eastern US.2. Acquire primary (plot) data from USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis program and the former hardwood research cooperative at North Carolina State University.3. Filter out plots describing forest stand cover-types that do not meet our description of the mixed-species natural forest types we intend to model.4. Filter out plots that do not have multiple re-measurement data (typically 5 year intervals), so that volume growth observed in each plot can be determined.5. Estimate total and merchantable volumes using FIA processes and previously derived species-specific volumetric equations.6. Develop whole-stand or stand table projection growth and yield models for mixed-species forests following the guidance of others.7. Explore the capability of using a percent species composition method for estimating growth and yield of mixed forests.8. Use commonly accepted conversion factors, estimate carbon, and estimate carbon additionality.9. Conduct statistical tests to validate the quality of the models developed using measures that compare observed and predicted volume growth.10. Develop a PhD dissertation illustrating the rationale, methodology, results, and learnings associated with the mixed species management guidance offered under this objective.11. Develop two publishable journal manuscripts describing the outcomes of this work.Objective 2: Incorporate carbon additionality methodology into an enhanced version of eYield1. Obtain current literature on approaches to defining additionality of forest carbon in the American Carbon Registry program designed for small forest landowners.2. Synthesize the manner in which carbon additionality is assessed in this program.3. Develop methods for computing and reporting carbon additionality options based on the data managed within the eYield growth, yield, and harvest simulators.4. Develop eYield reports to present carbon credits earned through additionality rules.5. Verify, through about 50 management scenarios, that carbon additionality options are presented correctly through eYield reports.6. Develop a Master's thesis illustrating the rationale, methodology, results, and learnings associated with the carbon additionality guidance offered under this objective.7. Develop a publishable journal manuscript describing the outcomes of this work.Objective 3: Assess user satisfaction of an enhanced eYield model; Develop online learning materials1. Offer pre-workshop surveys to help understand baseline knowledge of workshop participants prior to using the eYield model.2. Conduct workshops, using several interesting forest management case studies to illustrate the capabilities of the enhanced eYield model.3. Offer a post-workshop survey that is very similar to the pre-workshop survey, at the end of each workshop, to help understand improvements in knowledge from using the eYield model.4. Assess the differences between pre- and post-workshop survey responses.5. Develop several short, targeted videos (2 minutes or less) that describe how to use the enhanced eYield model. These will be made available through eYield and YouTube.6. Develop longer, more detailed videos (10 minutes or less) that describe how one would develop a simulation of a management regime in eYield (from beginning to end), how one would then assess carbon additionality earned above a base case scenario, and how one would interpret the results from the reports provided by the enhanced eYield model.7. Develop content and course materials (quizzes, exams) related to carbon sequestration (in general) and carbon additionality (specifically) that provide freely available learning opportunities through the OLAF system.8. Develop a publishable journal manuscript describing the outcomes of the workshops.