Progress 07/01/08 to 06/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The project targeted professional foresters, active in the field of measurements and management. The focus was not only on people but also on companies interested in increasing the value of a forest estate by advanced forest management. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project opened the opportunities for training forest professionals in forest management of complex forest ecosystems, specifically mixed species stands. The project developed one software that extracts trees from LIDAR data and completed the methodological framework for tree level forest management. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The project results were extensively presented to national and international conferences, as well published in prominent international journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The output of the project were: a numerical measure for the structure of mixed stands, identification of compositionalthresholdsthat defines distinct growth and yield of mixed species stands, enhancement of the existing growth and yield models with the new metric, and enhancement of the forest planning methods used to manage mixed species stands.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Strimbu, B.M. (2012) Correction for bias of models with lognormal distributed variables in absence of original data. Annals of Forest Research 55(2): 265-279
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Strimbu, B.M (2014) Comparing the efficiency of intensity-based forest inventories with sampling-error-based forest inventories. Forestry (2014) 87 (2): 249-255
- Type:
Books
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Dendrometry - Field manual
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Apr 2013: Palmer. W., Nitu., D.M., Cooke, D.B., Strimbu, B.M. Accuracy Estimation of Attributes Describing Forested Landscapes Using Tree Level Information. 2012 Annual Symposium of the US - International Association for Landscape Ecology. Austin TX Apr 14-18, 2013
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
March 2013: Strimbu, B., Cooke, D. B., Strimbu, V. F. 2013 Louisiana Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Louisiana Academy of Science, Grambling, LA, "Deterministic algorithm for tree detection from LIDAR data", (March 9, 2013).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Strimbu, B., Cooke, D. B., Strozier, S. 17 Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, USFA and Louisiana Tech University, Shreveport LA, "Sampling for compliance with USFS guidelines using information derived from LIDAR and multispectral aerial photography", (March 6, 2013).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Strimbu, B.M. 2nd IUFRO conference on complex forest ecosystems - from tree to landscape, "Correction for bias of the rotation age", New Orleans Oct 7-9, 2013
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The project aims to develop a measure to quantify the dynamics of mixed stands, to develop more accurate growth and yield models than present models for the mixed species stands, and to integrate the management of mixed-species stand within the landscape. The main outcomes of the project in its fourth year were focused on three areas: (1)finalizing the measure that describe mixed-species stands, (2)continuing developing growth and yield models for mixed species stands, (3)intiate the development and adjustment of landscape management methods for multi-objective - multiple-owner mixed species stands. In the fourth year of the project several meetings with various woodland owners and forest estate managers led to the finalization of the mixed-species stand metrics, and the development of the formal framework for the forest management of the mixed-species stands. As a case study we have developed a forest management plan for the Boy Scouts of America Camp located in Union parish, TL James Camp. The main product of the fourth year of the project is the finalization of the measure of the mixed-species ecosystems to be used in growth and yield modeling of complex multiple species stands. The second product of project's 4th year is the start of the development of a forest management modeling platform. The methods and results of the projects were presented to the scientists from the US Forest Service, and private forest operators, specifically Roy O Martin, Rayonier, and Hancock Timber Resource Group. Some of the findings of the project were presented at the 2012 Conference of the US Regional Association of the International Association of Landscape Ecology, and the 2012 Annual Southern Mensuration meeting. PARTICIPANTS: The main person who worked on the project was the PI, Dr. Bogdan Strimbu. Dr. Strimbu developed the metric that quantify the mixed-species stands, and is continuing the work on implementing the new measure inside the stand dynamics simulator Sorti-ND. Dr. Paun was contacted to help in developing software for simulating the forest response to various assumptions used to represent real forest ecosystem. Mr. Meneghin from the US Forest Service helped in developing the platform for the forest management. Mrs. Meiners from the Hancock Timber Resource Group provided input in establishing the objectives and constraints to be used in the development of the forest management planning platform. Mr. Bob Hamilton from Precision Aerial Reconnaissance, who exhibited interest in forest related research and applications using LIDAR, ortho-photos and stereo-photos, supplied the LIDAR data. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience ranges from researchers to planners and decision makers, acting not only in forestry area but also in ecology, population dynamics, landscape management and planning. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The 4th year of the project was associated with two significant changes in knowledge, changes induced by the rapid technological development in the remote sensing area. The changes in knowledge are: (1) the receiving of high quality LIDAR and stereo-photography data, (2) the development of a new method to quantify taper based on hemispherical photography. In 2012 large amount of high quality remote sensing information was made available by the company Precision Aerial Reconnaissance (PAR). PAR supplied LIDAR and multispectral ortho-photos and stereo-images for 1000 ac of mixed species stands from northern Louisiana. The information extracted from the LIDAR and the ortho-photos allowed the quantification of large areas with mixed species without a significant field effort. Therefore, the need to sample various locations was not of actuality, and the LIDAR data were used for metric development, growth and yield equation adjustments and improvements, as well as for the planning process were derived from the remote sensing data. The usage of the remote sensing data in quantifying the composition of the mixed species stands recommended the development of growth and yield equations using a method based also on the data acquired using remote sensing techniques. The approach used for the development of growth and yield equations in this project is based on a taper function, an approach that allows not only the evaluation of volume but also the products that can be obtained from each stem. In the fourth year of the project a continuous taper model was started using hemispherical photography. A set of equations were developed and a series of tests measurements were executed on objects of known dimensions. The method requires further adjustments for accommodating the lack of verticality of tree stem, but proved to provide accurate results for all the length of the stem.
Publications
- Strimbu, B.M. and Paun, M. 2013. Sensitivity of forest plan value to parameters of simulated annealing. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 43(1):28-38, 10.1139/cjfr-2012-0277.
- Strimbu B.M. 2012. Analytical framework for identification of patterns of landscape changes induced by multiple developments. 2012 Annual Symposium of the US Regional Association of the International Association of Landscape Ecology. Newport RI.
- Strimbu B M and Wood P. 2012. Insufficiency of traditional assessments of the sustainable forest management. 2012 Southern Mensurationists Annual Meeting. Jacksonville FL.
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The project aims to develop a measure to quantify the dynamics of mixed stands. The measure operates at ecosystem level, and is valid for any mixture of species, irrespective the ecoregion. The initial development of the measure was tested using information supplied by the Forest Inventory and Analysis for the southern forest region, specifically northern Louisiana and south Arkansas. In the third year of the project it was scheduled to numerically characterize mixed species stands, and start the simulation of stand dynamics using process based models, and the continuation of the developmental and characterization work of the measure quantifying the composition of multiple species stands. The progress of the project was presented at several formal and informal meetings, such as the Southern Mensuration Annual meeting in Memphis, TN and International Conference of Sustainable Forest Management in Suceava, Romania PARTICIPANTS: The main person who worked on the project was the PI, Dr. Bogdan Strimbu. Dr. Strimbu developed the metric that quantifies the mixed-species stands, and is continuing the work on implementing the new measure inside the stand dynamics simulator Sorti-ND. The PI initiated collaboration the US Forest Service, Southern Region, for data sharing and effort distribution. To this end a formal agreement between the US Forest Service unit at Pineville, LA and School of Forestry was completed and a second agreement with the Center for Bottomland Hardwood research unit in Stoneville, MS is close to completion TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience ranges from researchers to planner s and decision makers, acting not only in forestry area but also in ecology, population dynamics, landscape management and planning. The methods and results of the projects were presented to the scientists from the US Forest Service, Southern Research Station, and to the Annual Southern Mensuration meeting. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No modifications were made to the project schedule and/or deliverables.
Impacts
The main outcome of the project in year three was the generalization of the metric developed to quantify the composition of mixed stands. Additionally, during the third year of the project the literature review describing the dynamics of the mixed stands was completed, and it is being summarized to be submitted as a review article in a specialized journal. In 2011 the identification of the area where the plots will be located was completed, and the GIS phase was finalized. In 2011 a partnership between US Forest Service and Louisiana Tech University, School of Forestry, was created; the partnership focused on development of growth and yield models for longleaf pine. However, a large number of plots contain longleaf pine were mixed species plots, and suitable to be used in the project. The longleaf pine data provided by the US Forest Service covers more than 50 years of observations, and supplied an unexpected source of information to the project.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The project aims to develop a measure to quantify the dynamics of mixed-species stands that can be extended to any ecoregion. The measure will be tested using information from the southern forest region. In the third year of the project we scheduled to numerically characterize mixed-species stands, to start the simulation of stand dynamics using processed based models, to continue the development of a metric quantifying the stand composition, the adjustment of the Strimbu et al (2010) planning method to the southern region, and to adapt several heuristic techniques to the multi-objective - multiple owner mixed species stands. The progress on the project was presented to several meetings; one of them international and one national. Furthermore, the results were published in one peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Forests. Presentation: Strimbu, Bogdan (2010) A true measure of the composition of mixed species stands. Forest Inventory and Analysis Symposium, Knoxville, TN. (October 6, 2010). Poster: Strimbu, Bogdan (2010) "A measure of the composition of mixed - species stands," XXIII IUFRO World Congress, Seoul, Korea. (August 25, 2010). PARTICIPANTS: The PI initiated collaboration with Roy O Martin to allow the installation of several plots. Furthermore, discussions with Roy O Martin and Weyerhaeuser for providing sites to install plots are currently under way. A Memorandum of Understanding with US Forest Service on sharing data describing longleaf pine stands is almost finalized. The data will allow the enhancement of the measure of mixed-species stands by using long term information. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience ranges from researchers to planners and decision makers, acting not only in the forestry area but also in ecology, population dynamics, landscape management and planning. The methods and its applications were presented to scientists from the US Forest Service, Southern Research Station, and to the XXIII IUFRO Congress. The main person who worked on the project was the PI, Dr. Bogdan Strimbu. Dr. Strimbu promoted the development of the metric that quantified the mixed-species stands, and started the simulation of the stand dynamics using Sorti-ND, a process based model. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No modifications to project's structure, deliverables and timeline were made.
Impacts
The main outcome of the project in year three was the completion and the application of the measure quantifying the composition of mixed-species stands. The measure was developed by generalizing the traditional methods of describing the stand composition using the vector approach. Additionally, during the third year of the project, the literature describing the dynamics of the mixed-species stands was finalized in an article published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal
Publications
- Strimbu, B. (2010). Defining conditions for a measure describing the composition of mixed-species stands. Journal of Forests, 6(125): 11-16.
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The project aims to develop a measure to quantify the dynamics of mixed stands that can be extended to any ecoregion. The measure is tested using information from the southern forest region. In the second year of the project, the development of a metric quantifying the stand composition was scheduled. The project was mentioned in the brochure developed by the School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, which was distributed to a series of land use planners from Louisiana. Additionally, the progress of the project was presented to a series of researchers from the Southern Research Station during several professional meetings. PARTICIPANTS: The main person who worked on the project was the PI, Dr. Bogdan Strimbu, who promoted the development of the metric to quantify the mixed stands. AA student, Duece Eppinette, was temporary employed to investigate the database and to provide a comprehensive literature review of the metrics used to quantify the mixed ecosystems. The PI initiated collaboration with Weyerhaeuser and US Forest Service, Southern Region, for providing sites to install plots (Weyerhaeuser) and data sharing (US Forest Service). TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience ranges from researchers to planners and decision makers, acting not only in the forestry area but also in ecology, population dynamics, landscape management and planning. The methods and results of the projects were presented to the scientists from the US Forest Service, Southern Research Station, and to the IUFRO Group 4.03. Additionally, the methodology was presented to the forest planner from Rayonier. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The main outcome of the project in year two was the completion of the metric quantifying the composition of mixed stands. The metric was developed as a generalization of the traditional methods of describing the stand composition, usually using percentages. Additionally, during the second year of the project, the literature describing the dynamics of the mixed stands was almost completed and is expected to be summarized in a journal article. In 2009, the identification and selection of the plots that would be used for analysis was almost completed, as the GIS phase was finalized
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The project aims to develop a measure to quantify the dynamics of mixed stands that can be extended to any ecoregion, which is tested on the southern forest region. In the first year the project it was scheduled to perform the summary of the FIA data for the southern forest region, to develop the sampling and experimental design, to simulate the stand dynamics using generated data, and identify the location of the plots within the region. Since the beginning of the project the following activities were completed: 1.Investigation of the FIA database to identify the mixed stand structure and composition 2. Developed the sampling designed, 3. Developed the structure of the experimental design Currently, I am in the process of locating the plots throughout the region. Additionally, I have started the development of the metric quantifying the stand composition. To this end the metric has the theoretical background fully developed and in preparation to be published in one of the forestry journals. PARTICIPANTS: Ray Souter, Research Forester Biomterics, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, US Forest Service, 35, Southern Hardwoods Laboratory, Stoneville MS; John Adams, Professor, School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, 1201 Reese Dr, Ruston LA 71272; Wesley Palmer, Supervisor/Instructor, School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, 1201 Reese Dr, Ruston LA 71272; Michael Brazier, Assistant Professor, Hill Farm Research Station, Louisiana State University AgCenter, 11959 Hwy. 9, Homer, LA 71040; Bogdan Strimbu, Assistant Professor, School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, 1201 Reese Dr, Ruston LA 71272 TARGET AUDIENCES: The project is directed to forest scientists, professional acting in the environmental realm as well as managers and decision makers. By enhancing the quantification of complex systems the project targets also experts from molecular biology, ecology and econometrics. The large array or specialties that could benefit from the results of the project is based on the metric that would be used to represent the mixed stands. The partial results of the project would be presented to the XXIII IUFRO congress in Korea in 2010 PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The project is following the predicted schedule, with a small lag (one quarter) in the area of plots selection and location. However, we compensated the lag by developing the metric almost one year in advance, therefore, by the end of year two the timeline should be aligned with the expected one
Impacts
The data collection phase of the project is developed in collaboration with the US Forest service, Southern Hardwood laboratory. Several meetings that took place at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, Stoneville, Mississippi and Little Rock Arkansas, contoured the combined strategy of two researchers that are using similar databases. Initially, the project would be using a database covering three states: Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. During the project could potentially incorporate other databases, such as from Alabama or Florida.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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