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DCNR_20031029 - Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and

1. ELEVATION SPECT POSITION PERABILITY CCESSABILITY p o STRESS FACTORS DEER IMPACT 0 00 1800 90 Forest Med productivity Upper flat No limitations 4 wh road at stand 4 HIGH 93 94 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output Information on Regeneration Site and Exotic Species Exotic Species Present INFORMATION ON NONNATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES ORIGINAL STAND Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil Nonnative invasive NNIS species may interfere with management goals and thus require careful assessment of their current extent within the stand and in neighboring stands if possible It is of critical importance to understand the current potential impacts of nonnative species prior to any operations in the stand Specific treatment options should consider the difficulty of control of each species as well as the economic aesthetic and ecological value of the areas currently or likely to be infested by nonnative invasive species OVERSTORY No observations found in the data UNDERSTORY REGEN PLOTS SPECIES PLOTS PLOTS CODE GARLIC MUSTARD 1 4 55 GL PLOTS W NONNATIVE SPECIES PLOTS 1 4 55 TOTAL All NNIS species INTERERENCE IN THE UNDERSTORY
2. g o OO OO OO O O 10 O O i0 e o O c oO O o Od cano oo COO oO oo ooo MM VV Tcl o lt gt gt OO ouo rel O o O Oo Oo 00 10 MEC SIDA o g Q c e Quy OO O 10 10 o o OO O S COO QN O00 100100000 10 e EDT SD IIT JV ZZ N OO dooocococcoocoo QI NAW N N N o o 1 O 00 O O QO O 10 10 10 10 O 10 10 QN O Q ro 5 AN E EE NUNC AN 491 Sey 00 sf sr N N gt 10 o A m rue m LUND IRI De ier ye cu Ue Si e er is ety 5 OOO lt gt s O 10 Ay rel OO 10160 00 iO 10 10 10 QO 10 10 O 10 i o 4 4 Ww 42 4 4 2 0 oO CN SP ON m lt oo a x e x Nanay H nh wn o E a N Q OQ 0 sr 10 0 O O d 6 E A 90 1 INN NNN NNNNA ANAMM OQ R4 0 Zi dH E a
3. TALL INTERFERENCE PLOTS PLOTS CODE 0 0 00 TOTAL All NNIS species INTERFERENCE PLOTS PLOTS CODE 0 0 00 TOTAL All NNIS species OFF PLOT OBSERVATIONS IN THE STAND SPECIES CODE GARLIC MUSTARD GL OBSERVATIONS WITHIN ONE MILE OF STAND No observations found in the data User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 95 Information on Silvicultural Systems and Wildlife Habitat I INFORMATION ON SILVICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND WILDLIFE HABITAT ORIGINAL STAND Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil SILVICULTURAL SYSTEMS NO RESTRICTIONS EVEN AGE W CLEARCUTTING Timber production for maximum yield with high proportion of shade intolerant species For this system the stand value is Medium WILDLIFE TREES NO ACRE POTENTIAL DEN TREES 0 000 EXISTING DEN TREES 0 000 SNAGS WITH POTENTIAL CAVITIES 0 000 SNAGS WITH EXISTING CAVITIES 0 000 OTHER STANDING DEAD TREES Not Snags 0 000 WATER HABITATS WITHIN THIS STAND INCLUDE Unknown HABITAT CONDITIONS SURROUNDING THIS STAND CLEARCUT ACRES W I 1 MILE 0 00 CULTIVATED ACRES W I 1 MILE 0 00 OPEN ACRES W I 1 MILE 0 00 WATER HABITATS W I 1 MILE INCLUDE Unknown User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 96 Product Table Timber Volume
4. O 1001000 QO 10 Q 10 O M N O 10 O 0 O QW E HF O z N QN 10 ON oO e 8 8 8 ONMNTOO w m O 10 tO QN ONOH rE CN SP o E Es A 2 0 JNN i a Eoo Un User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 99 Narrative Summary and Analysis of Stand I NARRATIVE SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF STAND Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil Nonnative invasive species were found in this stand and have the potential to displace native vegetation including desirable timber species There ar 0 invasives in the overstory 1 in the understory and 1 that were found outside the plots This transition stand is dominated by Red Maple Red Oak Chestnut Oak White Oak Black Oak and Cucumber 9 which together comprise 84 of the basal area This is a medium sawtimber stand with average diameter of 14 9 inches If this stand is managed under an even age silvicultural system The several species groups will mature at markedly different times The average time to maturity MDM 18 inches is 13 years The manager wishes to regenerate the stand now Effective stand age is about 87 years If this stand is managed under an all age silvicultural system the distribution of diameters proportion of sawtimber and density of shade tolerant species would
5. To generate raw output from any screen 1 Click the View menu at the top of the SILVAH window 2 From the View menu click Raw Output of Current Screen You may also try the shortcut Ctrl h press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter h to generate raw output of the current screen in HTML format Opening an Existing Data File To open an existing data file 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 From the top menu click File then click Open SIL File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl O press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter O to open a file Converting Data from Older Versions SILVAH has existed since the 1980s As it evolved additional capabilities were added Along with those additions came format changes in the data To accommodate older formats SILVAH can convert files going back to version 4 0 The program attempts to read the old formats directly and when you save the file the data will be saved in the current format It is recommended that you back up your older files before converting them to the current format Converting older data requires a few simple steps You must also review the data to ensure it was correctly interpreted 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Open the data sil file that contains data with an older format 3 Once the data has been loaded review the data to be sure it is accurate Pay close attention to inventory s
6. Use the down and up arrow keys to move within the same plot if you prefer to enter data for each item in a plot before moving on to the next plot Desirable regeneration data is displayed in the upper half of the rows in the understory data grid Lower rows contain interfering vegetation and site limitations Desirable Regeneration Enter the weighted counts of black cherry yellow poplar new oak established oak competitive oak other desirable species and conifers Items with Species Enter the appropriate species code when applicable Species entries are not case sensitive but will be displayed in upper case If you type in a species code that does not exist you will be presented with a pop up list to choose from The list is initially sorted by the species code specified under Inventory Settings Select a species from the list and click OK If you click Cancel the species cell is returned to the previous value See the topic About Species Codes in the Plant Species Information section of Chapter 4 for more information on how to identify species during data entry Percent Cover For these items enter the percent cover using whole numbers such as 15 percent 70 percent and so on Total Height of Oak Seedlings This data is an optional prerequisite for running the Pennsylvania State University Appalachian Oak Guide Steiner et al 2008 It represents to the nearest 0 5 feet the total combined height of all oak seedling
7. About Grid Tables Tabular data such as overstory and understory data is entered on a grid table hereafter referred to as a grid It resembles a worksheet in Microsoft Excel and has some similarities There are a series of rows and columns each with appropriate labels for guidance Anything that appears in a dark gray background color is fixed and cannot be edited or altered in any way Overstory data is entered in rows with each column representing a particular field or tree variable such as species or diameter Each row is a separate tree observation Understory data is entered in columns with each column representing a plot Each row represents a particular regeneration variable such as the count of black cherry seedlings or percent fern cover A grid is also used in setting plant species codes and default parameters Data cannot be copied into the grid However data may be copied from the grid and pasted into another application for other purposes If you are interested in importing data from other sources see the section on importing data at the end of this chapter Moving Through the Grid To move between the cells on the grid use the Tab key the arrow keys or the mouse cursor When you move to a cell it becomes active and is ready to accept input When you press the Enter key you will be moved to the next cell of the current observation Data Entry Shortcuts for the Grid There are a variety of keystrokes or key combin
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9. SILVAH data files sil are written in plain ASCII text and can be edited with any text editor or word processor with text mode However you must exercise caution if you do edit these files since they require a strict format It is recommended that you use SILVAH to edit data files since it assures that the format of the file conforms to this standard The sil files are sequentially accessed files with a record length of 16 characters They contain several different kinds of data including stand identification information standard checkmark regeneration data possibly extended regeneration data overstory data and possibly nonnative invasive species data Tables 1 through 5 summarize the data blocks records and fields that occur in sil files Each table provides a brief description of each data block each record within a data block and each field within a record Valid field types are either alphanumeric or numeric Table 1 contains the stand identification and related data Table 1 Stand identification management information and inventory settings Line Columns Type Description 1 1 4 A SILVAH version number 5 9 N Overstory data flag If this value is 0 no overstory data is in the file If this value is 999 overstory data is present in the file Extended understory data flag If this value is 0 no extended understory 10 14 datais in the file If this value is 999 extended understory dat
10. Species Codes continued Name FIA Mnemonic Local Red maple 316 RM 21 Silver maple 317 SVM 88 Sugar maple 318 SM 20 Mountain maple 319 MTM Norway maple 320 NWM Buckeye 330 BUC 88 Devils walking stick 353 DWS 89 Serviceberry 355 SVB 91 Pawpaw 367 PAW Japanese barberry 368 BAR Birch 370 B 50 Yellow birch 371 YB 50 Sweet birch 372 SB 51 Paper birch 375 PB 50 Gray birch 379 GRB 0 Garlic mustard 382 GLM 0 Japanese stiltgrass 383 JST 0 Oriental bittersweet 384 ORB 0 Japanese knotweed 385 JAK 0 Blue beech 391 BB 90 Hickories 400 H 60 Butternut hickory 402 BH 88 Pignut hickory 403 PH 88 Pecan 404 PCN 88 Shellbark hickory 405 SLH 88 Shagbark hickory 407 SGH 88 Mockernut hickory 409 MH 88 American chestnut 421 AMC Allegheny chinkapin 422 ALC Hackberry 460 HAC 88 Yellowwood 481 YW 88 Dogwood 491 DOG 81 Hawthorn 500 HAW 94 Hazelnut 501 HAZ 0 Persimmon 521 PER 88 American beech 531 AB 54 Elaeagnus 534 ELA 0 Autumn olive 535 AUO 0 continued User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Species Codes continued Name FIA Mnemonic Local Ash 540 A 88 White ash 541 WA 55 Northern catalpa 542 CAT 0 Black ash 543 BA 88 Green ash 544 GA 88 Huckleberry 549 HUK 0 Honey locust 552 HL 88 Kentucky
11. you can create your own tally sheets by configuring the data entry screens in SILVAH to match your preferred order The data entry screens grids can be copied into a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel where you can perform additional modifications as necessary See the topic Configuring data fields on the Grid in Chapter 3 for further information on arranging the order of inventory variables Overstory Inventory TTT TT TT TT TT TT ery 1 Load __ mot TT ETT ET TEE Ee TTT TTT TTT TT TTT TT TT ee 5 owen TTT TT 8 Optional B 3 D s _________ gt a eo Pa Optional Required ETC EE EE EE __ prot ___ __ __________ ___ Optional Required Species gum o t2 opoo dds opoo 5 8 4 Yeo 51 488 4 Jeo aadu
12. Analysis and Prescription 55 settings but recorded dbh using 2 inch diameter classes in the data the table will contain 1 inch diameter classes and you will notice a lot of zeros for the ranges where no diameters were entered On the other hand if you specified the 2 inch size class but recorded dbh using 1 inch diameter classes SILVAH will adjust the diameters to fit the 2 inch size classes This is followed by a second table of species by major size classes saplings poles sawtimber etc for AGS only Selecting Reports SILVAH provides several scenarios for which you can obtain reports as you analyze a stand and consider various treatment alternatives 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Reports tab Reports are listed in the first column of the table 3 Select one or more reports by checking the corresponding boxes under the column that indicates when the report will be generated Review the column descriptions for further information below Scenarios under Which You may Select Reports The following are the columns that represent specific stages or events during which SILVAH will generate the reports you have selected Initial stand Report on stand characteristics prior to any simulation or treatment implementation These are summaries of the inventory data entered in SILVAH Every cycle Report on stand characteristics throughout a simulation period If you are projecting stand growth into the fut
13. Check the appropriate boxes to temporarily disable reports at various times during the run 5 To re enable any option uncheck the box and reprocess the stands Chapter 6 TreeCalc A Volume and Value Calculator About TreeCalc How many times have you asked yourself what was the volume of an 18 inch black cherry tree Or what is the basal area or relative density of a tree TreeCalc helps to answer these questions It also can be used to sum all of those values for a number of trees Thus TreeCalc is a general purpose volume table and forestry calculator The values that are displayed in TreeCalc are identical to those that are used elsewhere in SILVAH In addition TreeCalc can read the same defaults def files that are used during Analysis and Prescription To start using TreeCalc follow these steps 1 At the top of the SILVAH6 screen click the TreeCalc button 2 If you wish to load a defaults def file click the DEF file button 3 Click inside the species cell enter a species then click in other cells and enter appropriate values 4 When you are ready to calculate click the Calculate tree button How to Use TreeCalc Some of the boxes cells on TreeCalc are white and some are gray White values are ones that can be changed except the row of cells for trees that have been added to the grid at the bottom of the screen Gray cells represent calculated values An example calculation for an 18 inch black cherry is sh
14. You can begin a checkmark tally by following the steps below 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Be sure you have specified Checkmark for the Understory cruise on the Inventory Settings tab 3 Click the Understory Plots tab Enter the number of plots stocked with each category of regeneration interfering vegetation and site limitations Several rules apply as follows The maximum value for any category must not exceed the total number of plots taken The established and competitive desirables subtotal fields must be at least as much as any of the individual regeneration fields The total oak field must be at least as much as any of the individual oak regeneration fields The established oak field must be less than or equal to the established desirables subtotal field The any interference field must be at least as much as any of the individual interference fields Validations of the rules above are typically postponed until you try to select a different tab If there are errors you will get an appropriate message and the opportunity to make corrections When you are finished be sure to save your work to avoid losing information and having to start over User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 29 Entering Nonnative Invasive Species About Nonnative Invasive Species Data NNIS may be present in or adjacent to the stand Without being aware of their presence any disturbance that reduces co
15. appropriate In the understory empty plots will appear in the grid 1 Click the Add button near the top of the grid 2 If there are additional plots beyond the empty plot repeat step 1 and then enter appropriate inventory values in the new plot 3 Be sure that no values 1 only zeros are entered in the column that represents the empty plot Manipulating Plots If the need arises you can rearrange plots even after you have entered data This would result in a renumbering of all plots according to the order you want You can also insert a plot at any time and this may be important if order is critical and you discover later that you inadvertently skipped a plot or entered data out of order Change Plot Order 1 Click the Inventory Entry button if you arent already there 2 Click the Trees tab 3 Click the Plots button at the top of the trees grid to launch the Manipulate plots dialog as shown in Figure 3 4 In the list of existing plots drag and drop the plot to its appropriate place on the list 5 Click OK when you are finished Manipulate plots Existing plot 1 Add Existing plot 2 gt Existing plot 3 jelet cancel Existing plot 4 When you are finished all plots will be re numbered in the new order listed here Figure 3 Manipulating overstory plots User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 25 Add a Plot 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Tr
16. D A Ernst R L 1991 The effects of stand structure after thinning on the growth of an Allegheny hardwood stand Forest Science 37 4 1182 1200 Marquis D A Ernst R L Stout S L 1992 Prescribing silvicultural treatments in hardwood stands of the Alleghenies revised Gen Tech Rep NE 96 Radnor PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeast Forest Experiment Station 101 p User s Guide to SILVAH References 119 Mendel J Debald P S Dale M E 1976 Tree value conversion standards for hardwood sawtimber SETS Stand Evaluation Tools 2 Res Paper NE 337 Upper Darby PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 74 p Mesavage C Girard J W 1946 Tables for estimating board foot volume of timber Washington DC U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service 94 p Miller G W Schuler T M Smith H C 1995 Method for applying group selection in central Appalachian hardwoods Res Pap NE 696 Radnor PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 11 p Myers J R Miller G W Wiant H V Barnard J E 1986 Butt log grade distributions for five Appalachian hardwood species Res Pap NE 590 Upper Darby PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 4 p Nowak C A 1995 Individual tree versus stand level approaches to thinning is it a choice of one or the
17. Established oak regeneration 112 Exporting data from prid cessi 19 F i co 112 M 76 Forest types tetto noe 70 G ec 22 74 84 ocn ei PEE PPP tens 113 to 113 Growth and mortality Jeter 63 Growth projection 63 Importing data 32 37 Tita ordei oet e 7 10 Interfering vegetation 113 116 Inventory settings 15 L Low woody interference s 113 M Management yalue b poro R FUE 113 Merchantable 72 Modifying a standard treatment 59 N Navigation keys in 67 le n T 73 Nonnative invasive 29 31 122 Opening 14 39 seie 114 Other desirables regeneration tally 114 OEE 14 52 53 55 64 Overstory cruise type 82 vut Rr QUIS s 20 P bet ec kei 48 56 57 Proofreading abduci adi eiae ae 14 Q Quality cette 22 R Relative density 72 Reports is R 52 53 ooi i lr PRIMER 115 R cky soils coss Sd 114 Running 49 S Sapling regeneration tally 5 115 Saving TCS eli 13 39 51 von MM TT 113 BME CEES NOUS 17 S
18. Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 4 Click the Add current SIL file button if you want to run the stand currently opened in the Inventory Entry component This is convenient in situations where you opened a stand edited the data and are now ready to analyze it 5 Click the Add button to browse to and select one or more SILVAH data files sil Within a folder use the Control Ctrl and Shift keys as in other Windows applications to select multiple files You also may add as many files from other folders as desired Removing Stands from the List If you have more stands than you need you can remove individual stands You can also empty the list if you want to start over 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Pick Stands tab 3 To remove one stand at a time click once on the stand and then click the Remove button 4 To empty the list of stands to run click the Remove all button Changing the Stand Order Once you have a list of stands to run you can modify the stand order if desired The order that stands appear in the list is the order in which they will be processed 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Pick Stands tab 3 To change the order of a stand click the stand and then drag it to its desired location in the list A stand cannot be dragged to the bottom of the list Instead it must be dragged to the 2nd to last position and the last item must be move
19. N fo N O N d N c Ou r N N ON lt ce O 10 ce N st N N r r H HNM ooo gq a J BE BE Rl Bd d s ea ao nnt JAME x lt gt Ur fu Ur d User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output Overstory Summary qual d age structure dens vol val OVERSTORY SUMMARY ORIGINAL STAND 2002 LIVE TREES ONLY Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil SPECIES ALL SP RM NRO CO WO BO CUC SO AB SVB COMPOSITION BA OF BA TREES TOT BA 11545 35 8 28 2 25 8 12 8 58 2 0 2 0 1 55 1 2 5 5 100 Bilis 24 22 TD 5 us 2 12 is TREES 185 100 16 30 122 35 2 1 8 11 QUALITY IN AGS SAPS 36 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 POLES 78 84 3 85 Tia 0 100 0 0 0 SM SAW 92 97 91 94 88 100 100 755 0 Oi MED SAW 98 100 96 100 100 100 100 100 0 0 LG SAW 89 0 100 0 100 100 100 0 0 0 ALL SIZE 87 85 93 89 88 100 100 88 0
20. States Res Pap NE 676 Radnor PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 14 p Steiner K C Finley J C Gould PJ Fei 5 McDill M 2008 Oak regeneration guidelines for the Central Appalachians Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 25 1 5 16 Stout S L 1991 Stand density stand structure and species composition in transition oak stands of northwestern Pennsylvania In McCormick L H Gottschalk K W eds Proceedings of the 8th Central Hardwood Forest Conference 1991 March 4 6 University Park PA Gen Tech Rep NE 148 Radnor PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 194 206 120 User s Guide to SILVAH References Stout S L 1994 Principles and practices of uneven age management In Marquis D A ed Quantitative silviculture for hardwood stands of the Alleghenies Gen Tech Rep NE 183 Radnor PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 329 362 Stout S L Nyland R D 1986 Role of species composition in relative density measurement in Allegheny hardwoods Canadian Journal of Forestry Research 16 3 574579 Stout S L Marquis D A Ernst R L 1987 A relative density measure for mixed species stands Journal of Forestry 85 45 47 Wiant H V Jr Castenada 1977 Mesavage and Girard s volume tables formulated Resource Inventory Note BLM 4 De
21. The standard regeneration block is always present in sil files even when extended regeneration data is also present in the file However when extended regeneration data is present in the file the fields in the following records will have a value of zero 0 Table 2 Standard regeneration data block Line Columns Description Recorded as number of plots stocked 20 1 4 N Black cherry 5 8 N Yellow poplar 9 12 13 16 21 1 4 Established 5 8 Competitive 9 12 N Cther desirables 13 16 Established desirables 22 1 4 N Competitive desirables 5 8 N Total oak 9 12 N Residuals 13 16 N Saplings 23 1 4 Tall woody interference 5 8 N Low woody interference 9 12 N Fern 13 16 N Grass 24 1 4 interference 5 8 Grapevines 9 12 Site limits 25 1 16 Blank line not currently used User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 8 Data File Format 79 The extended regeneration data block Table 3 follows the standard regeneration block in the sil file when extended regeneration data is input by the user It consists of a series of repeating records one record for each non zero cell in the extended regeneration section of the field tally sheet The regeneration class codes displayed in the file are derived from the classes displayed on the extended regeneration data input screen and are coded in the following manner Understory regeneration codes BCR Black
22. Variables Merchantable Height If the NED 2 data contains user entered sawtimber height or individual sawlog lengths i e not calculated but entered by user then the SILVAH setting for Tree observations include under the Inventory Settings tab will be set to heights instead of stem counts Either the sawtimber height or the total length of sawlogs from the logs table will be divided by 8 0 to get the number of 8 foot bolts for SILVAH Since SILVAH will only accept an integer the value will be rounded down to the nearest integer If the NED 2 overstory observation also contains a stem count greater than 1 SILVAH will have multiple tree records to match the number of stems in NED That is each tree record in SILVAH will have the same species diameter and number of 8 foot bolts calculated as described above NED 2 pulpwood heights are not imported into SILVAH since there is no equivalent variable for pulpwood height in SILVAH Live or Dead Tree Live trees in NED 2 are brought over to SILVAH without any special considerations If the tree is DEAD then the SILVAH timber quality will be set to DEAD Timber Quality Any NED 2 tree recorded as a CROP tree will be recorded as AGS in SILVAH Trees recorded as AGS and UGS can be imported without modification unless the tree is dead in which case the timber quality in SILVAH will be set to DEAD Timber Product The NED 2 most valuable product if entered will be used as the product in SILV
23. an existing file with new output User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 65 Opening Database Output In Excel database output of SILVAH can be opened in Notepad or any word processor However the output is arranged in a tabular format Because of the extensive number of columns it is strongly recommended that you use Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet program to open and view the database output of SILVAH The following instructions pertain to Microsoft Excel 1 Launch Microsoft Excel 2 Begin the steps for opening an existing file 3 From the Files of type list at the bottom of the Open dialog select text files txt 4 Browse to the folder that contains the database output from SILVAH default file name is databaseoutput_silvah txt 5 Click Open 6 On the first page of the Text Import Wizard be sure to select Delimited as the file type that best describes the data Then click Next 7 On the second page of the Text Import Wizard be sure to check Comma in the choice of Delimiters The columns in the database output from SILVAH are separated by commas Then click Next 8 On the third page of the Text Import Wizard click Finish Running Stands Running Your Stands After you have selected stands and chosen options for reports prescriptions growth and yield and database output you are ready to run your stands Consider using script files if plan to use the same
24. and then press the letter Q key to look up the possible values for timber quality Entering Merchantable Height or A Tree Count The Tree observations include an option under the Inventory Settings tab determines which value is entered in the next field Specifically if you indicate that your tree observations contain counts then SILVAH will display a count field If you indicate that your tree observations contain heights then you will see a M Height field for merchantable height There are actually two separate variables one for counts and another for merchantable heights but the program will not allow both to be used at the same time only one of them will be available You can switch back and forth and SILVAH will redisplay the values previously entered but only while the file is open Once the file is closed and saved the most recent value displayed is the one that will be saved with the data Entering Grade Defect Crown and Wildlife Codes The remaining four fields grade defect crown condition and wildlife code are entered similarly as the fields above All four of these fields are optional and need not be filled in The grade crown and wildlife fields are all coded values The codes and meanings can be found in Appendix A Defect is a percentage recorded as tens of percent that is 1 for 10 percent 2 for 20 percent and so on Proceeding to the next tree observation When you reach the end of a row if you pres
25. coffeetree 571 KC 88 Witch hazel 585 WHL 0 American holly 591 AH 88 Mountain holly 592 MTH 88 Winterberry 593 ILV 0 Butternut 601 BUT 71 Black walnut 602 BW 88 Sweetgum 611 SG 88 Yellow poplar 621 YP 59 Bush honeysuckle 635 LON 0 Japanese honeysuckle 636 JHN 0 Tartarian honeysuckle 637 THN 0 Prickly ash 638 PRA 0 Amur honeysuckle 639 AHN 0 Osage orange 641 OSO 0 Cucumbertree 651 CUC 84 Mountain magnolia 654 MM 88 Crabapple 660 CRB 0 Tupelo 690 T 88 Water tupelo 691 WT 88 Black gum 693 BG 66 Ironwood 701 OST 92 Paulownia 712 PAU Virginia creeper 715 VCR American sycamore 731 AS 88 Mountain laurel 733 MTL Rhododendron 737 RHO Other woody shrub 738 OWS Aspen 740 ASP 63 Balsam poplar 741 BP 88 E cottonwood 742 EC 88 continued 87 88 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Species Codes continued Name FIA Mnemonic Local Bigtooth aspen 743 BTA 88 Quaking aspen 746 QA 88 Pin cherry 761 PC 95 Black cherry 762 BC 76 Choke cherry 763 CC 88 Wild plum 766 PLM Sourwood 771 SW Lowbush blueberry 785 LBL Blueberry 786 BLU Oak 800 O 88 White oak 802 WO 40 Swamp white oak 804 SWO 88 Scarlet oak 806 SO 32 N pin oak 809 NPO 88 S red oak 812 SRO 88 Cherrybark oak 813 CBO 88 Overcup oak 822 OO 88 Bur oak 823 BRO 88 Blackjack oak 824 BJO 88 Swamp chestnut oak 825 SCO 88 Chinkapin oak 82
26. data SILVAH accepts the following cover types Forest Seedlings Opening Pasture Cropland Wetland Water Urban and Other Forest Types SILVAH assigns a forest type using the proportion of total stand basal area represented by a particular species or species group SILVAH includes all trees 1 0 inch dbh and larger in this determination The types recognized are as follows Northern hardwood Stands that have at least 65 percent of the basal area in sugar maple red maple American beech yellow birch sweet birch eastern hemlock American basswood cucumber tree black cherry white ash or yellow poplar Northern hardwood hemlock Stands meeting the requirements for the northern hardwood type that also have at least 50 percent of their basal area in eastern hemlock Allegheny hardwood Stands meeting the requirements for the northern hardwood type that also have at least 25 percent of their basal area in black cherry white ash and yellow poplar and less than 50 percent of their basal area in eastern hemlock Mixed oak Stands that have at least 65 percent of their basal area in northern red oak black oak scarlet oak white oak or chestnut oak or any hickory species Transition Stands that have at least 65 percent of their basal area in species of either the northern hardwood or oak hickory types but do not qualify for any of the other types alone Unknown Any stand that does not qualify for one of the types abov
27. educational by examining the volumes and values of a few trees with this feature you will have a much better understanding of the procedures that SILVAH uses in its inventory processing TREECALC is also useful any time you want to calculate and sum values on a small number of individual trees See Chapter 6 for more detail about this SILVAH feature System Requirements SILVAH will run on any Microsoft Windows computer On early versions of SILVAH early 1990s when systems were much slower hardware made a significant difference in the performance of SILVAH Currently any personal computer should be able to process your data quickly in seconds without any noticeable delays Earlier versions of SILVAH ran on DOS the predecessor of Windows and therefore required a file called ansi sys to provide user interface features SILVAH no longer runs on DOS nor does it use screens that resemble the old DOS interface of previous versions prior to version 6 0 8 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 1 SILVAH Overview A minimum of 5 megabytes MB of disk space is required for the installation of the software A monitor with 800x600 resolution or higher is recommended An important software requirement should be noted In order to take advantage of new installation technologies for improved system security and to enhance deployment over the internet SILVAH uses the Microsoft Windows Installer technology version 3 1 or newer which requires rel
28. field up or down the list until the order from top to bottom reflects the desired order from left to right during data entry 3 Click OK Toggle fields displayed or not displayed 1 Click the Configure button to launch the Select variables dialog 2 Click the cycling arrows to exchange displayed fields with nondisplayed fields This option swaps fields in the left list with fields in the right and vice versa 3 Click OK Copying Data from the Grid Data can be copied from most of the grid tables displayed throughout SILVAH with the exception of the plant species grid Copying the information in the grid may be useful if you want to obtain a printout of your data for proofreading or to perform additional analyses outside of SILVAH Remember that data cannot be pasted into a grid 1 Click anywhere in the data entry grid 2 Select the cells you wish to copy If you click once in the header cell of the dark gray columns to the left side of the grid all cells will be selected 3 Press Ctrl C Press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter C key to copy to the clipboard Then paste the contents into other software as desired 20 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Entering Overstory Data About Tree and Plot Records Overstory data consists of a hierarchy of plot and tree records Plot records are used solely to identify the trees that were sampled in specific plots
29. following choices for implementing prescriptions No treatment If you make this selection SILVAH will not recommend or implement any treatment Silvah expert recommended prescription SILVAH will evaluate stand conditions and recommend a silvicultural treatment for you SILVAH will implement any treatment it recommends allowing you to compare the original cut and residual stands Thinnings in merchantable tree size classes are implemented only if timber volume is adequate for a sale Harvest cuttings are implemented only if the stand is adequately stocked with desirable tree regeneration User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 57 Modify a standard prescription semi custom Select this option if you would like to implement your own treatment using a standard SILVAH prescription as a template You may adjust parameters such as residual relative density proportion of stocking removed to come from different diameter classes etc A treatment you design will be implemented without evaluating stand conditions and there are no checks against minimum sale quantities in timber volume Develop a prescription of user s own design custom This option allows you to specify almost any kind of cut you desire You will need to specify the target relative density minimum residual density and maximum density percent to be removed at one time You will also need to specify the proportion of each species to be cut by diameter an
30. grades of lumber that can be sawn from trees of a given species dbh height and butt log grade From these data equations SILVAH calculates a tree quality index representing the relative value of the lumber that can be sawn from that tree That relative value is also a function of the stumpage value entered by the user To get total lumber value in the tree the value relative is multiplied by the sawlog volume SILVAH then subtracts conversion costs from the lumber value These costs reflect the average cost of harvesting and transporting the log They are a function of diameter it is more economical to harvest and transport larger diameter logs All these procedures are documented in the SETS equations Debald and Mendel 1976a Debald and Mendel 1976b Mendel et al 1976 Since the tree quality index and relative value of a tree under this procedure are functions of diameter and merchantable height the value per MBF is not constant Instead it varies from one stand to the next So stumpage value for factory logs rarely will be equal to the volume times the stumpage value entered by the user This is an important advantage to the SILVAH program as the value calculated reflects the size height and quality of the trees in the individual stand When entering stumpage values for sawlogs use a woods run average over many sales This will be approximately the value for a 16 inch dbh tree Chapter 8 Data File Format Data File Format
31. if necessary for the current run 4 If the options are okay you are ready to proceed with selecting stands or running them Reports About Reports Reports provide concise summaries of stand conditions which include information on all of the factors that affect silvicultural prescription recommendations If prescriptions involve cutting you can generate reports to compare the before and after effects on stand structure species composition and stand volume and value Reports are managed under the Analysis and Prescription component of SILVAH on the Reports tab A variety of reports are available You decide which reports to use For convenience in one step you can select a standard set of reports that collectively provide pertinent information on important management criteria such as how much volume is available in your stand whether the stand is ready for harvest and how to mark the stand for intermediate treatments Most reports are available at any stage in the planning cycle The reports you select for initial stand conditions and prescriptions may also be selected over the course of simulating future conditions The output from reports is written into a single text file The output file will be created in the same folder as the source data file sil with an identical file name except for a prn suffix to identify it as a reports file Existing reports files will always be replaced overwritten by new output If you wish to preser
32. in the upper left corner of the tab 4 From the pop up Choose a plot dialog click on the plot that contains the NNIS observation you wish to record Alternatively you can double click on a given plot and step 5 is omitted 5 Click OK Getting Started without Existing Understory Data No Understory Plots Created Yet 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the NNIS Observations tab 3 Click the Add button in the upper left corner of the tab This step will automatically create the first understory plot record and also establish the first NNIS observation record for you Entering the data Currently only the identification of species is required No other data can be recorded Species entries are not case sensitive but will be displayed in upper case If you type in a species code that does not exist you will be presented with a pop up list to choose from The list is initially sorted by the species code specified under Inventory Settings Select a species from the list and click OK If you click Cancel the species cell is returned to the previous value Be aware that Forest Inventory and Analysis FIA codes may not have existed for many of the nonnative herbaceous species as early FIA data was targeted mainly at trees and other frequently observed woody shrubs The FIA codes displayed for NNIS were arbitrary assigned but can be used throughout the program to recognize the species If you enter a native species that is invas
33. other or a combination of both In Gottschalk K W Fosbroke S L C eds Proceedings 10th Central Hardwood Forest Conference 1995 March 5 8 Morgantown WV Gen Tech Rep NE 197 Radnor U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 399 Abstract Nowak C A 1996 Wood volume increment in thinned 50 to 55 year old mixed species Allegheny hardwoods Canadian Journal of Forest Research 26 819 835 Nowak C A Marquis D A 1997 Distribution of cut guides for thinning in Allegheny hardwoods a review Res Note NE 362 Radnor PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 7 p Rast E D Sonderman D L Gamon G 1973 A guide to hardwood log grading Gen Tech Rep NE 1 Upper Darby PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 32 p Roach B A 1977 A stocking guide for Allegheny hardwoods and its use in controlling intermediate cuttings Res Pap NE 373 Upper Darby PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 30 p Roach B A Gingrich 5 1968 Even aged silviculture for upland central hardwoods Agric Handb 355 Washington D C U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service 39 p Schuler Thomas M Marquis David A Ernst Richard L Simpson Brian T 1993 Test of four stand growth simulators for the northeastern United
34. percent Ihe slope angle of a stand to the nearest 1 percent snag A standing dead tree without branches or the standing portion of a broken off tree Snags may provide feeding and or nesting sites for wildlife stand A contiguous group of trees sufficiently uniform in age class distribution composition and structure and growing on a site of sufficiently uniform quality to be a distinguishable unit stand ID The stand number or other means of identification of a stand entered into SILVAH limited to six characters stand structure The arrangement of trees of different sizes and ages in a stand stocking An indication of growing space occupancy relative to a pre established standard Common indices of stocking are based on percent occupancy basal area relative density and crown competition factor In SILVAH stocking includes the adequacy of existing advance regeneration on individual plots to ensure desirable trees in future stands tall woody interference In SILVAH this includes any undesirable species more than 6 feet tall that will interfere with the regeneration of species desirable for management objectives Record the species code of the dominant woody interfering species in the regeneration plot thick duff In SILVAH one of three recognized site limitations that can impede stand renewal Usually indicated by soil that feels spongy underneath marked by more than 2 inches of accumulated organic matter in vario
35. practical cut off height in SILVAH is the eye level of the observer and must not considered high value and must not be one of the species singled out in SILVAH e g black cherry yellow poplar etc in order to be counted as low woody interference in SILVAH If no height information is entered by the user in the NED 2 ground plot a species will not be included as low woody interference If more than one tall woody interfering species is detected in NED the most abundant woody interfering species by percent cover only not by stem count will be recorded in SILVAH However where there is a tie in species abundances then the only the first low woody interfering species found will be recorded in SILVAH Furthermore if the NED 2 ground cover species are not recorded with percent cover data all species would be considered to have equal abundance and the first species that met the criteria as low woody interference would be recorded in SILVAH but without any percent cover data User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 37 Percent Grass and Sedge If the NED 2 data contains percent grass and sedge recorded as a separate ground plot variable that value will be recorded into SILVAH without further modification Otherwise the total combined cover of all grass and sedge species in the NED 2 ground cover plot observations will be recorded as the total percent cover of grass and sedge in SILVAH Percent Fern If the NED 2 da
36. previous value To learn more about how to identify species during data entry see the topic About Species Codes in the Plant Species Information section of Chapter 4 on setting up defaults 22 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Entering the Diameter When the species code is accepted the next field to the right will become active which is the diameter field Enter the diameter of the observed tree SILVAH works only with whole numbers and if you enter more precise values the display will retain them but only rounded values will be stored in the data sil file If applicable you may only need to record even numbers if your cruise is by 2 inch size classes If you are using broad size classes then use only the midpoints of the diameter classes You will not be able to enter a diameter larger than 40 inches Entering the Quality The quality field is the next one to be filled in You may record AGS Unacceptable Growing Stock UGS or dead If you are using a prism cruise you may also record borderline AGS borderline UGS or borderline dead You may enter the first letter of the quality such as a for AGS or the equivalent numeric code 1 for AGS If you prefer to display numeric codes instead of alphabetic codes check the Display codes for coded values box in the space above the tree grid If you are not sure what codes are available press Ctrl Q press and hold the Control Ctrl key
37. system A planned sequence of treatments designed to maintain and regenerate a stand with three or more age classes veneer A thin sheet of wood of uniform thickness produced by rotary cutting slicing or sawing wildlife habitat potential In SILVAH the potential of a tree to provide habitat to wildlife in the form of dens and cavities See Appendix A year of origin Ihe year when a stand originated entered in SILVAH yellow poplar seedling count In SILVAH the count of all yellow poplar seedlings that are at least 2 inches tall with two normal size leaves Stems more than one foot tall are counted as two stems Do not count yellow poplar on dry sites where there are no dominant yellow poplar trees in the canopy as this species is not long lived on such sites References Brose PH Gottschalk K W Horsley S B Knopp Kochenderfer J N McGuinness Miller G W Ristau T E Stoleson S H Stout S L 2008 Prescribing regeneration treatments for mixed oak forests in the Mid Atlantic region Gen Tech Rep NRS 33 Newtown Sqare PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station 90 p Debald P S Mendel J J 1976 An individual tree approach to making stand evaluations SETS Stand Evaluation Tools 1 Res Paper NE 336 Upper Darby PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 13 p Debald P S Mendel J J 1976 Composite
38. the future Such projections could drastically reduce the amount of field work needed by permitting computer updating of the database and by eliminating the need for field work during future inventories in stands that will not require treatment Furthermore the database can be queried to quickly estimate how much volume there will be or how many stands or acres will be ready for final harvest in the future The stand analysis and prescription system on which SILVAH is based was originally developed for Allegheny hardwoods a variation of the northern hardwood type in which black cherry is a major component As a result of some recent research advances in evaluation of stand density that can be applied in eastern hardwoods of almost any species composition by adopting more general data collection procedures and by incorporating research information on oaks we have broadened the application of the procedure to beech birch maple cherry maple oak hickory and transition forest types Many of the critical factors affecting prescriptions are the result of localized conditions so the stand analysis system and program SILVAH should not be applied unquestioningly outside of the Allegheny Plateau and Allegheny Mountain provinces of Pennsylvania New York Ohio West Virginia Maryland and New Jersey Nevertheless the basic procedures could easily be adapted to other forest regions by incorporating decision criteria and critical levels appropriate to the ty
39. the same as the diameter at the midpoint of the basal area distribution Medial diameter is favored by some over both simple average and quadratic mean diameters because it better reflects the size of the crop trees and is less influenced by small understory trees native plant A species that naturally occurs in a given location where its requirement for light warmth moisture shelter and nutrients are met new oak seedling count In SILVAH the count of oak stems that too small to be in the established oak category less than 6 inches tall noncommercial treatment Any activity that does not produce at least enough value to cover the direct costs of that treatments 114 User s Guide to SILVAH Glossary open acreage In SILVAH the acreage in pastures failed clearcuts and similar openings within 1 mile of a stand operability A subjective estimate of the operability of a stand for timber harvest and other mechanized activities See Appendix A other desirables seedling count In SILVAH the combined count of all seedlings that are at least 2 inches tall with two normal sized leaves that are desirable species not specifically provided for elsewhere in SILVAH i e other than black cherry yellow poplar oak and conifers owner he person agency or corporation entered as the owner of a stand in SILVAH limited to 16 characters pole A tree that is larger than 5 inches dbh and smaller than 11 inches
40. to browse and select multiple stands for processing You can process as many stands as you want regardless of whether you are working interactively or with a script file You can store the list of stands for future use if desired Simulation Output syy and Database Output dyy Files Simulated stand data was formerly output into files ending with the yy extension The yy indicated the projection year for a simulated stand Thus if you started with a file called MYSTAND sil which was tallied in 2008 and projected that stand for 20 years the simulated output file would have been called MYSTAND S28 In older SILVAH versions pre version 5 5 this data could be re entered into SILVAH for further processing if desired Similarly if you had asked for database output at the end of the projection period a file called MYSTAND D28 would have been created Database output files of this naming convention have been discontinued However database output remains and has been enhanced in the current version of SILVAH Database output now goes into a user selected file name and if you are processing multiple stands data from all stands will be output into the file that you specify User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 1 SILVAH Overview Data Output and Script batch File Directories SILVAH no longer maintains any directories for your files Furthermore these directories are no longer stored in the defaults def file For each stand that you s
41. to make a pulpwood sale and the landowner is willing to make some investment in timber stand improvement precommercial thinning Pulp and sawlog thinning plus timber stand improvement in saplings If stand relative density is at least 80 percent or more this treatment may be appropriate if there is sufficient sawlog and pulpwood volume to make an integrated sale and the landowner is willing to make some investment in timber stand improvement precommercial thinning Commercial pulpwood only thinning This prescription is appropriate when relative stand density is 80 percent or more and there is sufficient volume in and market for pulpwood size trees to justify a thinning The thinning should remove smaller and poorer quality trees to concentrate growth on the largest and best quality trees The effect should be to raise the average stand diameter and reduce the time required for trees to reach sawtimber size Cutting only occurs in the pulpwood sizes User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 61 Commercial pulp and sawlog thinning This prescription is appropriate when relative stand density is 80 percent or more and there is sufficient sawlog and pulpwood volume to make an integrated sale The thinning should remove smaller and poorer quality trees to concentrate growth on the largest and best quality trees The effect should be to raise the average stand diameter and reduce the time required for trees to reach
42. to regenerate the stand now Regen data was collected User wants to follow the prescriptions for oak mixed oak ecosystems Competitive oak is NOT adequate on at least 50 of plots User wants to increase oak All established oak is not adequate on at least 50 of plots with or without a deer problem SSS SS S383 mee Beginning Chart I All oak regeneration is adequate inside a fenc Sunlight is limiting relative density is greater than 75 Interfering plants are a problem At least 30 of plots have some kind of interfering vegetation Deer impact is high index gt 4 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 105 Newdemo NNS SILVAH V6 02 SILVICULTURE OF ALLEGHENY HARDWOODS AND OAK ESCRIPTIONS FOR NONNATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE FILE newdemo prn GARLIC MUSTARD Alliaria petiolata Bieb Cavara amp Grande Plant Description Upright forb with a shallow slender taproot The stem is slightly ridged light green with one to several stems from the same rootstock approximately 2 to 4 foot tall All parts of the plant emit a garlic odor when crushed Leaves At germination forms a circular cluster of nearly round or kidney shaped leaves just above the ground remaining green during first winter In the second year it produces stems with alternate heart shaped or triangular leaves approximately 2 inches wide with coarsel
43. tree selection and group selection also called reproduction method regeneration cuttings Silvicultural cuttings designed to naturally regenerate the stand by providing for seedling or vegetative stems establishment or development or both SILVAH includes two even aged techniques clearcutting and shelterwood and two uneven aged techniques single tree selection and group selection relative density An index of crowding for forest stands also called the tree area ratio a measure of the absolute stand density expressed as a ratio to the density of some reference level The reference level is usually the density of a fully stocked stand for a particular species composition average tree size and site remarks Description or identification of the stand entered in SILVAH Limited to 80 characters User s Guide to SILVAH Glossary 115 residuals In SILVAH residuals are pole size 6 to 10 inch dbh trees that may be retained after a final harvest to meet policy guidelines or for other values Record the species code in the regeneration plot only if the residual is of a desirable species of good form and vigor In mixed oak stands residuals do not count toward regeneration stocking and in both Allegheny hardwood and mixed oak stands undesirable tree species of this size may be counted as tall woody interference rotation In even age systems the period between regeneration establishment and final harvest sapling A tree usu
44. volume and value tables for hardwood pulpwood SETS Stand Evaluation Tools 3 Res Paper NE 338 Upper Darby PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 43 p Ernst R L Marquis D A 1979 Tree grade distribution in Allegheny hardwoods Res Note NE 275 Broomall PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 5 p Gingrich S F 1967 Measuring and evaluating stand density in upland hardwood forests in the Central States Forest Science 13 38 53 Hanks Gammon G L Brisbin R L Rast E 1980 Hardwood log grades and lumber grade yields for factory lumber logs Res Pap NE 468 Broomall PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 92 p Hilt D E 1985 OAKSIM An individual tree growth and yield simulator for managed even aged upland oak stands Res Pap NE 562 Broomall PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 21 p Marquis D A 1977 Volume table for Allegheny hardwoods Unpublished progress report 4110 FS NE 1108 93 on file at the Forestry Sciences Laboratory Northern Research Station PO Box 267 Irvine PA 16329 Marquis D A 1982 SIMAH a stand growth simulator for Allegheny Hardwoods Unpublished office report on file at the Forestry Sciences Laboratory Northern Research Station PO Box 267 Irvine PA 16329 Marquis
45. your changes Perhaps a better solution is to convert the species codes in your old data files to the new codes That way you will need to maintain only one defaults file for species codes SILVAH will make the conversions automatically for you but you must do this in the proper sequence to avoid loss of data To update species codes in older data files sil proceed as follows 1 Make backup copies of all data files to be converted to the new codes in case something goes wrong 2 Make certain that you have available your old defaults file containing the old species codes and your new defaults file containing new species codes 3 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 4 Open the original defaults file def containing the old species codes 5 Click the Inventory Entry button 46 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File 6 Open the data file sil containing the old codes that you want to update with new codes 7 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 8 Then open the new defaults file def that contains your new species codes 9 Click the Inventory Entry button 10 Click the Trees tab to review the updated codes in the overstory data 11 Click Understory Plots tab to review the updated codes in the understory data The old codes should now be replaced by the new codes 12 Save the data file by choosing File Save As to create a new copy Be sure not to overwrite the origin
46. 0 factor prism 1 inch dbh classes Overstory data based on heights 20 plots Mean basal area is 115 5 plus or minus 9 at 90 con 0 addi 0 addi Mean net bd ft volume is 9 at 90 0 addi 0 addi fidence fidence tional tional Mean net pulpwood 9 at 90 con 0 addi 0 addi ERSTORY CRUISE fidence tional tional 9 6 7 4 of mean 9 9 of mean plots needed to reach plots needed to reach volume is 14 8 plus 6 4 of mean plots needed to reach plots needed to reach INFORMATION Feb 26 201 4 ne Data on competitiv is from an wdemo sil regeneration xtend d regeneration tally using 6 ft radius plots Understory data is based on 22 plots 8 tional plots needed to reach 15 tional plots needed to reach 10 9145 6 plus or minus 15 10 or 15 10 and with trees tallied by and pulp amp cull grades only 6 f squar t per acr O of mean basal area the mean oe oe 908 5 bd ft per acre of mean of net bd ft volume of the mean minus 1 0 cords per acre of mean of net pulpwood volume of the mean oe oe site limitations and understory User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output Information on Regeneration Site and Exotic Species Site Characteristics and Regeneration Summary INFORMATION ON REGENERATION AND SITE ORIGINAL STA
47. 05 DIAMETERS AND AGES INCHES YEARS DIAM 14 9 10 2 20 2 15 0 15 1 19 6 17 0 18 6 8 0 4 8 DIAM MER 15 6 TIL 20 2 15 0 15 1 19 6 17 0 18 6 14 0 6 0 QUAD DIA TOT 8 1 18 1 12 6 13 7 19 0 14 4 17 9 5 9 4 6 YRS MAT 14 34 0 20 19 Os 54 0 21 80 EFCT AGE 87 56 101 100 101 131 85 124 93 40 STRUCTURE Q FACTOR 1 33 1 41 0 98 1 10 1 03 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 RELATIVE DENSITY REL DEN 87 25 14 24 T2 5 3 1 2 2a 1 AGS RDEN 74 20 123 22 TL 5 1 2 0 0 VOLUMES AND VALUES INT 1 4 LOG RULE GTOT CDS 34 71 8 8 9 9 8 2 4 2 2 0 0 7 0 7 0 1 0 0 NTOT CDS 27 6 740 7 9 6 6 3 3 1 6 0 5 0 6 0 1 0 0 PULP CDS 14 8 4 8 345 3 5 1 8 0 7 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 GRS BDFT 11033 2542 3425 2465 1256 713 294 241 96 NET BDFT 9146 1497 3215 2151 1094 666 260 223 40 0 DOLLARS 1783 74 1259 61 341 27 14 5 Ll 0 97 SAS 4 1 1 41 Cox O0 ds User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 98 Overstory Species x Diameter Tables Basal Area ES ONLY LIVE TRE 2002 SPECIES X DIAMETER ORIGINAL STAND newdemo sil Feb 26 2014 PER ACRE A SO m BASAL ARE E e O 10 O O O 10 sr o o OO m o OUO O OO oO o o
48. 49 DOPE SU MT 51 52 Silvicult ral Pitesti desees piede 56 St bd Growth Projection 63 ory 64 homero o NNMERO esee EE EA a E 65 Chapter 6 TreeCalc A Volume and Value Calculator eee 67 Chapter 7 SILVAH i ton ett Ho 70 Volume and Value Calculations m 72 Chapter 8 Data File Format A 76 Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions essere 81 Appendix Sample O Gr 90 Appendix C Acca wna 106 Appendix D Tally Sheets e ei urhe itis pter tania eosin 107 E 111 Dis 118 Ihn 121 Page intentionally left blank Introduction This user s guide describes how to use SILVAH a computer program that recommends a silvicultural prescription for a forest stand based on a summary and analysis of field inventory data As such it is an expert system The program also includes a simulator that can be used to project stand growth and development estimating yields from either prescribed or user defined treatments The program s acronym SILVAH sta
49. 6 CKO 88 Pin oak 830 PNO 88 Chestnut oak 832 CO 48 N red oak 833 NRO 30 Shumard oak 834 SHO 88 Post oak 835 PO 88 Black oak 837 BO 31 Buckthorn 845 BTH 0 Common buckthorn 846 COB 0 Glossy buckthorn 847 GLB 0 Poison ivy 867 PI 0 Currant 870 CUR 0 Black locust 901 BL 88 Multiflora rose 905 ROS 0 Rubus 915 RUB Willow 920 88 Sassafras 931 SAS 96 Mountain ash 935 MTA 97 continued User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Species Codes continued Name FIA Mnemonic Local American basswood 951 BAS 58 Elm 970 E 61 American elm 972 AE 88 Slippery elm 975 SE 88 Rock elm 977 RE 88 Nonnative shrub 995 NNS Native shrub 996 NAS Ailanthus 998 AIL 88 Other non comm 999 ONC 98 89 Appendix B Sample Output Cruise Information type Date File Sampling Error SILVAH V6 02 SILVICULTURE OF ALLEGHENY HARDWOODS AND OAK FILE newdemo sil DEFAULTS FILE C USFS NRS SILVAH6 silvah def OWNER AGENCY USFS DATE TALLIED Jul 2002 FOREST PROPERTY Exp For COUNTY DISTRICT Warren COMPT STAND Test Sample TYPE TRANSITION HARDWOOD ACRES 10 00 SIZE MEDIUM SAW STAND AGE 63 DENSITY 80 TO 95 SITE 70 FOR SILVAH DEMO AREA Uncut Stand OVERSTORY CRUISE INFORMATION Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil Overstory data is from an individual tree tally prism cruise using a 1
50. AH If any sawtimber grade i e any product that is not related to pulpwood is found in NED 2 then the SILVAH Tree grading procedure under the Inventory Settings tab will be set to Grade every tree If only pulpwood products and culls are found in NED 2 then it will be assumed that the set the SILVAH Tree grading procedure will be set to Grade only culls and large pulp Defect Only the NED 2 sawlog defect will be used and it will be divided by 10 for SILVAH This value will be recorded as the SILVAH tree defect Crown Condition The NED 2 crown condition is recorded as percent of crown living which would be converted into the SILVAH crown categories as shown below Category 1 Healthy Living Crown 2 90 percent Category 2 Good Living Crown 2 75 percent and 90 percent Category 3 Fair Living Crown 2 50 percent and 75 percent Category 4 Poor Living Crown lt 50 percent 36 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Understory Variables Oak Seedlings If there were NED 2 oak seedlings in the ground plot and height classes were not used or they did not match well with SILVAH oak seedling classes then all NED 2 oak seedlings will be recorded as new oak in SILVAH If the NED 2 data has ground plot observations using the NED default height classes then any oak seedling in the 0 to 3 foot height class would be recorded as new oak in SILVAH Any oak seedling taller than 3 feet would be recorded
51. AH6 automatically selects the Inventory Entry component On the menu at the top of SILVAH6 click File From the File menu click Open SIL file Browse to the SILVAHG installation folder and select the file newdemo sil Click Open Select the stands to analyze and find the defaults file that has your specific calculation settings and species attributes 1 2 Click the Analysis and Prescription button Click the Pick Stands tab To analyze the sample file that you opened above click the Add current SIL file button Click the DEF file button Browse to the SILVAHG installation folder and select the file silvah def The calculation parameters and species attributes stored in silvah def will be used when you analyze the sample file newdemo sil in SILVAH User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 49 Select the desired reports 1 2 Click the Reports tab A set of standard reports are available for analyzing the original stand inventory data Right click once on the header of the Initial stand column From the pop up context menu click Standard reports to select a set of reports that are generated during the analysis Other reports are available for analyzing prescribed treatments on the original stand Right click once on the header of the Current Rx column From the pop up context menu click Standard reports to select a set of reports that will describe
52. Agriculture the Forest Service or the authors cannot assure its accuracy completeness reliability or suitability for any other purpose than that reported The recipient may not assert any proprietary rights thereto nor represent it to anyone as other than a Government produced computer program Published by For additional copies U S Forest Service U S Forest Service Northern Research Station Publication Distribution 11 Campus Blvd Suite 200 359 Main Road Newtown Square Pa 19073 3294 Delaware OH 43015 8640 Fax 740 368 0152 April 2014 Email nrspubs fs fed us Visit our Web site www nrs fs fed us Contents T 1 Chapter 1 SILVAH NR ri cennais ninnan E 5 Chapter 2 Installing SILVAH On Your Computer eee 10 Chapter 3 Data Entry and 12 17 Entering re he P n eoe inane UR EUH 20 Understory 26 Entering Nonnatve Invasive Species scesero 29 ning PE 32 Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults auk EE 38 ERE E 41 ion 44 Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 48 Establishing List of Stands to
53. Currently there are no plot specific attributes and thus there are no tools for editing plot attributes such as plot identification comments etc To enter data on a tree observation you must first establish a new tree record and then enter the data However tree records must be associated with at least one plot record which means you must first create a plot record before you can create tree records You can establish all of your plot records ahead of time or you can establish plot records as you need them The latter approach tends to work well and is most commonly used There are buttons for adding tree and plot records but these are not always necessary and faster ways of creating records are available See the topic on data entry keyboard shortcuts for the grid in the section on working with grid tables to learn how to create tree records and plot records most efficiently SILVAH displays all tree records in a stand concurrently in a grid Each tree record is assigned a sequential tree number which is always in display The plot number of each tree record is displayed in the column to the left of the tree number Plot numbers and tree numbers are fixed and cannot be reconfigured Adding Tree Observations Tree observations can be added or inserted at any time or you can add trees as you proceed through your tally sheets during data entry See the topic Entering Tree Data in this chapter for information on specific fields and be sure to r
54. H calculates volume Call us if you want to discuss Sawlog stumpage prices shown in the Product Listing do not agree with those I entered in the defaults def file They are not supposed to The sawlog stumpage prices reflect species size and grade in each stand and will rarely equal the volume times the stumpage price See the topic SILVAH Calculations in Chapter 7 for a description of how SILVAH calculates sawlog value SILVAH calculates pulpwood volumes but I have no pulpwood market Change the minimum diameter for pulpwood to 41 inches in the defaults def file SILVAH prescribes partial cutting in stands where the volumes to be cut are too small to be economically feasible Change the minimum volumes required for various types of cuts in your defaults def file Appendix D Tally Sheets About Tally Sheets The tally sheets included in this appendix contain all of the inventory variables currently available in SILVAH Stand characteristics and management criteria are recorded on the understory tally sheet Two versions of the understory tally sheet are provided to accommodate the mixed oak and Allegheny hardwood forest types The information on these understory tally sheets is the same but the order of the variables listed on the 6 foot plot is different The overstory tally sheet can be used in any forest type If you prefer to use fewer variables or follow a different arrangement when you are collecting data
55. ION DIFFICULTY DEER IMPACT 4 HIGH SEED SUPPLY 2 Moderate seed supply onnative invasive species were found in this stand and have including desirable imber species There ar 0 invasives in the overstory 1 in he understory and 1 that were found outside the plots N the potential to displace native vegetation t INTERFERING UNDERSTORY User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output TALL WOODY INTERFERENCE 70 LOW WOODY INTERFERENCE 55 37 Plot average FERNS 5 2 Plot average GRASSES 0 1 Plot average ANY INTERFERENCE 70 GRAPEVINES 5 1 Vines acre WOODY INTERFERENCE FOR REGENERATION TALL WOODY INTERFERENCE 70 DETAILS PLOTS SPECIES 2 9 09 AB 2 9 09 TOTAL All species LOW WOODY INTERFERENCE 54 5 DETAILS PLOTS SPECIES 12 54 55 MTL 12 54 55 TOTAL All species UNDESIRABLE SAPLINGS AND POLES 23 sq ft ac basal area SILVAH assigns 70 stocking for tall woody interference if there is at least 10 sq ft acre of undesirable saplings and poles tallied separately in the overstory and there is less than 70 stocking of tall woody interfering species User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output SITE LIMITATIONS FOR REGEN COVER TYPE SITE
56. Management values have always been stored in the data files sil and they are no longer stored as part of the defaults def file However you can still specify default management values in the Stand tab under Inventory Entry To establish default management values refer to the topic Establishing Default Management Guidelines in Chapter 3 for further information Default Inventory Settings You can specify default inventory settings that you can use repeatedly whenever you start a new stand The following are inventory related values Overstory Cruise Type BAF or Fixed Overstory Plot Size Observations Include Counts or Merchantable Heights Tree Grading Procedure Understory Cruise Type Understory Plot Size Species Code Type Used in Data DBH Size Classes Used in Data Tally Month and Year Inventory settings have always been stored in the data files sil and they are no longer stored as part of the defaults def file However you can still specify default inventory settings in the Inventory Settings tab under Inventory Entry To establish default inventory settings refer to the topic Establishing Default Inventory Settings in Chapter 3 for further information 44 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File Plant Species Information About Species Codes SILVAH will only use one of three possible codes either the FIA Mnemonic or User code to display your species entries and to store species in
57. Manipulation 33 It is helpful if the first row in your data contains column headers as these will help you map your variables with ones in SILVAH SILVAH data sil files only contain information for a single stand and if your data contains multiple stands you will need to split them into separate files unless you are importing data from NED 2 If your data is in metric you must convert to English units before importing the data If you collected overstory and understory data they must be split into separate files and imported in separate steps Order of your columns variables is not important and you do not need to remove variables unless you prefer to work with a smaller set of variables Once all of this work has been completed save your data in text format txt csv etc How to Import Text data Once you have organized and prepared the text data for import importing involves two phases opening your raw data and mapping your variables to SILVAH variables Opening Your Raw Data 1 From the File menu click Import Data 2 From the pop up Import SIL dialog click File to browse and select the text data you wish to import 3 From the Open dialog be sure to click Files of Type at the bottom center of the dialog and select ASCII files txt or All files if csv or other 4 Select the file that contains your data and click Open 5 At the top of the Import ASCII data dialog specify whether you are impo
58. Marquis 1979 Myers et al 1986 74 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 7 SILVAH Calculations SILVAH also reduces gross board foot volume by defect percent if observed There is no utilization loss for net board foot volume Pulpwood volume SILVAH determines gross pulpwood volume by subtracting gross cubic foot sawtimber volume from total gross cubic foot volume of the tree SILVAH reduces gross pulpwood volume by defect percent if observed After accounting for defect SILVAH reduces gross pulpwood volume by 20 percent to reflect typical utilization standards About Report Volumes SILVAH reports five different stand volumes on the Stand Summary Report GTOT CDS or Gross Total Cords represents the gross amount of cordwood in the stand including the cordwood volume equivalence for sawtimber in the stand NTOT CDS or Net Total Cords represents the net amount of cordwood in the stand including the cordwood volume equivalence for sawtimber in the stand SILVAH computes net cubic pulpwood volume and converts to cord volume assuming 80 cubic feet per cord PULP CDS or Net Pulpwood Cords represents the net amount of cordwood in the stand excluding the volume that will be marketed as sawtimber GRS BDFT represents the gross board foot volume in the stand NET BDFT represents the net board foot volume in the stand See specific volume topics for ways in which volumes are calculated Grade SILVAH will accept field measuremen
59. Minimum residual density desired This is the target relative density desired after the cut is complete Maximum percent density to be removed in this cut This is the maximum percent of the original stand density to be removed at one time The maximum amount removed will prevent excessively heavy cuts in stands that are at or above full stocking Percent of the cut relative density to come from below mean stand diameter This controls the structure of the residual stand Unless you understand the principle here it is best to use the 75 percent value that the program suggests or the 80 percent value supplied for first removal cuts in oak stands Using a lower value will result in cutting of more large trees potentially reducing average diameter and delaying maturity The following even aged treatments are available Precommercial thinning This treatment is appropriate when relative stand density is 80 percent or more and when sapling basal area is at least 20 square feet per acre or more It is designed to provide more growing space for the better quality stems and eliminate excess small saplings We recommend this treatment only when used to ensure survival of desirable species in dominant and codominant positions that would otherwise drop out of the stand Pulpwood thinning plus timber stand improvement in saplings If stand relative density is at least 80 percent or more this treatment may be appropriate if there is sufficient volume
60. ND Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil SPECIES OR OF PLOTS VALUE CATEGORY STOCKED DESIRABLE TREE REGENERATION FIELD INVENTORY BLACK CHERRY 0 0 Seedlings acre YELLOW POPLAR 0 0 Seedlings acre CONIFERS 0 123 Seedlings acre NEW OAK 14 15564 Seedlings acre ESTABLISHED OAK 0 700 Seedlings acre COMPETITIVE OAK 0 0 Seedlings acre OTHER DESIRABLES 5 8789 Seedlings acre ESTABLISHED DESIRABLES 5 9612 Seedlings acre COMPETITIVE DESIRABLES 5 8911 Seedlings acre TOTAL OAK 14 16264 Seedlings acre RESIDUALS 23 SAPLINGS 0 SUMMARY VALUES AMBIENT DEER PRESSURE OAK STUMP SPROUTS 0 33 Sprts ac expected ANY ESTABLISHED REGEN 5 5 ANY CMP REGEN OR RESIDS 23 ALL ESTABLISHED OAK 0 ALL OAK 14 SELECT SUMMARY VALUES WITH FENCING NO DEER PRESSURE OAK STUMP SPROUTS 5 ANY ESTABLISHED REGEN 55 ANY CMP REGEN OR RESIDS 69 ANY COMPETITIVE REGEN 55 ALL ESTABLISHED OAK 14 ALL OAK 60 Under fencing no deer pressure summary regeneration stocking values reflect the contribution of oak stump sprouts which contribute no more than 20 of total stocking 92 FACTORS AFFECTING REGENERAT
61. SILVAH Layout SILVAH consists of four main components Through these components you will find the features that enable you to input and analyze forest stand data and perform calculations on individual trees in a stand To access these features click on the large buttons at the top of che SILVAH window as shown in Figure 1 described below C USFS NRS SILVAH demo sil SILVAH6 mE File Edit View Help Calc Settings Inventory Analysis and TreeCal and Species Entry Prescription C Display codes for coded values Timber quality Tree def Crowncond Wildlife tree AGS UGS UGS UGS Borderline AGS AGS Borderline AGS UGS UGS UGS AGS AGS AGS AGS Figure 1 The SILVAH6 program showing a list of tree records in Inventory Entry User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 1 SILVAH Overview 7 Calc Settings and Species This component provides settings that allow for customization of timber pricing and volume estimations In addition you can establish the minimum amount of volume required for SILVAH to prescribe intermediate commercial cuts thinnings You can indicate which species are desirable or undesirable exotic or native and SILVAH will use this information in evaluating stand conditions You can also create custom species identification codes mnemonic codes for use in your field inventory See Chapter 4 for more detail on these functions Inventory Entry In this component you can enter data s
62. TERS IN DIAM 14 9 154 8 DIAM MER 15476 16 5 QUAD DIA 10 7 11 5 RELATIVE DENSITY REL DEN 93 71 5 RDEN 74 67 BD FT INT 1 4 VALUE A GR BDFT 11033 878 10155 NET BDFT 9146 654 8492 DOLLARS 1783 87 1696 A TOTAL M BD FT INT 1 4 VALUE GR MBF 210 3 8 8 101 5 91 5 6 5 84 9 M DOLLAR 17 8 0 9 17 0 CUC AB NRO WO o AP oe AGS YRS MAT EFCT AGE Q FACTOR WEIB C ORIGINAL SPECIES COMPOSIT 31 24 11 22 QUALITY IN 87 AGES YRS 14 87 STRUCTURE CORD VOLUME A CORD VOLUME 347 51 276 40 148 2 CUT R ESIDUAL ION 294 2T 11 22 AGS 96 29 5 23 6 9 295 236 1195 104 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output Newdemo prx SILVAH V6 02 SILVICULTURE OF ALLEGHENY HARDWOODS AND OAK DECISION FACTORS FOR THE PRESCRIPTION RECOMMENDED IN THE FILE USFS NRS STLVAH6 newdemo prn RECOMMENDED TREATMENT FENCE PREPARATORY CUT HERBICIDE RE INVENTORY silvah treatment code 1663 Management goals permit even age management Site Limits do not appear to limit regeneration Stand is NOT mature MDM lt 18 in At least 35 of relative den sity is comprised of AGS User intends
63. USDA a United States Department of Agriculture User s Guide to SILVAH A Stand Analysis Prescription and Management Simulator Program for Hardwood Stands of the Alleghenies Peter D Knopp and Susan L Stout 5 Forest Northern General Technical Service Research Station Report NRS 128 April 2014 Abstract This user s guide for the SILVAH computer program version 6 2 supersedes the 1992 user s guide Gen Tech Rep NE 162 Designed for stand alone Windows based personal computers SILVAH recommends a silvicultural prescription for a forest stand based on a summary and analysis of field inventory data The program also includes a simulator that can be used to project stand growth and development estimating yields from either prescribed or user defined treatments The software is distributed with an online help system and this printed user s manual The computer program described in this publication is available on the Internet at http nrs fs fed us tools silvah The Authors PETER D KNOPP is a former information technology specialist affiliated with two research units of the Northern Research Station SUSAN L STOUT is Project Leader and research forester of the Northern Research Station s Unit for Sustaining Forests in a Changing Environment and is located in Irvine Pennsylvania The computer program described in this publication is available on request with the understanding that the U S Department of
64. a is present in the file 2 1 16 Blank Line not currently used 3 1 16 A Owner Agency 4 1 16 A Forest Property 5 1 16 A County District 6 1 6 A Compartment Unit 7 12 A Stand Number ID 7 1 16 A Remarks first 16 characters 8 1 16 A Remarks characters 17 to 32 9 1 16 A Remarks characters 33 to 48 10 1 16 A Remarks characters 49 to 64 11 1 4 A Remarks characters 65 to 80 continued User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 8 Data File Format 77 Table 1 Stand identification management information and inventory settings cont Line Columns Type Description 12 1 N Species code type 12mnemonic 2 user defined local 3 forest survey FIA 2 N DBHsize classes used 1 one inch 2 two inch 3 4 N Tally month 5 8 N Tally year 9 Overstory cruise type see Appendix 10 12 Number of overstory plots 13 1 6 Overstory plot size or Prism BAF 7 Understory cruise type 1 checkmark 2 extended 8 10 Number of understory plots 11 Understory plot size 1 6 ft radius 2 3 7 foot radius milacre plot 14 1 6 N Stand area acres 7 9 N Actual stand age calculated tally year year of origin 15 1 N Covertype see Appendix A 2 3 N Ourrently unused 4 7 N Ourrently unused 8 9 Site class 1 high quality 2 average 3 low quality 10 12 A Site index species species code recorded will correspond to species code type see above 13 15 N Site index 16 1 4 N Height adjustment user entered v
65. al version that had the original species codes Editing Species Parameters SILVAH maintains several species parameters that effect the calculation of volume and value Other attributes help SILVAH determine the stocking of undesirable and exotic species To edit species parameters 1 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Click the Plant Species Information tab 3 Enter the desired values for the parameters you wish to modify 4 Remember to save your work Doing so will place your values into a defaults def file that you can use with SILVAH and TREECALC Form This is the Girard Form Class that will be used in calculating volumes Cubic VC Bdft VC These are volume correction factors that may be used to adjust the volumes both board foot and cubic foot If you find that the program consistently gives high or low volumes for a species then you may change these factors to more reasonably reflect your volumes Exotic This determines whether a species is not native to your area If you wish to obtain reports on off plot nonnative species in your data you must identify exotic species as appropriate SILVAH identifies several species by default User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File 47 Desirable This determines whether a species is desirable for your management objectives This attribute is currently used in two ways During data entry if you try to record a sapling of undesirable species y
66. alculates cubic foot and pulp volume estimated total merchantable height is increased or decreased according to the user entered merchantable height adjustment factor for the stand User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 7 SILVAH Calculations 73 The sawlog heights determined from the Hammermill data average about 25 percent lower than those from the Allegheny National Forest data Since the Hammermill data correspond better with the volumes actually utilized for sawlogs we use the Hammermill data exclusively for sawlog heights To make the total merchantable heights correspond to the utilization standards of sawlogs total merchantable heights calculated from the Allegheny National Forest data are reduced by 25 percent Height equations return values only if the height is at least half of a full 8 foot bolt 0 5 0 9 bolts is rounded up to one full bolt However fractional bolts are retained for trees with more than 1 0 bolt For species on which height equations are unavailable SILVAH uses equations for sugar maple red maple and northern red oak Cubic Volumes SILVAH calculates gross cubic volumes using a U S Forest Service Region 9 composite volume equation The equation Marquis 1977 uses dbh total merchantable height in 8 foot bolts and various transformations and interactions Users may enter a cubic foot correction factor for each species in the SILVAH defaults file Refer to the topic Editing Species Parameters in Chapter 4 for in
67. allation folder default C USFS NRS SILVAHG and select the newdemo sil file 5 Click Open NOTE Data that uses species identification codes other than the default codes known internally by SILVAH require the use of a defaults def file to properly interpret species See the topic About SILVAH defaults in Chapter 4 for more information The newdemo sil file opened in step 4 above uses default species codes allowing it to be viewed successfully without opening a defaults file Click the Inventory Settings tab to review the inventory settings for the stand Inventory settings are stored with your data and can be edited once you have opened the data file Inventory settings can be retained as a set of defaults and applied to all of your new stands if you intend on following the same inventory procedures see the topic on entering stand inventory settings for more details You should specify your inventory settings before you begin entering data Click the Stand tab to examine stand detail which identifies the stand and includes management guidelines that are used by SILVAH when writing a prescription for the stand You will see separate blocks for management information identification and physiography and site data for the stand Click the Trees tab to examine the overstory tree data All of the plots and trees will appear together in a large matrix with each row pertaining to a single tree and columns containing data about the t
68. ally young that is larger than a seedling but smaller than a pole sized tree between 1 and 5 inches in dbh In SILVAH saplings of desirable species and a distinctly younger age class than the rest of the overstory are recorded on the regeneration plot Record the species code of the dominant sapling species when the regeneration sample plot meets stocking criteria for saplings Occasionally saplings sampled on the regeneration plot will be sampled again during the overstory tally depending on sapling dbh and basal area factor sawlog A log suitable in size and quality to be milled in to lumber of any size Usually sawlogs are at least 8 inches in diameter after the bark is removed sawtimber Trees large enough to be cut into sawlogs seedling A tree grown from a seed Usually the term is restricted to trees smaller than saplings or less than 6 feet tall or smaller than 1 inch dbh shelterwood A method of regenerating an even aged stand in which a new age class develops beneath the moderated micro environment provided by the residual trees at least some of which are later removed silvicultural system A planned process whereby a stand is tended and re established The system name is based on the number of age classes for example even aged or two aged and or the regeneration method used for example shelterwood crop tree or selection silvicultural treatment A process or action that can be applied in a controlled manner a
69. alue between 0 5 and 1 5 inclusive 5 8 N Ourrently unused 9 12 N Elevation 13 15 N Aspect azimuth between 0 360 degrees 17 1 3 N Slope percent N Topographic position see Appendix A Operability 1 no limitations 2 limited N Accessibility 1 road within stand 2 road at edge of stand 3 road within 1 mile 4 no road within 1 mile 7 N Aquatic feature in stand see Appendix A 18 1 3 N Clearcut acreage within 1 mile acreage between 0 1000 acres 4 6 N Oultivated acreage within 1 mile acreage between 0 1000 acres 7 9 N Open acreage within 1 mile acreage between 0 1000 acres 10 N Aquatic feature within 1 mile see Appendix A continued 78 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 8 Data File Format Table 1 Stand identification management information and inventory settings cont Line Columns Description 19 1 N Restrictions on silvicultural system see Appendix A 2 N Management value 0 observed 1 high value 2 medium value 3 low value N Deer impact index see Appendix A N Manager wants to regenerate stand now 0 1 yes only if stand mature 2 yes regardless of conditions N Manager wants to increase oak in the stand O no 1 yes N Prescription charts to follow 1 northern or Allegheny hardwoods 2 mixed oak 7 N Manager wants to retain residuals 0 1 yes The next block Table 2 follows the stand identification block and contains regeneration data in standard checkmark format
70. an modify the settings for a stand at any time Entering Stand Management Information In writing a prescription for your stand SILVAH requires information on management policies goals and other factors that may affect the treatment options for the stand These questions are of vital importance because they influence the kind of prescription generated by SILVAH To record your management information such as deer impact restrictions on silviculture systems whether to start regenerating the stand now etc 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Stand tab 3 Provide your answers in the upper section labeled Management 16 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Establishing Default Management Guidelines If you think that the same management policies goals deer impact etc will apply to most of your stands you can establish a set of default answers that will be applied each time to you start a new stand To establish defaults that match the current settings you have entered on the Stand tab 1 Click the Make these your default mgmt settings button 2 The next time you create a new stand it will inherit the default settings Of course you can modify the settings for a stand at any time Entering Stand Identification Data Identification data helps identify the stand when you examine reports Currently this information is not used in writing a prescription To provide a unique s
71. and Value x Species per acre ORIGINAL STAND m OF PRODUCTS IN THE E m AND VALUE VOLUME newdemo sil Feb 26 2014 RM NRO WO BO CUC SO AB SVB SAS ALL SP SPECIES MBF PER ACRE INT 1 4 LOG RULE NET LOG VOLUME R 1 2 3 ET GRADE PALLE TOTAL GRADE N GRADE CORDS PER ACRE NET BULK VOLUME O O O Oo O O X Oo c rd c CN O cC Cy O OC O CN C O O O O m O rm oOo O O OM tw 10 y gt st sr o lt sr a a HAG JAME DOLLARS VALUE oO ONO o o oooooo o OO OO 6 0 o OO co o o O0 o0 o o o O i0 c OW o oooooo sr N o 10 O O 10 e onon N lt sr sr Qo e o N lt e N e N OY OV r c OW onon o 10 XO r N e st N e 0 o e sr hd ve
72. andard treatment semi custom or Develop a prescription of user s own design custom review and modify the treatment parameters as necessary If you want to experiment with different treatments on the initial stand you will need to accomplish this through multiple runs SILVAH will not prompt you for an alternate cut when the run is finished Therefore you will need to establish a different prescription for each run in order to compare the effects of different treatments on the current stand Be sure to manage file names or folders to avoid overwriting a file you will need for comparison Future Stand Prescription You may implement treatments on stands during the simulation of stand growth and yield SILVAH will apply your prescription choice at the end of each 5 year increment during the simulation cycle Denotes variables that are evaluated a second time under different stocking criteria based on the assumption that deer impact is very low or absent such as behind a fence If a variable meets the stocking requirement only when deer impact is very low then a fencing prescription is included in the silvicultural prescription generated by SILVAH gt The contribution stocking of oak stump sprouts is calculated using the basal area of oak species in the overstory User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 59 The impacts of treatments are compounded throughout a simulation cycle Projection will occur on the resi
73. as competitive oak Conifers The total number of seedlings for all coniferous species identified in the NED 2 ground plot will be recorded in SILVAH as the total count of coniferous seedlings in the understory plot Other Desirables In NED 2 desirable species should be identified with a growth form tree and a timber value class 1 high value in the Plant Species module Thus all species not specifically counted already black cherry yellow poplar oaks and conifers and marked as high value will be added together to get a total count of other desirables for SILVAH Tall Woody Interfering Vegetation For species in the NED 2 ground plot they must be designated with a height or height class taller than 15 feet despite that the practical cut off height in SILVAH is the eye level of the observer and must not considered high value and must not be one of the species singled out in SILVAH e g black cherry yellow poplar etc in order to be counted as tall woody interference in SILVAH If more than one tall woody interfering species is detected in NED the most abundant woody interfering species will be recorded in SILVAH However where there is a tie in species abundances then the only the first tall woody interfering species found will be recorded in SILVAH Low Woody Interfering Vegetation For species in the NED 2 ground plot they must be designated with actual stem height or a height class lower than 15 feet despite that the
74. ase of a regeneration failure This is the first harvest in a shelterwood sequence in mixed oak forest types Uneven aged Treatments Uneven aged management prescriptions share the same parameters The meaning of these variables and the implications of the choices made here are described in Stout 1994 and Miller et al 1995 The following two parameters of uneven aged treatments are shared with even aged treatments minimum residual density desired and maximum percent density to be removed in this cut Maximum diameter to be retained This is the maximum diameter of trees to be retained in the stand Q ratio also called Q factor This represents a geometric progression of increasing numbers of trees with decreasing diameters Smith 1986 For example using 2 inch diameter classes if the q ratio is 1 2 the number of trees in the 6 inch diameter class will be 1 2 times the number of trees in the 8 inch diameter class This controls the residual stand structure and you need to understand the silvicultural implications of this parameter to use this option wisely 62 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription The following uneven aged treatments are available Group selection cut all age This treatment is appropriate in stands where the use of moderate canopy openings may permit the regeneration of some intolerant species while maintaining a forest canopy at all times A maximum tree size of 22 inches is re
75. ation is available on request as well as on the Internet at http nrs fs fed us tools silvah with the understanding that the U S Department of Agriculture cannot assure its accuracy completeness reliability or suitability for any other purpose than that reported The recipient may not assert any proprietary rights thereto nor represent it to anyone as other than a government produced computer program We welcome your suggestions on how to improve SILVAH If you need help or have comments please write to Northern Research Station USDA Forest Service Forestry Sciences Laboratory PO Box 267 Irvine PA 16329 814 563 1040 6 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 1 SILVAH Overview Getting Help with SILVAH Online help is available for many features Quick access to help within SILVAH6 can be achieved by the following actions Press F1 for information on the active SILVAH6 window or dialog Double click a column or row header for help with a particular variable To launch the help system within SILVAH6 from the Help menu click Help with SILVAH6 or outside SILVAH6 from the Start menu select Programs Silvah6 Help on Silvah6 When a topic is displayed in the help system click the Contents tab to see where the given topic fits within the organization of the help system In the help system click the Index tab to find topics of interest Click the Search tab to find all topics that reference a word or phrase
76. ations that provide quick shortcuts to oft repeated actions during data entry such as creating records copying fields and looking up values All of these grid shortcuts apply to the overstory and the understory grids Enter Move to next cell The Enter key exits the current cell and moves to the next cell or into the first nonfixed column in the next row if currently in the last column If you are in the very last column of the very last row it will add an observation to the current last plot Ctrl Enter Add new obs to plot Press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press Enter and a new observation is inserted below the current row Example if you have five plots and are currently positioned on the second observation in plot 3 it will add a new observation to plot 3 as the third observation below the second observation What used to be the third observation will now be the fourth observation 18 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Ctrl Shift Enter Add new obs to next plot Press three keys at once Ctrl Shift Enter and a new observation is inserted into the next plot If that plot does not have an observation it will create one If you are in the last plot it will create a new plot Example If you have five plots and you are in plot 3 it will add the observation to the bottom of plot 4 If there is no observation in plot 4 it will create one If you are in plot 5 it will ad
77. atively recent versions of Windows in order to run the installation The installation requires Windows 2000 service pack 4 or newer versions of Windows No other software is required to run SILVAH All of the output is generated as plain text files that can be opened in Notepad or WordPad applications that are packaged with Windows Discontinued Features SILVAH 6 provides a major redevelopment of the traditional SILVAH user interface The use of DOS like screens for stand processing has been replaced by Windows interface tools As a result of the new SILVAH interface design the following features have been discontinued in SILVAH 6 Analysis and Prescription Operating Mode Formerly there were three operating modes when analyzing stands Interactive Script and Batch You had to tell SILVAH which mode you were using during a run In the current version of SILVAH there is no operating mode Instead how you use the program will directly control what it does You can still work interactively on a single stand using the mouse to select options and asking SILVAH to provide reports and prescriptions as desired You can go one step further to save your processing options in a script file to reuse the same set of options repeatedly Batch Processing There is no longer a utility for processing separate lists of stands against multiple script files all in one run Batch processing of stands has been replaced with a new capability of using the mouse
78. attributes User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File 45 To sort by an attribute click once in the header of the column that contains the attribute The first dick will toggle the sort in descending order and second click will sort in ascending order Configuring the display of species attributes in the grid You can rearrange the order of the columns of species attributes or turn on or off attributes that you do not intend to use See the topic Configuring Data Fields on the Grid in Chapter 3 for further instructions Editing Species Codes You may edit the mnemonic and user defined local species codes Other identification codes displayed in the gray columns cannot be changed Warning If you want to change species codes that you have already used in the past be careful When you run the old data files sil with the original species codes through SILVAH you will need to load and use the old defaults file so that species codes are interpreted properly Therefore you should retain a copy of the original defaults file that contains the older codes before you alter the species codes Be sure not to replace or edit the original defaults def file To edit species codes 1 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Click the Plant Species Information tab 3 Edit the species codes 4 See the warning above about maintaining a copy of the original species codes When you are ready remember to save
79. ave it to a file edit an existing file and convert older data formats to the current up to date format You can also import data from other sources See Chapter 3 for more detail on these functions Analysis and Prescription This is the component in which SILVAH analyzes forest stands and generates reports of the results SILVAH can summarize inventory data regarding stand volume and value structure and species composition understory regeneration data and site conditions You can write your own prescriptions or ask SILVAH to recommend one You can simulate stand growth and develop prescriptions for projected stand conditions in the future All SILVAH output is produced in text report files that can be opened in any word processor You can also create database output that allows you to compile information into a single table that can be used in a database SILVAH can analyze the current inventory data loaded into memory as well as any number of stands all during the same run See Chapter 5 for more detail on these functions Tree Calc This component hereafter referred to as TREECALC provides a way to calculate the volume and value of individual trees It is an electronic volume table TREECALC uses the same volume density grade distribution and value equations used in SILVAH when it analyzes stands and writes prescriptions so it gives you a convenient way to check on answers produced during analysis of forest stands TREECALC can also be
80. calculation of an 18 inch black cherry in TreeCalc Entering Tree Characteristics To change any of the white cells click inside the cell with the mouse or use the Tab key to move to the cell Type in a new value and press the Enter key or use the pick list provided for some cells When you change species the pricing and form class information immediately changes However many species are supplied with similar pricing and form class and the screen may not appear to change None of the other values on the screen will change so be sure that all values are set the way you want them before you calculate Calculating Tree Values When you have entered all of the characteristics on the tree for which you want volumes and values calculated click the Calculate tree button to calculate User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 6 TreeCalc A Volume and Value Calculator 69 You can calculate volumes and values for several different diameters of any species quickly Just click in the diameter field enter the diameter and press the Enter key then click the Calculate tree button Likewise you can change any of the other values such as grades heights and so on and calculate a series of answers quickly The answers displayed in gray cells include Saw ht and Pulp ht which are based on local height equations unless the height was entered The Lumber price relative field is described in the Stand Evaluation Tools SETS equation system in the topic Volum
81. ccording to the requirements of a prescription or plan to a forest community to achieve management objectives within a planned silvicultural system silviculture Ihe art and science of controlling the establishment growth composition health and quality of forests and woodlands to meet the diverse needs and values of landowners and society on a sustainable basis single tree selection A regeneration method of creating new age classes in uneven aged stands in which individual trees are removed more or less uniformly throughout the stand to achieve desired stand structural characteristics site Ihe combination of biotic climatic topographic and soil conditions of an area the environment at a location site class In SILVAH a subjective approximation of site quality for tree growth Site class can be used as an alternative to site index and species site conditions Ihe site conditions representative of a stand that are sometimes designated by soil factors parent material texture drainage or soil series or by direct measurements such as site index 116 User s Guide to SILVAH Glossary site index A measure of actual or potential forest productivity expressed in terms of the average height of a certain number of dominants and codominants in the stand at an index age 50 in SILVAH In SILVAH site class can be used as an alternative to site index site index species species used in determining site index slope
82. cent of the merchantable volume in the tree that is unmerchantable due to decay sweep crook or other deformity den tree A living tree that has holes in the trunk or stem from broken branches and decay or hollow trunks a cavity tree diameter class An interval of sizes of trees or logs or the trees and logs themselves that fall into such an interval dieback Ihe death of branch tips and loss of foliage in the upper and outer areas of tree crowns Trees usually recover in several years by producing new branches Various damaging agents can cause tree crowns to die back elevation approximate height of a stand in feet above sea level established oak seedling count In SILVAH the count of oak stems and seedling sprouts that are at least 6 inches tall but less than 3 feet tall or with a root collar diameter of 0 25 to 0 75 inch even aged stand A stand of trees containing a single age class in which the range of tree ages is usually less than 20 percent of rotation even aged system A planned sequence of treatments designed to maintain and regenerate a stand with one age class fern In SILVAH the estimate of the percent cover of fern on the 26 foot interference plot The cover of non rhizomatous species such as wood fern may be divided by two Sum the total of all fern and record the estimate in 5 percent increments if total cover is less than 50 percent and in 10 percent increments if total cover is more
83. cherry CNF Conifers COK Competitive oak DUF Thick duff EOK Established oak FRN Fern GRP Grapevine GRS Grass LWI Low woody interference species LWC Low woody interference percent cover NOK New oak NNS Nonnative species ODR Other desirables ROC Rocky soil RSD Residuals SAP Saplings TOH Total height of oak seedlings TWI Tall woody interference species WET Wet soil YPR Yellow poplar Table 3 Extended regeneration block Line Columns Type Description 264 1 3 A Understory regeneration code see above for description of codes 4 7 N Understory plot number 8 11 N Seedling count species code yes no or other code A trailer record with a 1 in the regeneration code column after all of the regeneration data indicates the end of the extended regeneration data block This trailer record will appear in the file even if there is no extended regeneration data The overstory data block Table 4 follows the standard and or extended regeneration data It consists of a series of repeating records one record for each overstory observation A zero in the species column indicates the end of an overstory plot and the value that follows in the diameter column is the plot number 80 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 8 Data File Format Table 4 Overstory data block Line Columns Type Description 264 1 3 A Species code species code recorded will correspond to species code t
84. cifications For example if you established 12 specifications for priority 1 that would leave 12 rows available for priorities 2 and 3 If you then established 7 specifications for priority 2 5 rows would be available for priority 3 7 Enter the cutting specifications for each row Add first priority This button will add a row to the grid table to be used for cutting priority 1 Priority 1 specifications are implemented regardless of the effect on timber quality stand structure or relative density New rows are added at the bottom of existing rows for cutting priority 1 and above any rows for cutting priorities 2 or 3 Add second priority Ihis button will add a row to the grid table to be used for cutting priority 2 Priority 2 specifications are implemented on the stand after priority 1 cuts have been implemented User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 63 and within stand density goals entered above New rows are added at the bottom of existing rows for cutting priority 2 below any rows for cutting priority 1 and above any rows for cutting priority 3 Add third priority Ihis button will add a row to the grid table to be used for cutting priority 3 Priority 3 specifications are implemented on the stand after priority 1 and 2 cuts have been implemented and within stand density goals entered above New rows are added at the bottom of existing rows for cutting priority 3 below any rows for cutting prioriti
85. commended for timber production along with a higher Q ratio Single tree selection cut all age This treatment is appropriate in stands where large canopy openings are not permitted and a forest with the appearance of many large trees is desired A maximum tree size of 28 to 30 inches is recommended along with a low Q ratio Defining Custom Treatments With this option it is possible to define almost any kind of treatment desired Trees can be selected for removal based on diameter species and timber quality Furthermore trees can be assigned a removal priority which provides more control in meeting the objectives of the treatment 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Current Rx tab to design a treatment for the current stand or the click the Simulated Future Rx tab to design a treatment for a stand during simulation of stand growth and yield 3 Click Design a prescription of user s own design custom 4 Enter the minimum residual density desired 5 Enter the maximum percent density to be removed in this cut This is the maximum percent of the original stand density to be removed at one time The maximum amount removed will prevent excessively heavy cuts in stands that are at or above full stocking 6 Click one or more of the priority buttons above the grid table to establish rows records by priority in which to enter cutting specifications A maximum of 24 rows may be used for establishing cutting spe
86. d a sixth plot and a new observation in that plot Ctrl Q Query Press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter Q key to look up the possible values for a given field You can make a selection from the list of choices Example If you don t know the species code for black cherry press Ctrl Q to view all species Above the choices indicate the type of code you are interested in viewing Choose a species from the list if desired Ctrl D Copy content from cell above Press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter D key to copy the contents of the cell above D stands for ditto and not delete Example You are working in a pure black cherry stand and you want to save a few key strokes by repeating some information from row to row The next time you need to enter the species press Ctrl D to copy the species from the cell above Ctrl Del Delete current row Press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the Delete Del key to delete the current row Existing rows will be renumbered Configuring Data Fields on the Grid You can arrange the data fields of a grid in any order that you prefer and you can turn off fields that you do not need Turning off a field doesn t cause a loss of data nor does it eliminate the field it only tells the program not to display it SILVAH will remember these settings after you close the program When you click the Configure button tha
87. d quality for each of three cutting priorities A completely custom treatment will be implemented without evaluating stand conditions and there are no checks against minimum sale quantities in timber volume Major Prescription Variables SILVAH summarizes a stand inventory into major factors that form the basis for writing a prescription These are the prescription variables described below which are described in further detail in Marquis et al 1992 and Brose et al 2008 Site and Environmental Prescription Variables Silvicultural systems permitted or desired by manager Managers intentions for regenerating the stand final harvest Managers desire to increase oak in the stand Prescription charts manager wants to use oak or northern Allegheny hardwoods Managers desire to retain post harvest overstory residuals legacy trees Seed source index seed producing capacity of overstory Deer impact Oak site quality oak species are easier to regenerate on poor quality sites Thick duff on the forest floor Soils that are very poorly drained or too wet Rocky surface that would inhibit seedling establishment Overstory Prescription Variables Basal area of saplings Basal area of shade tolerant species Basal area of black cherry white ash and yellow poplar combined Basal area of oak sawtimber Relative stand density Relative stand density of AGS Stand diameter Years to maturity Am
88. d successfully you may start the SILVAH program as follows User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 2 Installing SILVAH On Your Computer 11 1 From the Start menu click Programs All Programs in Windows XP 2 Click Silvah6 from the list of installed programs 3 From the pop up list of options click Silvah6 Creating a desktop shortcut to the SILVAH program 1 From the Start menu click Programs All Programs in Windows XP 2 From the list of installed programs click SILVAH6 3 From the pop up list of options right click SILVAH6 4 From the pop up menu click 5 Move the cursor to your desktop 6 Right click anywhere in the open space on your desktop 7 From the pop up menu click Paste Shortcut You can use this shortcut to launch SILVAH from the desktop Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation About Inventory Entry Inventory Entry is where you create and edit data files sil Proceed with the steps below to learn about Inventory Entry using the sample file distributed with SILVAH To start SILVAH 6 and open the sample file 1 Click the Windows Start menu button Click Programs All Programs in Windows XP then click Silvah6 from the list of programs Click Silvah6 from the SILVAH6 program options When it starts up SILVAH6 automatically selects the Inventory Entry component 2 On the menu at the top of SILVAH6 click File 3 From the File menu click Open SIL file 4 Browse to the SILVAHG inst
89. d up one position Saving and Retrieving the List You can store the list of stands if you intend to use it repeatedly Storing a list 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Pick Stands tab 3 Click the Store this list of files button to save the list into a text file 4 Browse to the desired folder and enter a file name in the Save As dialog 5 Click the Save button when you are finished User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 51 Retrieving a list 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Pick Stands tab 3 Click the Read a list from a file button to retrieve a previous list of stands 4 Browse to and select the desired file name 5 Click the Open button when you are ready Script Files About Script Files A script file contains a list of all of the processing options for your reports prescriptions stand growth and yield and database output To save time you can save your options in a script file and reuse them when processing stands Script files from older versions of SILVAH also can be used However it is recommended that you review the options after opening older script files The list of selected stands on the Pick Stands tab also can be stored and retrieved but it is saved in its own file and not with script files Creating a Script File To create a new script file 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 From the top me
90. dard SILVAH data or if collected the total height of all oak seedlings on the interior milacre of each regeneration plot This report was developed in the Ridge and Valley region of central Pennsylvania by researchers at Pennsylvania State University Steiner et al 2008 It provides an additional assessment of oak regeneration in case you are unsure whether you already have sufficient 54 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription oak regeneration The report provides a table of expected contributions percent stocking from stump sprouts of five oak species plus the total expected contribution percent stocking from all oak seedlings It is most applicable to the conditions of the Central Pennsylvania Ridge and Valley Information on Silvicultural Systems and Wildlife Habitat This report lists any user specified restrictions on silvicultural systems along with the relative value of this stand in fulfilling whatever management objectives may have been planned This is followed by an assessment of stand characteristics that may benefit wildlife such as the number of trees per acre of existing and potential den trees and the number of stems per acre of snags with existing and potential cavities Aquatic features within the stand are noted as are other habitat conditions that are within 1 mile of the stand The wildlife portions of this report are only useful if the overstory inventory included information on den trees and snag po
91. dbh poor drainage In SILVAH one of three recognized site limitations that can impede stand renewal The water table persists close to the soil surface during all or part of the growing season prescribed burn The application of fire in forested or other areas usually under specific conditions of weather and fuel moisture to control vegetation for silvicultural purposes or to reduce hazards prescription Ihe specific instructions for controlled applications of silvicultural treatments based on information about the stands to which they apply rock or thin soil In SILVAH one of three recognized site limitations that can impede stand renewal Occurs when little soil overlays large rocks or bedrock making shallow rooted regeneration vulnerable to desiccation q factor Also called q ratio Represents a geometric progression of increasing numbers of trees with decreasing diameters Smith 1986 For example using 2 inch diameter classes if the q ratio is 1 2 the number of trees in the 6 inch diameter class will be 1 2 times the number of trees in the 8 inch diameter class regeneration Ihe seedlings and or saplings in a new forest stand or age class Natural regeneration originated from seeds sprouts or root suckers Also the act of establishing young trees naturally or artificially regeneration method A cutting method by which a new age class is created These methods include clearcutting seed tree shelterwood single
92. ding order and click again to sort in the opposite order Entering the data When you are ready to record your off plot NNIS observations follow these steps 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click che NNIS Observations tab 3 If you do not see any species to the far right hand side that probably means there are currently no species marked as exotic in the list of plant species Refer to the instructions above on establishing a list of exotic species 32 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 4 For off plot observations made within the stand check the appropriate species under the within stand column on the right hand side of the NNIS Observations tab 5 For off plot observations made outside the stand check the appropriate species under the near stand column on the right hand side of the NNIS Observations tab Importing Data About Importing Data The process of importing data involves reading in foreign data interpreting it and converting it so it can be viewed and analyzed by SILVAH The following are two formats that you can import Text If you have data from commercially available tools for recording inventory data or from generic word processing or spreadsheet tools such as Microsoft Excel you can import it into SILVAH provided that these programs have a mechanism for converting or exporting their data into text format txt etc Please read the topic on preparing t
93. ds for visual reasons Either even or uneven age silvicultural systems may be used but clearcutting is not acceptable as a final harvest cutting method for visual reasons 3 Uneven age silvicultural systems are desired to maintain mature forest canopy at all times but maximum timber production feasible under this system is desired 4 Uneven age silvicultural systems are desired to maintain a mature forest cover at all times Timber production is less important than above and visual goals call for the maintenance of very large trees on the area at all times and the avoidance of canopy openings Topographic Position Code Description 1 ridge 2 upper slope mid slope lower slope bench upper flat plateau N aj A bottom 84 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Tree Timber Quality Code 1 Description Acceptable Growing Stock AGS These trees are suitable for retention in the stand for at least the next 15 year period They are trees of commercial species and of such form and quality as to be salable for sawtimber products at some future date Saplings are especially difficult to judge Most knots bumps and stoppers will be confined to a small core if the sapling actually grows to a larger size so consider most saplings acceptable If in doubt about the correct quality class for any tree consider it acceptable Many acceptable trees will be rem
94. dual stand after each cut has been removed If you choose Silvah expert recommended prescription SILVAH will reevaluate stand conditions prior to recommending a prescription This is the only way to get different prescriptions along a simulation period during a run For instance if you project growth and yield for 30 years SILVAH might not recommend any treatments for the first 10 years then at year 15 you might see a commercial thinning and at year 25 you might see a final harvest prescription If you choose to modify a standard prescription or design one of your own SILVAH will apply that same prescription consistently at the end of each 5 year interval throughout the simulation cycle If you want to experiment with different treatment designs you will have to accomplish this through multiple runs where you specify different treatments in each run To implement a silvicultural prescription on a simulated stand during the projection of stand growth and yield 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Prior to establishing a future stand prescription you must specify that you want to project stand growth and yield Otherwise the future prescription options will be disabled 3 Click the Simulated Future Rx tab 4 Choose how to implement a prescription 5 If you choose No treatment or Silvah expert recommended prescription no further treatment specifications are necessary 6 If you choose Modify a standard treatment s
95. e User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 7 SILVAH Calculations 71 Stand Size Classes Stand size classes used in SILVAH are based on the average stand diameter which is calculated as the medial diameter MD of all trees 1 0 inch dbh and larger Note that the diameter breaking points for stand size classes do not correspond to the diameter breaking points for individual tree size classes For example individual trees grow from the sapling class to the pole class when they exceed 5 5 inches dbh but stands with a medial diameter of more than 4 5 inches are pole stands This is because the stand diameter usually lags behind the average diameter of the crop trees in the stand The stand size classes are as follows 1 Sapling stands MD less than 4 5 inches 2 Small pole stands MD between 4 5 and 7 5 inches Such stands will rarely support commercial cutting 3 Large pole stands MD between 7 5 and 10 5 inches These stands may support a combined commercial thin timber stand improvement TSI if there is a good pulpwood market Small sawtimber stands MD between 10 5 and 13 5 inches In most areas small sawtimber stands will support commercial thinning 5 Medium sawtimber stands MD between 13 5 and 16 5 inches Medium sawtimber stands will support commercial thinning or thin harvests 6 Large sawtimber stands MD larger than 16 5 inches Such stands usually have a MD in merchantable size trees of 18 inches or more a
96. e and Value Calculations in Chapter 7 on definitions and references The percentage breakdowns represent the proportion of trees that are grade 3 or better and for those trees the proportion that are grade 1 grade 2 grade 3 and veneer grade The cubic volumes cuft are calculated from U S Forest Service Region 9 equations The board foot volumes BF are calculated by the rule specified using a generalized formulation of the Girard Messavage form class tables The Basal area is the standard calculation based on the diameter And the Rel Dens is the density accounted for by this tree Accumulating totals for multiple trees You can also accumulate volumes and values for a number of trees This makes it easy to calculate the volume value basal area and relative density of any tree and to sum these values for several trees TreeCalc can accumulate totals only for trees that have been calculated and added to the grid at the bottom of the TreeCalc screen 1 After a tree is calculated click the Add tree to grid button The tree will appear as a row in the grid at the bottom of the TreeCalc screen As you repeat this process several trees will appear in the grid 2 Check Display totals from tree list below when you are ready to display a total for all of the trees displayed in the grid The total values will appear in the middle of the TreeCalc screen in the gray cells that are also used for displaying values for single trees 3 When yo
97. e features that may occur within the stand or within 1 mile of the stand Code 1 Description spring or seep stream 15 feet across stream gt 15 feet across marsh swamp pond aj lake Deer Impact Index An estimate of the impact of browsing pressure from white tail deer on regeneration is essential for proper prescription Deer impact is a function of deer population and the amount of available food in the one square mile area surrounding the stand in question Marquis et al 1992 Code Description 0 Unknown 1 Very low Stand is inside a well maintained woven wire deer fence 2 Low Desirable regeneration abundant and of varying heights Herbaceous plants such as Trillium spp Indian cucumber and Canada mayflower present and able to flower and fruit Stump sprouts persist 3 Moderate Regeneration present though height variation may be limited and stump sprouts obviously browsed or absent Non preferred browse species such as hay scented fern witch hazel striped maple and beech root suckers common 4 High Desirable regeneration rare to absent Non preferred and browse resilient vegetation limited in height due to deer browsing No stump sprouts 5 Very high Desirable regeneration absent Non preferred species also limited in abundance Browse line evident 82 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Land Cover Type C
98. e number of plots required to be within 10 percent and 15 percent of the mean For the understory the report determines the minimum number of plots that should have been collected based on the number of acres in the stand If the actual number of understory plots is less than the desired number the report will list how many additional understory plots are necessary to meet SILVAH standards Site Characteristics and Regeneration Summary This is a key report that describes conditions affecting forest regeneration Regeneration of desired tree species is assessed according to the percent of plots stocked with adequate numbers of seedlings under current deer browsing impact An additional regeneration stocking assessment is performed against standards for fenced stands no deer impact if extended regeneration data were collected The average number of desirable tree seedlings per acre also is reported Factors affecting regeneration difficulty such as rocky or wet soils thick duff deer impact seed supply the presence of nonnative invasive species and interfering vegetation are also described The report concludes with a table of general site characteristics of the stand Exotic Species Present This report lists the nonnative invasive species present in the overstory and understory on or between sample plots as well as adjacent to the stand Narrative Descriptions for Nonnative Invasive Species report provides detailed narrative de
99. e verified by professional judgment Nevertheless it greatly reduces the work involved and generally improves the quality of decisions made by professional silviculturists Several additional features of SILVAH greatly expand its capabilities beyond those already described SILVAH also optionally outputs stand summaries into a format that can be incorporated into a database using key information from the original stand plus data on any cut and residual stands that may result Output data from individual stands can be combined into a single file which facilitates the development of a forest wide inventory database that provides a powerful tool for forest management planning If a cruise is completed in each stand before treatment a complete inventory can be built up even on large properties over a 10 or 15 year period With such a complete database extremely accurate information is available Managers can query the database to find out virtually anything they need to know about the property For all properties selected forest districts or individual properties managers can quickly determine how much volume they have in any or all stand classes how many areas are ready for harvest how many are in need of herbicide treatment and so forth Unlike many similar sorts of inventory systems the database output from SILVAH permits users to identify each of these stands on the ground For example managers can not only determine that there are X acres ne
100. ecies that do not occur in a stand will be shown with zero 0 basal area Generating Database Output All stands displayed on the Pick Stands tab will be summarized and output to the file of your choice If you wish to maintain separate output for one or more stands you must process them separately 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Run tab 3 Under the Database output caption select when you want database output to be generated Click Initial stand if you want to summarize the initial stand conditions prior to any treatment or growth simulation Click Every cycle if you want to summarize the stand at each 5 year cycle during simulation of stand growth and yield Click Final results if you want to summarize the stand at the end of the growth and yield period Note Every cycle and Final results are disabled unless and until you turn on stand growth projection on the Growth and Yield tab 4 Click the Output file button which will open a Save As dialog Note This button will remain disabled until you select when you want output to be generated e g Initial stand 5 Browse to and select an existing database output file or type in a new one 6 Click Save when you have specified a database output file name 7 Click Append to file if you selected an existing file in Step 5 and you wish to accumulate multiple stand summaries in the same file or click Overwrite current file if you want to replace the contents of
101. ected and what you see on the Understory Plots tab in SILVAH will depend on your choice of understory cruise type under the Inventory Settings tab The first and substantially most common is what is known as Extended regeneration data where you enter seedling counts percent cover of interfering vegetation and site characteristics for each plot The second less common and older method is known as Checkmark data With Checkmark data you enter the number of plots stocked with each category of commercial seedling regeneration interfering vegetation and site limitations If you select Checkmark for the Understory cruise under the Inventory Settings tab you must also enter the total number of checkmark plots assessed in the field before completing the Inventory Settings The presence of nonnative invasive species may be recorded while sampling For further information see the section About Nonnative Species Data later in this chapter See Marquis et al 1992 and Brose et al 2008 for silvicultural details of recommended understory inventory procedures Entering Extended Regeneration Data This is the preferred and most beneficial of the methods for collecting understory data because you are collecting and retaining quantitative data that can be analyzed against known criteria in an objective manner and it allows for a more meaningful comparison with data in the future You can begin an extended regeneration tally by following the steps be
102. ed in red Once a SILVAH variable has been mapped it will disappear from the list of available variables when you continue mapping other data If you change your mind or want to unselect a previous match repeat these steps and instead check ignore column to reset or undo the match Proceed through each of the variables that you intend to match When you are finished click OK on the Import ASCII data dialog The program will examine the data and report errors if any Click Yes to attempt the import anyway or click No if you want to fix any problems that were found How to Import NED 2 Data 1 2 5 6 From the File menu click Import Data From the pop up Import SIL dialog click File to browse and select the text data you wish to import From the Open dialog be sure to click Files of Type at the bottom center of the dialog and select NED 2 database files mdb Select the file that contains your data and click Open Click only one stand from the list Click OK NED 2 has many more variables than exist in SILVAH For those NED 2 variables that have a counterpart in SILVAH some require special handling to most accurately represent NED 2 data in SILVAH as described below Not all SILVAH variables are described here In such cases there is a direct match between NED 2 and SILVAH and no special handling is necessary User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 35 Overstory
103. eding herbicide treatment but also can get a listing of the stand property and district where every one of those acres is located SILVAH also makes it easy to test treatments other than the recommended one Users can choose one of the many standard cuttings built into SILVAH or they can modify these standard cuttings to fit particular needs Each of these standard cutting methods provides a specific formula for control of residual stand density structure species composition and quality As a result it is very easy to specify common types of cuts with just a few instructions The ability to specify individual species diameters and quality classes of trees to cut is also provided After each treatment used printouts showing the effect of that treatment on cut volumes and residual stand parameters may be obtained It is easy to test the immediate effect of alternative treatments Another feature of SILVAH is a stand growth simulator Individual stand projections can be made and the expected yield can be estimated under virtually any treatment one desires If the projections are made using SILVAH expert recommended prescriptions SILVAH will recommend a treatment at the end of each 5 year projection interval When this is done the end result is a recommended schedule of silvicultural treatments for that stand from the present to the end of the rotation A typical output for such a run might include the recommendations that the stand be thinned
104. ees tab 3 Click the Plots button at the top of the trees grid to launch the Manipulate plots dialog as shown in Figure 3 4 Click the Add button and you will see New Plot 1 appear at the bottom of the list 5 Drag and drop the plot to its appropriate place in the list if you dont want it to be the last plot in the group 6 Click OK Insert a Plot 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Trees tab 3 Click the Plots button at the top of the trees grid to launch the Manipulate plots dialog as shown in Figure 3 4 Click on one of the existing plots where you wish to insert a plot 5 Click the Insert button 6 Choose whether to insert the plot before or after the highlighted plot 7 Click OK Delete a Plot 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Trees tab 3 Click the Plots button at the top of the trees grid to launch the Manipulate plots dialog as shown in Figure 3 4 In the list of existing plots click on the one you wish to delete Note All tree observations in the plot will also be deleted 5 Click Delete button 6 Click OK If you accidentally deleted the wrong plot click Cancel and try again 26 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Entering Understory Data About Understory Data Understory data is recorded by plot Unlike overstory data SILVAH does not maintain records below the plot level There are two ways that understory data can be coll
105. ein Neither the U S Forest Service nor their employees and contractors makes any warranty express or implied including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to SILVAH software or documentation About Forest Management Decision Support Our knowledge of the factors affecting regeneration growth and yield and proper management of forest stands has improved dramatically especially during the past 30 years In spite of this vast amount of scientific information the practice of silviculture is still more of an art than a science Subjectivity and intuitive judgment are required to determine the most appropriate silvicultural treatment and to apply that treatment in individual stands For example we know that successful regeneration after clearcutting in many eastern hardwoods is highly dependent upon advance seedlings But how many advance seedlings are needed How does the number vary with size of seedling with site and with deer browsing pressure How can one evaluate seedling numbers without tedious and costly surveys What levels of advance reproduction will permit overstory removal and what levels require other methods to establish and culture adequate regeneration The thrust of silvicultural research by the Northern Research Station units in Warren PA Morgantown WV and Delaware OH has not been only to identify important factors and discover how they function in regulating regeneration or
106. elect for processing all output associated with that stand will be created in the same folder in which the stand originated Database output is generated into a folder and file that you specify Adding Stands Together Formerly SILVAH would let you add combine stands into one printout giving you the average or total volume or value of a tract This feature has been discontinued To achieve similar results use the database output feature of SILVAHG to accumulate summaries of multiple stands and use spreadsheet program to open the database output and summarize the columns with headings such as net cd net bdft vol and value Alternatively you can import SILVAH stands into NED 2 software or manually input table results into a spreadsheet to produce averages or totals Chapter 2 Installing SILVAH On Your Computer Installation Procedure The SILVAH installation requires Administrative privileges The installation and setup of SILVAH requires the Microsoft Windows Installer engine version 3 1 or newer You may already have Windows Installer 3 1 if you have Windows XP service pack 2 or newer The SILVAH setup will automatically determine whether or not you need to upgrade the Windows Installer on your machine If the SILVAH setup does not find the correct version of the Windows Installer the setup will stop and inform you that it cannot proceed until you upgrade the Windows Installer on your computer If you do not
107. emi custom or Develop a prescription of user s own design custom review and modify the treatment parameters as necessary Modifying Standard Treatments Standard SILVAH treatments be adjusted to suit your needs Note that this does alter the kinds of treatments that SILVAH would prescribe if you were to ask for an expert recommended prescription Instead by modifying a standard treatment you can experiment with treatment parameters to adjust the attributes and the amount of timber cut and the indirect effects on timber quality relative density stand diameter and species composition in the residual stand 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Current Rx tab to modify a treatment for the current stand or the click the Simulated Future Rx tab to modify a treatment for a stand during simulation of stand growth and yield 3 Click Modify a standard prescription semi custom 4 Select a standard treatment that you wish to modify Treatments are briefly described below 5 Enter the treatment parameters explained below 60 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription Even aged Treatments Even aged management prescriptions all share the same parameters The meaning of these variables and the implications of the choices made here are described in Roach and Gingrich 1968 Stout and Nyland 1986 Marquis and Ernst 1991 Nowak 1995 Nowak 1996 and Nowak and Marquis 1997
108. ered without any tree observations An exception would be if the last plot in the inventory was empty In this case there is no way to tell by looking at the grid whether the last plot in the field was empty or whether the inventory simply stopped with the last plot shown in the grid The only way to be sure is to click Plots button located immediately above the grid to view the list of plots and see if another plot exists beyond the last plot shown in the grid Timber quality AGS AGS AGS AGS AGS AGS AGS AGS A BD j jeje Figure 2 Sample tree data in SILVAH where plot 2 is empty and not shown in the grid To add an empty plot in the overstory 1 Click the Plots button near the top of the grid 2 Click the Add button on the Manipulate plots dialog 3 Click OK 4 Click the Add button near the top of the grid 5 At the top of the Choose a plot dialog click the Add new plot button A new tree record will be added to the grid in the plot after the empty plot and you may resume entering data 24 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation To add an empty plot in the understory When a new understory plot is added in SILVAH items that require counts or percent cover data are given zero values by default Thus the way to enter an empty plot is to add it and then leave it alone Be sure that no values are entered in the column for the empty plot and that zeros appear where
109. es 1 and 2 Delete record This button will immediately remove the current row where a cell has been highlighted or entered Stand Growth Projection About Stand Growth Projection The growth and mortality equations in SILVAH have been fairly well tested on 30 to 90 year old even aged cherry maple stands in northwestern Pennsylvania Marquis 1982 There are equations for other northern hardwoods species and for oaks Hilt 1985 in the program and the simulator was tested in stands where these other species dominate the species composition Schuler et al 1993 report those results We know that results are erratic in some oak hickory stands and in some northern hardwood stands dominated by sugar maple or beech There is also no ingrowth function in the program so projections using uneven age procedures should not be attempted for more than a 20 to 40 year period The equations estimate growth and mortality using the following individual tree and stand parameters Relative diameter dbh medial stand diameter Stand density relative stand density Species Site index oaks only Age Projecting Stand Growth The stand growth option is turned off by default To project stand growth 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Growth and Yield tab 3 Uncheck Do not project stand growth 4 Enter the number of years to grow The default is 5 years but may be any whole number gt 0 64 User s Gu
110. ettings management information and understory woody interference as these items have gone through several revisions over the years User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 15 4 If you are working with a file that has already been backed up save the file If you are not sure then click File click Save As and use a slightly different file name in order to preserve the contents of the original data file 5 Data processed in this way will be saved in the current SILVAH6 file format Entering Stand Inventory Settings It is important to provide information on how your stand data was collected in order for SILVAH to be able to analyze your data and properly assess your stand Inventory settings are stored with your data in the sil file so they can be readily available to SILVAH 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Inventory Settings tab 3 Enter your settings See below if you want to establish these settings as defaults Establishing Default Inventory Settings If you think you will sample your stands the same way repeatedly you can establish a set of default inventory settings that will be applied each time to you start a new stand To establish defaults that match the current settings you have entered in the Inventory Settings tab 1 Click the Make these your default inventory settings button 2 The next time you create a new stand it will inherit the default settings Of course you c
111. eview the data entry shortcut topics for helpful tips on data entry The steps below will always apply but you may find the shortcuts more efficient Adding the First Initial Tree of the Stand 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Trees tab 3 Click the Add button or click anywhere in the space that includes the caption Click here to begin data entry The tree will be added as the first record of the first plot SILVAH will create the first plot automatically and add the new tree record to that plot then the new tree record will appear in the display Adding More Trees 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Trees tab 3 Click the Add button User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 21 4 If you want the new tree to be added as the last tree in an existing plot click the desired plot number from the list box in the Choose a plot dialog Then click OK 5 Click Add a new plot from the Choose a plot dialog if you want the new tree record to be added as the first record in a new plot SILVAH will immediately create a new tree record in a new plot that follows the existing plots Inserting a Tree Record 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Trees tab 3 Click anywhere in the row of an existing tree record 4 Press Ctrl Enter press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the Enter key to insert a new tree record below the existing one Default value
112. ext data before you begin NED 2 NED 2 is forest ecosystem decision support software developed by the U S Forest Service Northern Research Station NED 2 is designed to improve project level planning and decisionmaking by providing useful and scientifically sound information to natural resource managers Resources currently addressed include visual quality ecology forest health timber water and wildlife NED 2 expands on previous versions of NED applications by integrating treatment prescriptions growth simulation and alternative treatment comparisons with evaluations of multiple resources across a management unit NED 2 data is stored a Microsoft Access database Preparing Text Data for Import Before your text data can be imported into SILVAH a considerable amount of cleanup may be necessary in order for the import to be successful Your data must be organized into distinct columns one per variable and each column should contain values and formats that closely match SILVAH For instance if you maintain live or dead status separate from timber quality these items are represented by a single variable in SILVAH timber quality So you would need to understand the quality codes used by SILVAH e g 1 live AGS 2 live UGS 3 dead etc and perhaps invent a new column in your raw data that reflects live or dead and timber quality simultaneously as shown here User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and
113. f action Current deer levels will likely prevent regeneration developing into a new stand FENCING is recommended A fence can be constructed either befor or after treatment If fencing is constructed after treatment fencing should be done as soon as possible Treat the undesirable understory plants with an application of HERBICIDE during the appropriate part of the growing season Please refer to the silvicultural guide for details about implementing this prescription The volumes to be removed ar 650 bd ft Int 1 4 log rule and 2 9 cords CAUTION kck ck KKK This prescription generally produces the desired results requires an investment and usually will yield an economic return at the same time If such investment meets your organization s economic criteria we recommend it If not we recommend NO treatment In the case of regeneration prescriptions stands generally will NOT reproduce without the recommended treatment 102 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output MARKING INSTRUCTIONS GUID Leave 85 well distributed trees per acre that are 6 inches dbh or larger These trees should be AGS growing in codominant and dom inant crown positions Within the size and quality constraints be low favor the best trees wherever possible Try to preserve seed Sources of scarce species if they are desi
114. file 1 pA J Click the Calc Settings and Species button From the top menu click File then click Save DEF File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl S press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter S to save the file If you are saving the defaults file for the first time enter a file name and be sure you are aware of the folder where the file is being created 40 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File Converting Older Defaults Files SILVAH has been around since the 1980s As it evolved additional capabilities were added Along with those additions came format changes in the data To accommodate older formats SILVAH can convert files going back to version 4 0 The program attempts to read the old formats directly and when you save the file the defaults file will be saved in the current format It is recommended that you back up your older defaults files before converting them to the current format Converting older defaults files requires a few simple steps You must also review the defaults to ensure they were correctly interpreted 1 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Open the defaults def file with the older format 3 Once the defaults have been loaded review the data to be sure it is accurate Pay close attention to plant species information 4 If you are working with a file that has already been backed up save the file If you aren t
115. for the initial stand It provides net sawtimber and pulpwood volume and value by major timber product veneer grades 1 3 pallet boltwood pulpwood and firewood and species The breakdown of timber products will follow the grading in the data If trees were not graded then SILVAH calculates the proportion of trees in each factory sawlog grade plus veneer see Chapter 7 for details about volume and value calculations Two versions of this report are available one produces per acre values and the other produces total stand values Overstory Summary This is a key report that provides tables on stand composition timber quality average diameter structure Q factor relative density volume and value Species are listed to the right in descending order of basal area per acre along with number of trees and relative percent basal area for each species Succeeding tables maintain this species order and you may notice in some tables that the values across species do not always proceed in descending order Overstory Species X Diameter Tables These are a series of reports that produce two species by diameter tables In the first table diameter classes are established in rows according to the dbh size class specified in the inventory settings for the stand Thus if you specified the 2 inch size class those are the diameter classes shown in the table If you specified the 1 inch size class for your inventory User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5
116. have the proper version of the Windows Installer engine you can download it for free from Microsoft Corporation NOTE You will need to have administrator privileges to upgrade the Windows Installer engine and a system reboot is required after the Windows Installer upgrade Follow the prompts on the SILVAH setup to install SILVAH on your computer Whether you install from a CD or from the web we encourage you to visit the SILVAH website http nrs fs fed us tools silvah to check for updates that are newer than your full installation package Installing from CD To begin the installation insert the SILVAH CD into the CD ROM drive If auto play is enabled on your computer the installation program will launch automatically If the CD does not start within 5 10 seconds follow these steps below to start the setup manually 1 From the Start menu click Run and from the Run dialog box enter d silvah6setup exe where d is the name of your CD ROM drive 2 Click OK 3 Follow the installation instructions on the screen Installing from the web You may download the installation from the SILVAH website as of the time of this printing at http nrs fs fed us tools silvah Do not click Run from the pop up window Instead click Save to download the SILVAH setup then run it The SILVAH setup is called silvah6setup exe Starting up SILVAH after a successful installation Immediately after the installation has finishe
117. hick that are sawn from logs bulk wood product A product made of wood chips or wood fiber as opposed to boards or lumber Bulk wood products are most often measured in cubic feet or tons clearcut acreage In SILVAH the acreage in clearcut areas stands cut within the past 10 years and still in the process of regenerating to trees within one mile of a stand clearcutting A method of regenerating an even aged stand in which a new age class develops in a fully exposed microclimate after removal in a single cutting of all trees in the previous stand commercial treatment Any activity producing forest products that have at least enough value to cover the direct costs of the activity competitive oak seedling count In SILVAH the count of oak stems more than 3 foot tall or with a root collar diameter greater than 0 75 inches Stump sprouts are tallied as competitive oak regardless of height up to three stems per stump may be counted conifer Trees mostly evergreens bearing cones and needle shaped or scale like leaves conifers seedling count 1 SILVAH the combined count of any eastern hemlock pine or spruce seedling with two whorls or at least 6 inches tall Stems with three or more whorls or that are more than 1 foot tall are counted as two stems count stem count In SILVAH used when merchantable height is not being recorded in the overstory Count can be used to reduce data entry time For a given record or r
118. ide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription Database Output About Database Output SILVAH can output a stand summary into a text file that can be used in building a forest wide database A stand is summarized on a single row comprised of 231 columns separated by commas If the stand is cut two additional rows are output for the cut and residual stand Even if a stand does not receive any treatment it can be output multiple times during a run if database output is requested at every cycle during the projection of stand growth and yield Since each stand is output on a single row you can aggregate output from separate stands into a single file if desired This is accomplished by asking SILVAH to append database output into the same text file repeatedly during successive runs output can be viewed in any word processor but it is recommended that you view the data a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel Each row begins with columns that identify the stand the output date source data file sil tally date and whether the row contains the original cut or residual stand and the treatment type The next series of 97 columns contain key management factors for the stand such as deer impact site index total relative density percent stocking of understory desirable and interfering species timber volume and so on The final columns contain the basal area per acre of 126 overstory species in alphabetical order Sp
119. igh base cation levels choose good as the sugar maple site condition If your site is low in base cation levels such as on upper slopes and ridge tops in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau choose poor The default sugar maple site condition is poor Use NY relative density equation If you are in New York or New England you can use a relative density equation that accounts for site differences there Relative density is a measure of crowding in forests and is influenced by species composition and stand structure The default relative density equation was developed in stands with little white ash Most of the sugar maple occurred in lower canopy positions Use the New York equation if your stand has healthy sugar maple in the dominant and codominant positions and or a high proportion of dominant and codominant white ash Species codes TREECALC Specify the species codes you prefer to use when running TREECALC see Chapter 6 This setting is not used elsewhere User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File 43 Default Management Values For convenience you can establish default management values saving you the effort of reentering these values for each stand The following are management oriented values Owner Management Value Restrictions on Silvicultural System Prescription Charts to Follow Intend to Regenerate Increase Oak Residuals Desired Operability Accessibility Deer Impact
120. ile If you have previously been editing data SILVAH will prompt you to save the changes before starting a new file Click the Stand tab to enter appropriate information about the stand Click the Inventory Settings tab to enter the inventory settings for the stand Click the other tabs to enter plot data Be sure to save your work Your stand will be stored in a new data sil file You may continue to enter overstory and understory data if necessary See Chapter 5 to learn about analyzing a stand and about prescription and report options Saving Your Data To save the current inventory data to a file 1 2 3 Click the Inventory Entry button From the top menu click File then click Save SIL File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl S press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter S to save a file The file will contain the data for one stand only If you are saving the data for the first time enter a file name and be sure you are aware of the folder where the file is being created 14 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Generating Raw Screen Output You can create raw output of the data that appears on the screen This may be useful in proofreading data plant species codes and other items in SILVAH Raw output can be generated for any of the SILVAH screens The output is formatted in HTML and is automatically opened in your default web browser
121. ilvicultural restrictions 83 iN I 16 Species C des 44 85 Species up COO ut REA 44 Species X diameter table 54 Stand physiography and site 16 Stand relative density thresholds 72 Stand size 5 71 User s Guide to SILVAH Index I Table Species X Diameter 54 Tall woody interference 116 Thiekd ff 116 Timber stand improvement 116 Topographic position 83 116 TREEGALG 67 Tree prade vise 84 NO 84 U UG O 84 Understory data collection 26 V 75 Viewing GENDUE rtp uide 66 nien item verenda E PUGR A 85 Y Year Of MNT 117 Yellow poplar regeneration tally 117 Knopp Peter D Stout Susan L 2014 User s guide to SILVAH Gen Tech Rep NRS 128 Newtown Square PA U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station 122 p This user s guide for the SILVAH computer program version 6 2 supersedes the 1992 user s guide Gen Tech Rep NE 162 Designed for stand alone Windows based personal computers SILVAH recommends a silvicultural prescription for a forest stand based on a summary and analysis of field inventory data The program also includes a
122. ion and data formats Proper use of the SILVAH program requires some knowledge of silvicultural principles in Allegheny forests A summary of the silvicultural information on which SILVAH is based is presented in the 1992 U S Forest Service General Technical Report NE 96 revised Prescribing Silvicultural Treatments in Hardwood Stands of the Alleghenies by David A Marquis Richard L Ernst and Susan L Stout and the 2008 General Technical Report NRS 33 Prescribing Regeneration Treatments for Mixed Oak Forests by Brose et al Separate 4 day training courses based on silviculture in Allegheny hardwoods and silviculture in mixed oak forests are given each year by the Northern Research Station in cooperation with the extension service of The Pennsylvania State University the Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Forestry and the Jefferson County Conservation District A 1 day course on the use of the SILVAH computer programs is also given periodically A nominal fee exists for both courses Further information may be obtained from the Warren Forestry Sciences Laboratory Northern Research Station PO Box 267 Irvine PA 16329 telephone 814 563 1040 Every effort is made to provide accurate and useful information However the U S Department of Agriculture the U S Forest Service and their employees and contractors assume no legal liability for the accuracy completeness or usefulness of any information apparatus product or process disclosed her
123. ive or any species that is 707 marked as exotic under Plant Species information the species cell will be highlighted in yellow to distinguish native species from nonnative ones Adding new understory plots If you need to add additional understory plots you may create them during understory data entry or while entering NNIS observations 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the NNIS Observations tab 3 Click the Add button in the upper left corner of the tab From the pop up Choose a plot dialog click the Add new plot button User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 31 Deleting understory plots If you need to delete an understory plot it must be done through understory data entry Please see the instructions for deleting an understory plot in the topic Entering Extended Regeneration Data You can however remove any row that contains an NNIS observation within a plot Click anywhere inside the row then click Delete to remove the observation Proceeding to the next NNIS observation When you reach the end of a row if you press the Enter key after editing the last field and this is the last observation in the current plot a new NNIS observation will be added automatically otherwise you will jump to the next row below When you are ready to add a new observation that begins in the next plot instead of pressing the Enter key press Ctrl Shift Enter press and hold down the Contr
124. led Paper Northern Research Station www nrs fs fed us
125. living 4 Poor Less than 50 of the crown is living User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Tree Wildlife Value Code Description 1 Potential den tree live tree with large dead branch or broken top that represents a potential den cavity but tree does not now contain a cavity 2 Existing den trees live trees with natural or artificially created hole for den do not include shallow food excavations made by pileated woodpeckers 3 Snag with potential den dead or nearly dead trees but no visible cavities 4 Snag with existing den dead or nearly dead trees but containing an existing den cavity Species Codes Name FIA Mnemonic Local Other softwoods 1 OSW 2 Other hardwoods 4 OHW 88 Balsam fir 12 BF 2 E red cedar 68 ERC 2 Larch 70 L 2 Tamarack 71 TAM 2 Spruce 90 S 2 Norway spruce 91 NS 2 White spruce 94 WS 2 Black spruce 95 BS 2 Red spruce 97 RS 2 Pine 100 P 2 Jack pine 105 JP 2 Shortleaf pine 110 SLP 2 Table Mountain pine 123 TMP 2 Red pine 125 RP 2 Pitch pine 126 PP 2 White pine 129 WP 1 Scotch pine 130 SCP 2 Loblolly pine 131 LOB 2 Virginia pine 132 VP 2 Austrian pine 136 AUP 2 Southern pine 170 SP 2 N White cedar 241 NWC 2 Eastern hemlock 261 EH 6 Maple 310 M 88 Boxelder maple 313 BEM 88 Striped maple 315 STM 99 continued 86 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions
126. ll woody interference and low woody interference 100 User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output Central Appalachian Oak Guide CENTRAL APPALACHIAN OAK GUIDE ORIGINAL STAND PROJECTED STOCKING OF OAK SPECIES IN THE THIRD DECADE AFTER HARVEST Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil SPROUT ORIGIN STOCKING CHESTNUT 20 RED OAK SCARLET OAK 16 BLACK OAK 1 WHITE OAK 2 TOTAL SPROUT ORIGIN STOCKING 40 SEED ORIGIN STOCKING ALL OAK SPECIES 16 EXPECTED TOTAL OAK STOCKING 55 kk KKK CAUTION KKKKKKK This estimate of oak stocking is based on data collected in the ridge and valley region of Central Pennsylvania Please exercise caution when estimating future oak stocking in other regions User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 101 Prescribed Treatment Information Treatment description with marking instructions Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil FENCE PREPARATORY CUT HERBICIDE RE INVENTORY The stand is less than 15 years to maturity The manager wishes to begin regenerating this stand now Make a PREPARATORY CUT of a shelterwood system to develop th new oak seedlings Reduce relative density to approximately 70 by removing suppressed intermediate and weak codominant trees of all species Then re inventory in 5 10 years to determine the next course o
127. low Adding the First Initial Understory Plot of the Stand 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Understory Plots tab 3 Click the Add button or click anywhere in space that includes the caption Click here to begin data entry SILVAH will create the first plot and then display it in the Understory data grid Adding More Understory Plots 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Understory Plots tab 3 If you want the new plot to be added as the next or last plot click the Add button User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 27 Inserting an Understory Plot 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Understory Plots tab 3 Click anywhere in the column of an existing understory plot column 4 Click the Add button to insert a new understory plot after the existing plot selected in Step 3 Refer to the topic Data Entry Shortcuts for the Grid in the Working with Grid Tables section in this chapter for tips on how to add or insert plots without using the mouse Behavior of the Enter Key on the Understory Plot Grid If only one plot has been entered after you enter a value when you press the Enter key you will move down to the next row in the plot However when several plots have been added the Enter key will move over to the next column within the same row At the end of a row in the last understory plot the Enter key will move down to the first column of the next row
128. make it difficult to apply selection cutting Relative stand density is 87 of the average maximum stocking expected in undisturbed stands of similar size and species composition This density is higher than optimum for best individual tree growth At this relative density growth rate of the biggest trees is probably moderate while growth rate of the medium and smaller sized trees is probably fair and mortality due to crowding moderate Thinning to provide more growing space for the better stems is desirable if it will at least pay the cost of harvesting Total growing stock amounts to 115 sq ft of basal area per acre Gross total volume in all trees to a 4 inch top is 27 6 cords per acre if divided into pulpwood and sawtimber the net merchantable volume is 14 8 cords of pulp wood and 9145 6 board feet of sawtimber Int 1 4 log rule The total stand value is estimated to be about 1782 dollars per acre Trees of acceptable quality for future growing stock provide a fully stocked stand by themselves Non commercial saplings and poles represent 20 sq ft of basal area and may need to be treated prior to final harvest cutting Competitive regeneration of all types is insufficient harvest cuttings at this time will not likely result in a satisfactory new stand Undesirable understory plants may interfere with development of regeneration Undesirable plants in this stand include ta
129. mended treatment are also provided If that treatment is a partial cutting of any kind SILVAH provides specific marking instructions on which sizes qualities and species of trees to cut the volumes involved and information on the desired residual stand Once an inventory is made SILVAH does the entire job of analysis prescription and marking instruction preparation It even assists with report writing providing text files that can be incorporated directly into such reports as the Environmental Analysis Report in the National Forest System or the Landowner Management Plan prepared by most service foresters and consultants In fact we have found the narrative to be especially valuable in dealing with nonindustrial private landowners who are more likely to accept a forester s recommendations when they are backed by documentation that they can read and understand Thus SILVAH greatly reduces the amount of time required for all aspects of silvicultural decisionmaking and ensures consistency across all areas and among all individuals Obviously no system of this sort can substitute for professional judgment nor is it intended to do so The prescriptions are based on average or usual situations Circumstances not evaluated may often dictate that the recommendations be modified or landowner objectives may deviate from those assumed or the guides just may not work in every situation So the system provides a starting point or standard that must b
130. mpetition increases light or disturbs the soil may result in a rapid and near complete dominance of the ground cover and the understory by aggressive nonnative species which will likely displace most native herbaceous and shrub species and eliminate desirable tree regeneration While there are dozens of problematic invasive species in the eastern United States SILVAH includes about 14 of the more common species in the Allegheny Plateau This number was arrived at through consultation with U S Forest Service research scientists and practicing foresters in Ohio Pennsylvania and West Virginia Knowing what to look for and knowing their whereabouts is the first step in determining the severity of this issue and whether NNIS require additional sampling or specific treatment prior to or in conjunction with other forestry practices SILVAH provides for the collection of presence absence data provides reports on which species were observed and provides information about the ecology of each species While percent cover or other quantitative sampling of NNIS would be provide the most useful information there is currently an insufficient amount of evidence to suggest appropriate levels of NNIS that would require treatment as well as which treatments are the most effective according to soil climate vegetation management practices land use etc Until we develop more understanding about the science and management of NNIS a useful alternative is t
131. nd are economically mature Tree Size Classes SILVAH defines several diameter break points for trees also called tree size classes These help to distinguish broad diameter classes of trees Note that tree size classes do not correspond to diameter breaking points for stand size classes The tree size classes are as follows 1 Sapling 1 0 to 5 5 inches 2 Pole 5 5 to 11 5 inches 3 Small Sawtimber 11 5 to 17 5 inches 4 Medium Sawtimber 17 5 to 23 5 inches 5 Large Sawtimber 23 5 inches or more 72 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 7 SILVAH Calculations Stand Density Classes SILVAH typically characterizes stand density Gingrich 1967 Roach 1977 Stout et al 1987 Stout 1991 as follows Relative density over 95 percent Stands are at or near the maximum density possible If SIEVAH recommends a partial cutting SILVAH will constrain the density to be removed Relative density between 80 and 95 percent Stands are above the optimum density for best growth and the volumes available will usually permit a commercial sale Relative density between 50 and 80 percent Stands are in the optimum density range for growth of high quality sawtimber and veneer Relative density below 50 percent but density of AGS above 35 percent Stands are understocked but still contain enough good trees to make further management worthwhile They simply need time to accumulate additional growing stock Relative density of AGS below 35 pe
132. nd our forest conditions in northwestern Pennsylvania For example some species such as red maple are listed as undesirable but they may be desirable in other regions You can change the default values to suit your situation resulting in a defaults file that suit your needs Some users will find it convenient to create more than one defaults file especially if you work in several different geographic areas where stumpage prices vary for example Thus you could create a defaults file for each area and then read the appropriate one when running SILVAH A sample defaults file silvah def is installed with the program into the SILVAHG installation folder default C USFS NRS SILVAH6 You may want to open this file to examine the defaults and if desired modify the defaults as necessary To open the sample defaults file 1 At the top of the SILVAH6 window click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Click the Calculation Parameters tab to modify commercial sale breakpoints that are used by SILVAH in determining if you have enough volume to make a commercial sale You can also specify the log rule for board foot volume and other settings that effect calculations These settings are stored in the defaults def file 3 Click the Plant Species Information tab to modify plant species attributes Each row pertains to a single species and each column contains information about the species This is where you would record your species codes s
133. nds for Silviculture of Allegheny Hardwoods although it has been updated to include guidelines for mixed oak forests in the Mid Atlantic region Thus SILVAH incorporates the current knowledge about silvicultural treatments in cherry maple beech birch maple and mixed oak forests in the Alleghenies and packages all the decisionmaking criteria that have been developed through research into a form that is easily used by practicing foresters The SILVAH computer program was first developed in 1985 and was thoroughly tested on lands of the Hammermill Paper Company later International Paper Company Revisions based on their experience resulted in version 2 of the program the first version made available for public distribution in 1986 Periodic revisions and improvements were made since then The most significant improvements resulted from development of guidelines for mixed oak forests work completed through a partnership among the U S Forest Service Northern Research Station the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and National Resources DCNR Bureau of Forestry the Pennsylvania State University and others The current version 6 2 is described in this user s guide The users guide is divided into the following chapters Chapter 1 describes the purpose and function of the program in general terms Chapters 2 through 6 provide detailed instructions on use of the program Chapters 7 8 and Appendix A provide information on program organizat
134. ngle scenario right click once in the header cell at the top of the scenario column Click Clear selections 3 For individual report selections uncheck the box of a selected report to remove the selection Silvicultural Prescriptions About Prescriptions SILVAH offers four flexible options for prescriptions of management activities designed to move stands toward their desired future condition SILVAH s expert prescriptions are based on years of experience and research Marquis et al 1992 Brose et al 2008 into silvicultural prescriptions that should produce consistent results among stands of similar characteristics within the Allegheny hardwood and mixed oak forests of the Allegheny Plateau and Allegheny Mountain sections of Pennsylvania Ohio New York West Virginia and Maryland Even if you decide not to follow them the treatments recommended by SILVAH will provide a starting point for selecting and documenting your management actions SILVAH will apply your prescription choice below for all stands in the same run After reviewing the results you may want to design a different treatment for one or more stands If you need to tailor treatments for specific stands you may need to run those stands separately If you are projecting forest growth and yield you may implement prescriptions on future stands If desired your prescription choice for simulated stands may be different than the initial current stand SILVAH provides the
135. nimum of 2 000 board feet to be removed during a sawtimber only sale If there is insufficient volume available for such a sale SILVAH will check if sufficient volume is available for an integrated sale using default values of 1 500 board feet and 5 cords as breakpoints If there is not enough volume for an integrated sale SILVAH will check to see if 7 cords the default are available for cutting in a pulpwood only sale If the volume is inadequate to support any of these commercial sale minimums the recommended prescription from SILVAH will be DEFER CUT VOLUME lt THRESHOLD 1 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Click the Calculation Parameters tab 3 Enter the desired commercial sale breakpoints 4 Remember to save your work Doing so will place your values into a defaults def file that you can use with SILVAH Minimum Diameters for Volume Estimates These are the threshold diameters for calculating volumes For example hardwood sawtimber volumes will be calculated for trees larger than 10 5 inches 11 inch class if you use 1 inch classes or 12 inch class if you use 2 inch classes You can set any threshold diameter you wish for these calculations Setting the threshold diameter to 41 inches will prevent any calculation of volumes Thus you could prevent pulpwood volume from being calculated if you have no pulpwood market for example by setting minimum diameter for pulpwood to 41 inches 1 Click the Calc Se
136. now thinned again in 15 years then clearcut 35 years from now If the projections are made with modifications to standard treatments or custom user specified treatments SILVAH will attempt to implement the treatment at the end of each 5 year projection interval Either way detailed estimates of the yields in volume and value from each cut and for the entire period are included However we do not visualize most stands being analyzed by time consuming trial and error simulation Simulators should not be used extensively by practicing foresters for routine stand prescription It would be time consuming and costly to do this for any large number of stands and subject to many erroneous conclusions by individuals unfamiliar with the simulator s function and limitations The recommendations that are incorporated into SILVAH are themselves the result of many simulation runs to determine treatments that maximize particular products under particular conditions Expert system programs such as SILVAH which make definite recommendations based upon usual responses of similar stands are likely to be the most useful approach to daily silvicultural decisionmaking However we do see another major use for simulators in connection with the database generated by SILVAH As that database is built it is possible to project each stand and to accumulate these projections and prescriptions in the database thereby incorporating the expected inventory at any time in
137. nterference In SILVAH these are woody shrubs and undesirable trees less than 6 feet tall that will interfere with the regeneration of species desirable for management objectives Also included is foliage that occurs in this stratum from taller trees Record the dominant species of low woody interference on the 26 foot interference plot Also record an estimate of the combined total coverage of all low woody interfering species in 5 percent increments if total cover is less than 50 percent and in 10 percent increments if total cover is more than 50 percent management value In SILVAH the relative value of a stand for the management goal listed Originally was intended for prescriptions that involved gypsy moth damage It is not currently used merchantable height In SILVAH the number of 8 foot bolts in a sawlog size tree up to a point where the diameter drops below 10 5 inches inside bark or the height at which the bole breaks up Only the sawlog height is recorded SILVAH does not accept pulpwood heights merchantable height adjustment In SILVAH a value between 0 5 and 1 5 inclusive which allows for the adjustment of estimated sawtimber heights when they are not representative of the site To be used only when merchantable heights are not recorded in the field medial diameter The average of the diameter or size class midpoints of a stand weighted by the proportion of basal area in each size class or diameter This is approximately
138. nu click File then click New SCR File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter N to start a new file 3 Begin selecting options for reports prescriptions stand growth and yield and database output Saving a Script File To save the current processing options to a file 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 From the top menu click File then click Save SCR File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl S press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter S to save a file The file will contain all of your selections for reports growth and yield prescriptions and database output 3 If you are saving the options for the first time enter a file name and be sure you are aware of the folder where the file is being created 52 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription Opening an Existing Script File After you have selected one or more stands if you have previously saved a script file you can process your stands quickly by opening the script file that contains your desired processing options To open an existing script file 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 From the top menu click File then click Open SCR File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl O press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter O to open a file 3 View or modify the options
139. nver CO U S Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management 4 p Index A Accessi DIE ou abest 111 AG H 84 Aquatic features in stand sectae 81 B Black cherry regeneration tally 111 73 C 28 C heckmark regen tall eorr ttd 26 Competitive oak regeneration tally 111 Configuring data fields on the grid 18 Conifers regeneration 111 Converting older formats 14 40 Count stem 2 004 111 Cruise 5 15 Cube vol imes 73 Cultivated acreage 112 Custom treatMEnts 62 Cutting PTOI 62 D Database output 64 Data entry shortcuts errori rete 17 Data 14 76 Deer ede bi vo ud bild 81 Default commercial sale breakpoints 41 Default diameters for volume calculations 41 Default inventory settings eese 43 Default log 42 Default management values 43 iet iiu 38 Default species parameters 46 Delet Mee E EMEC 112 Editing 12 Entering regen data te 26 Entering tree ata aiia ipe atia bes 21
140. o note the presence of NNIS while sampling There are two ways to record information on NNIS in SILVAH During understory sampling you can record the presence of one or more NNIS that occur anywhere within the interference plot NNIS can also be observed off plot within the stand or near the stand such as across the road in adjacent stands etc NNIS data entry is split into two sides of the NNIS Observations tab The left side is for recording observations made within plots The right side is for recording the presence of NNIS off plot within or near the stand Entering Plot based NNIS Observations NNIS observations observed within interference plots are entered in a manner similar to tree data using understory plots as the basis If you have already entered understory data then you do not need to establish understory plots again you will use the same plots for recording NNIS observations To enter data on an NNIS observation you must first establish a new NNIS observation record and then enter the data NNIS records must be associated with at least one plot record You will need to choose from the list of existing understory plots or create new plots if necessary before you can create NNIS records 30 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Getting Started after Entering Other Understory Data 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the NNIS Observations tab 3 Click the Add button
141. o that SILVAH can interpret your species and you can also set volume correction factors and timber prices i e sawtimber 1 000 board foot MBF pricing and pulpwood pricing per cord Other traits such as whether a species is exotic nonnative and desirable are also set here These settings are stored in the defaults def file User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File 39 Starting a New Defaults File You may store and use multiple defaults files To start a new defaults file follow these steps 1 2 Click the Calc Settings and Species button From the top menu click File then click New DEF File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter N to start a new file Click the Calculation Parameters tab to review and modify the calculation settings as necessary Click the Plant Species Information tab to review and modify and plant species characteristics as appropriate Be sure to save your work Your defaults will be stored in a new defaults def file Opening an Existing Defaults File To open an existing file 1 2 Click the Calc Settings and Species button From the top menu click File then click Open DEF File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl O press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter O to open a file Saving Your Defaults To save the current defaults to a
142. ode Description 1 forest 2 seedlings 3 open failed clearcuts savannahs other forest lands lacking tree cover 4 pasture 5 crops 6 wetland 7 water 8 urban 9 other Overstory Cruise Type This is a coded value that reflects how the overstory data was collected including whether you used a prism or fixed area plots whether you recorded stem counts or merchantable heights and the tree grading procedure you followed SILVAH converts your answers into a single code which is stored in the data sil file as follows Code Description 1 Prism cruise individual trees merchantable heights recorded plots recorded separately Either record grades for all trees or record grades for none of the trees See also code 7 2 Prism cruise individual trees stem counts recorded plots recorded separately 3 Prism cruise dot tally all plots tallied together 4 Fixed area cruise individual trees merchantable height recorded plots recorded separately Either record grades for all trees or record grades for none of the trees See also code 8 5 Fixed area cruise individual trees stem counts recorded plots recorded separately 6 Fixed area cruise dot tally all plots tallied together stand table 7 Prism cruise individual trees merchantable heights recorded plots recorded separately Record only major products that is cull grade 8 and sawtimber with only pulp volume grade 6 Simila
143. odes but they will never show up in the display nor will they appear in the data sil file Mnemonic A user defined code typically two or three letters that abbreviate the common name Used on all reports regardless of what code occurs in the data Based on the first letter of the common name to represent individual species thus SM for sugar maple and the first letters of the common genus name to represent an entire genus thus B for birch You can change these abbreviations to meet your own needs if desired User Defined Local Another user defined code allowing only numeric values Often used to represent multiple species of a genus or family such as pine conifers and so on Common Name The common name of the species SILVAH will readily interpret the common name but it will never show up in the display nor will it appear in the data sil file Number of species Currently there are 148 species included in the program mostly trees some woody shrubs and a few nonnative invasive herbaceous species This is a fixed list of species representing those most likely to be encountered in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania New York Ohio Pennsylvania and Maryland You may not change the species that are included Sorting the display of species You can sort the display of species by any of the species attributes This is very useful in searching for species as well as examining prices or other
144. ol Ctrl key and the Shift key at the same time and then press the Enter key Refer to the topic Data Entry Shortcuts for the Grid for other related shortcuts You can use the arrow keys to move between observations without adding new rows Entering Off plot NNIS Observations Off plot NNIS observations are recorded on a list of known exotic invasives in your sampling area Before you can record your off plot observations you must first establish a list of exotic species This list is used for species observed within the stand and near the stand and is displayed on the right hand side of the NNIS Observations tab Your observations are made by checking species on the list Establishing a list of exotic species 1 At the top of the SILVAH6 window click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Click the Plant Species Information tab to modify plant species attributes 3 Make sure the Exotic column is in display If it is not try scrolling to the right or left or click Configure button to add or rearrange the plant species fields in the grid See the topic Configuring Data Fields on the Grid in Chapter 3 for further information 4 In the species row enter yes or the press the letter y in the exotic field Repeat this process for all species that should be considered exotic in your area To see all of the exotic species together try sorting by the exotic field click once in the header of the exotic column to sort in ascen
145. ou will be warned that the regeneration plot will mot be considered stocked with saplings since you recorded an undesirable species SILVAH also checks the basal area per acre of saplings of undesirable species detected in the overstory inventory If this value is at least 10 square feet per acre or greater SILVAH will increase the understory inventory stocking value for tall woody interference to 70 percent If the understory inventory stocking value was already 70 percent or greater the undesirable sapling basal area will be reported in the understory inventory but the stocking value will not be changed Prices There are several columns that provide the stumpage values for sawtimber veneer pulp local bulk and local sawlog products Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription About Analysis and Prescription Once you have completed a stand inventory and entered it into a SILVAH data file sil use the analysis and prescription component of SILVAH to summarize the data and develop prescriptions that will help meet your forest management objectives Proceed with the steps below in your first attempts to learn about SILVAH s analysis and prescription capabilities Start SILVAH6 and open the sample file l 2 6 7 Click the Windows Start menu button Click Programs All Programs in Windows XP then click Silvah6 from the list of programs Click Silvah6 from the SILVAH6 program options When it starts up SIEV
146. ount of timber volume available for a commercial sale Denotes variables that are summarized and evaluated against stocking criteria as described for understory prescription variables 58 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription Understory Prescription Variables In the understory tally several vegetation and site variables are evaluated against predetermined stocking thresholds such as the number of seedlings or the presence or absence of site conditions that would inhibit seedling establishment Each variable is represented as the number of plots percent that satisfy the threshold requirements for that variable Variables evaluated against stocking criteria are as follows Established seedlings Competitive seedlings New oak seedlings Established oak seedlings Competitive oak seedlings All sizes of oak seedlings combined Desirable sapling species Oak stump sprouts e Any competitive seedlings supplemented with overstory residuals Any interfering vegetation tall woody plants cover of shrubs fern grass Initial Stand Prescription To implement a silvicultural prescription on the initial current stand 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Current Rx tab 3 Choose how to implement a prescription 4 If you choose No treatment or Silvah expert recommended prescription no further treatment specifications are necessary 5 If you choose Modify a st
147. oved if a partial cutting is prescribed for the stand so do not consider the quality determination as a cut leave tally Unacceptable Growing Stock UGS These trees do not have the potential to make salable sawtimber products in the future They may be high risk trees trees with disease damage or dieback that threatens their survival or trees of such poor form that they just have to be removed regardless of the effect that removal will have on stand structure and species composition Dead These are standing dead trees Tree Product Grade Factory logs grades are described in Hanks et al 1980 and Rast et al 1973 Code Description 1 Factory lumber log grade 1 2 Factory lumber log grade 2 3 Factory lumber log grade 3 4 Locally defined log product such as pallet log local use log etc Construction log grade 5 Locally defined bulk product such as boltwood 6 Pulpwood contains a minimum of two contiguous 4 foot bolts with minimum top inside diameter of 4 inches and at least 50 sound 7 Fuelwood same as pulpwood but minimum top inside diameter of 1 inch 8 Cull Tree less than 50 sound or does not qualify for any of the grades or products listed 9 Veneer log Tree Crown Condition Code Description 1 Healthy At least 90 of the crown is living 2 Good At least 75 but less than 90 of the crown is living 3 Fair At least 50 but less than 75 of the crown is
148. ow in the grid count represents the number of stems of the same species diameter quality and other attributes 112 User s Guide to SILVAH Glossary county county or district in which the property is located if desired or other information needed to identify the property in SILVAH crop tree Any tree selected to provide a specific benefit such as mast dens veneer or sawtimber crown Ihe part of a tree or woody plant bearing living branches and foliage crown condition In SILVAH an estimate of the health of the tree represented as the percentage of the crown that appears healthy See Appendix A cubic foot volume Ihe amount of wood products expressed as the number of cubes 1 foot wide by 1 foot long and 1 foot high that are in a log or stem cultivated acreage In SILVAH the acreage in cultivated farm crops within 1 mile of a stand dbh Diameter at breast height the diameter of the trunk of a tree measured at 4 feet above ground level It is measured on the uphill side of the tree If estimated it is recommended to record diameter in 2 inch diameter classes dbh class In the SILVAH inventory settings this specifies how tree diameters were recorded in SILVAH deer impact index An estimate of the impact of browsing pressure from white tail deer on regeneration in a stand A function of deer density and available food for deer See Appendix A defect In SILVAH the percentage to the nearest 10 per
149. own in Figure 4 Most of the values that can be changed white cells are self explanatory and are described elsewhere in this documentation See Chapter 4 for information about the species codes accepted as well as how to adjust the calculated volume using pulp and sawlog correction factors CF TreeCalc will use the default species codes and volume correction factors loaded into memory If you wish to load your own defaults into TreeCalc click the DEF file button 68 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 6 TreeCalc A Volume and Value Calculator SILVAH6 EIE Eile Edit View Help Calc Settings Inventory Analysis and and Species Prescription Tree Cale Tree calculation DEF file AUSFS NRS SILVAHE siivah def Species BLACK CHERRY DBH Saw cf 1 00 Quality 1 acs v 8 ft bolts Pulp cf 1 00 Grade 1 grade 1 sawlog Defect Form class 82 00 Pulp Sawtimber Veneer Const Local Bolts Prices 400 00 999 00 0 00 0 00 2 00 Logrule 1 International 1 4 inch Calculate tree Pulp cuft Sawlogs BF Total cuft Grade 3 Basal area 1 77 Gross vol DU URGED eS Grade 1 ail oe Grade 2 Saw ht Lumber price relative Grade 3 C Display totals from tree list below Add tree to grid Delete tree Clear arid Double click a row to review tree values edit parameters and recalculate Species n 1 Dbh Quality Grade Bolts Defect BLACK CHERRY 18 00 1 1 3 0 Figure 4 example
150. pe and geographic area SILVAH operates on individual stands without consideration of the landscape context in which they occur Many forest management considerations such as wildlife habitat or aesthetics are better assessed on larger landscapes NED 2 another Northern Research Station decision support tool downloadable from their website located at www nrs fs fed us tools ned as of the time of this printing can interpret SILVAH data files and provide this type of landscape assessment Chapter 1 SILVAH Overview Getting Started This chapter provides an overview of the SILVAH system and briefly describes the major features Follow these steps to get started with SILVAH 1 Review this chapter 2 Browse the table of contents index and reference material in the appendices so you can quickly find answers to any questions that arise as you use SILVAH 3 Install SILVAH on your computer See Chapter 2 on installation for further instructions 4 Run SILVAH using the sample data file included in the installation This will help you become familiar with SILVAH and will also assure you that SILVAH is working properly on your machine Refer to Chapter 5 on running analysis and prescription to become familiar with the software 5 Refer to Appendix C on troubleshooting for coverage of some issues and their solutions If all else fails feel free to contact us using the information below The computer program described in this public
151. r to type 1 but used where you want accurate volumes and values without grading all trees 8 Fixed area cruise individual trees merchantable heights recorded plots recorded separately Record only major products that is cull and sawtimber with only pulp volume Similar to type 4 but used where you want accurate volumes and values without grading all trees 0 No overstory data User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions 83 Restrictions on Silviculture System It is assumed that timber production is an important goal of management for any stands being prescribed under the SILVAH system Visual goals are also considered These codes to indicate restrictions that visual goals may impose on timber cutting activities Selection of goals 1 or 2 will usually lead to an even age silvicultural system and will tend to maximize timber production by maintaining a high proportion of shade intolerant species Although wildlife goals are not specifically stated these goals will tend to favor wildlife species that depend on early successional vegetation and will generally maximize wildlife diversity Selection of goals 3 or 4 will lead to an uneven age silvicultural system and will tend to produce moderate timber yields by favoring a high proportion of shade tolerant species These goals will also tend to favor wildlife species that depend on late successional vegetation Code Description 1 No restrictions on cutting metho
152. rata within ten years Once established this plant can be hard to control It is important to spot small infestations early when it is relatively easy to manage Spreads easily by foot traffic horses and ATVs Additional information is available from the following sources http www nps gov plants alien index htm http www dcnr state pa us forestry invasivetutorial index htm http dnr wi gov invasive species information Michigan Trees Barnes and Wagner 1981 University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor Appendix C Troubleshooting Solutions to Common Problems Some fields in the reports contain The value to be printed is too large for the space available This usually means there is an error in the data somewhere Look especially at the cruise type basal area factor plot size or number of plots Data values are unreasonable This could be several things Your acreage value or number of plots or prism factor or plot size may be in error Or you may have specified the wrong overstory cruise type Check these values Watch for tree heights that have been misinterpreted as counts and vice versa All species in reports list as Other Hardwoods You have used the wrong species code type under inventory settings Volumes do not agree with those I usually use You probably use a different log rule different minimum diameters and so on See the topic SILVAH Calculations in Chapter 7 for a description of how SILVA
153. rcent Stands do not contain enough good trees to warrant further management of the existing overstory cohort They are economically mature and should be regenerated Volume and Value Calculations Merchantable Heights SILVAH will accept field measurements of sawlog merchantable height in 8 foot logs and use that information in calculating volumes If no heights are entered SILVAH will calculate sawlog height from an equation developed from data provided by the Hammermill Paper Company Marquis et al 1992 where sawlog height is a function of dbh and species Before SILVAH calculates board foot volume estimated sawlog merchantable height may be increased or decreased according to the user entered merchantable height adjustment factor for the stand Measurements of pulpwood height are not accepted SILVAH always estimates the number of 8 foot bolts in the total merchantable height which includes the sawtimber and pulpwood portion of each tree Instead of calculating pulpwood merchantable height as a means for estimating pulp volume SILVAH calculates pulp volume by obtaining the difference between total cubic volume and sawtimber cubic volume of a tree We developed the equation Marquis 1977 for total merchantable height from Allegheny National Forest data no Hammermill data were available Total merchantable height is a function of dbh species and effective age of the stand If age is unknown SILVAH uses 65 years Before SILVAH c
154. red in the regeneration and strive for uniform spacing among residuals whenever possible l Spacing among thes av S should average 23 feet Leave 100 sq ft of basal area per acre using the approximate basal area distribution below size class Basal Area sq ft SAPLING 6 POLES 12 SMALL SAW Al MEDIUM SAW 28 LARGE SAW 9 CUT GUIDES Reduce relative stand density to 71 Remove trees in the size classes shown below Cut out of 6 trees from the saps size class Cut out of 2 trees from the pole size class Cut out of 8 trees from the ssaw size class Cut out of 8 trees from the msaw size class Cut out of 8 trees from the lsaw size class About 59 of the trees cut will be UGS This will result in removal of about 77 of the UGS in this stand and about 100 of the merchantable size UGS User s Guide to SILVAH Appendix B Sample Output 103 Prescribed Treatment Information Comparison of original cut and residual stand data COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL CUT AND R ESIDUAL STAND Feb 26 2014 newdemo sil ORIGINAL CUT RESIDUAL BASAL AREA SQ FT A SAPS 7 0 1 0 6 0 POLES 2645 14 0 1245 SM SAW 44 5 345 41 0 MED SAW 28 0 0 5 271 5 LG SAW 9 5 1 20 8 5 TOTAL 1155 20 1 95 4 NUMBER OF TREES TREES 185 525 132 DIAME
155. ree The plot and tree number appear off to the far left in dark gray columns to signify that they cannot be edited To help your eye distinguish data from each plot at a glance rows of trees of every other plot are colored in light gray this data is editable User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 13 Click the Understory Plots tab to examine the understory data Each column represents a plot Desirable regeneration collected in the 6 foot or milacre regeneration plot is represented by the upper rows which contain desirable tree regeneration saplings and residuals The lower rows contain data that is collected in the interference plot such as tall woody interference percent fern cover and site limitations Click the NNIS Observations tab to examine the nonnative invasive species NNIS data In the left side of the screen rows represent the presence of NNIS in the regeneration plots In the right side of the screen check boxes indicate the presence of NNIS outside of the regeneration plots within the stand or near the stand Starting a New Stand You can edit one stand at a time When you are ready to start a new stand a new data file follow these steps 1 2 Click the Inventory Entry button From the top menu click File then click New SIL File You may also try the shortcut Ctrl N press and hold the Control Ctrl key and then press the letter N to start a new f
156. rrors generated during this run As soon as you make this selection SILVAH will prompt you for a file name Browse to and select a folder then specify a log file name Click Save when you are finished SILVAH will display the folder and file name on the Run Errors dialog Viewing the Output When the run is completed SILVAH will display the output of the first stand on the Run tab Other stands can be selected from the pick list with the caption Display report for stand To view another stand click the pick list arrow Stands will be listed with the full path and file name in the pick list Click once on the name of the stand to display it on the Run tab If desired any stand already displayed on the Run tab can be opened in Notepad by clicking the Open button This will allow you to print the output or copy the contents into another word processor if necessary Each stand opened in Notepad will be displayed in a separate window allowing you to have several stands open at once Skipping Options during a Run Occasionally you may want to skip certain options between runs You can temporarily disable reports yy y P P P y P prescriptions and growth and yield as desired without switching tabs and redoing options each time To temporarily skip options during a run 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Run tab 3 At the top of the Run tab check the appropriate boxes to skip treatments or to skip stand growth 4
157. rting TREE data or UNDERSTORY data If you have both kinds of data they must be imported in separate steps using these same instructions 6 Below the upper window that displays your raw data within the Import ASCII data dialog select the delimiter that separates your variables tab comma semicolon other 7 If your data contains column headers be sure to check the box that says first line contains column headings Your data is displayed in the bottom window of the Import ASCII data dialog If you applied column headings you should see them near the top of your columns If the data looks correct you are ready to map the variables to SILVAH variables as described below 34 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation Mapping Your Variables 1 map your variables to SILVAH variables double click the top cell of one of the columns in your raw data in the bottom window of the Import ASCII data dialog This will launch the Pick a variable for column dialog that lists the possible SILVAH variables that you can match with your variable By default ignore column is selected This allows you to skip variables that you do not wish to import To make a selection uncheck ignore column Click an item on the list Click OK The column you just matched will be shaded in white to let you know that it has been mapped selected Any data values that are out of bounds or invalid will be highlight
158. run options repeatedly Consider storing your selected stands in a file 1 Click the Analysis and Prescription button 2 Click the Run tab 3 Click the large Run button Error handling during a run SILVAH will process stands one at a time and report errors as they occur When SILVAH reports an error in the processing of a stand a Run Errors dialog will pop up In most cases you will be provided with a brief explanation You will be given the following choices for handling errors in the current run 66 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription STOP do not continue Select this option if you want to halt processing for all stands in this run No further processing will occur for any stand Prior to the error if any stands have already been processed in the run you will be able to view the output from those stands Continue processing If you want to continue processing despite errors you have two choices Select Continue displaying messages as they occur if you want to be prompted the next time an error occurs Select Stop showing error messages if you want SILVAH to work through all stands in the run without showing you error messages during processing If a stand has minor issues in the data one or more reports may include information about the problem However SILVAH will not produce any pop up errors during the remainder of the run Keep a log file Check this box if you want to keep a history of the e
159. s for new tree records There are a limited number of fixed default values that appear every time you create a tree record Timber quality is Acceptable Growing Stock AGS and diameter at breast height dbh is 0 6 inches The number of trees represented by this observation the count is 1 and defect is assumed to be zero Entering Tree Data These instructions assume the fields are configured on the grid in the order as presented below If your fields are arranged in a different order the information about each field is the same The species code diameter and quality fields should be completed for each tree in order to obtain the most appropriate silvicultural prescription for your stand The remaining fields are optional and may be left blank if desired See Marquis et al 1992 and Brose et al 2008 for silvicultural details of recommended inventory procedures All units are in English Currently metric units are not supported in SILVAH Entering Species Codes After you enter the species code of a tree record press either the Tab Enter or right arrow key to move to the next field Species entries are not case sensitive but will be displayed in upper case If you type in a species code that does not exist you will be presented with a pop up list The list is initially sorted by the species code specified under Inventory Settings Select a species from the list and click OK If you click Cancel the species cell is returned to the
160. s in the central milacre of the regeneration plot If you do not collect data on the height of oak seedlings but you collect extended regeneration data SILVAH will estimate the total 28 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation height of oak seedlings based on conservative assumptions regarding the height of the different classes of oak regeneration SILVAH uses 0 25 0 5 and 3 feet for new established and competitive oak respectively Grapevines This is the total count of grapevines that have ascended into the overstory Thick Duff Rocky Surface Poor Drainage Answer yes or no for these items as found during the inventory of the interference plot Deleting an Understory Plot To delete an existing plot click anywhere inside the column of the plot you wish to delete and then click the Delete button above the understory plot grid You should periodically save your work while you are entering data to avoid losing information and having to start over Entering Checkmark Regeneration Data Checkmark data is quick but rather inflexible and is based on field judgment at the time of sampling During inventory the data collector compares the observed weighted count of seedlings or interference on the sample plot against the stocking criteria for the ambient deer impact level and records whether or not the observation met or exceeded the criteria These data cannot be reassessed at a different deer impact level
161. s the Enter key after editing the last field and this is the last observation in the current plot SILVAH will add a new tree to the plot otherwise you will jump to the next row below if an existing record occurs after the current one When you are ready to add a new observation that begins in the next plot instead of pressing the Enter key press Ctrl Shift Enter that is press and hold down the Control Ctrl key and the Shift key at the same time and then press the Enter key Refer to the topic Data Entry Shortcuts for the Grid earlier in this chapter for more information You should periodically save your work while you are entering data to avoid losing information and having to start over User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 23 Working with Empty Plots When a plot is empty i e when the inventory found no trees on that plot it is very important to record it in SILVAH Failure to do so may result in inaccurate biased assessments of your stand with potentially inappropriate prescriptions from SILVAH An empty plot can be entered in SILVAH in the order it was encountered in the field Note that empty plots are handled differently for the overstory and understory In the overstory the empty plot will not appear in the grid The example in Figure 2 shows trees from plots 1 3 and 4 but not plot 2 When a plot is not shown in the grid as in Figure 2 it signifies that an empty plot was ent
162. sawtimber size Most of the cutting occurs in pulpwood sizes but some also occurs in sawtimber sizes Thin harvest This treatment is appropriate toward the end of the stand rotation As the stand matures species will reach maturity at different ages Some species may be ready for harvest while other require one or two more thinnings This treatment should remove trees from the smaller size classes as well as the largest size classes The effect should be to concentrate growth on trees in the small sawtimber size class since these are the ones that increase most rapidly in value Seed cut This treatment is appropriate in mature Allegheny or northern hardwood stands with high relative stand density e g 75 percent or higher and where competitive seedlings are inadequate but seed sources are adequate and there are minimal site limitations This treatment is designed to provide for the establishment of desirable seedlings and to begin harvesting the stand It is also prescribed when seedling establishment is needed in immature stands due to management objectives This is the first cut in a shelterwood sequence for these forest types First removal cut mixed oak stands This treatment is appropriate in mixed oak stands after oak regeneration has been established The treatment should reduce overstory stocking to 40 to 60 percent relative density and retain sufficient trees in sawtimber sizes so that a seed source is maintained on the site in c
163. scriptions of the identification characteristics ecology and response to management or disturbance for the nonnative invasive species found in the stand Due to the potential length of this report unlike other reports it is output in a separate file in the same folder as the source data file sil with an identical file name except for a nns suffix to identify it as narrative output for nonnative invasive species Narrative Summary and Analysis of Stand This report summarizes the stand in a series of descriptive paragraphs The forest type and the dominant overstory species comprising 85 percent of the stand basal area are identified An assessment of average diameter timber volume and quality is included The report describes the impact of relative density on tree growth and the need for thinning It includes the effective age and number of years to maturity for the stand The narrative concludes with an assessment of desirable seedling regeneration and possible factors such deer impact site limitations and other vegetation that could interfere with regeneration after a final harvest This report may be particularly valuable for communicating with private landowners or public land stakeholders unfamiliar with forestry data tables Central Appalachian Oak Guide This report uses overstory and understory data to project the proportion of oak that would be found in thirty years if final overstory removal took place now It can use stan
164. simulator that can be used to project stand growth and development estimating yields from either prescribed or user defined treatments The software is distributed with an online help system and this printed user s manual The computer program described in this publication is available on the Internet at http nrs fs fed us tools silvah KEY WORDS silvicultural prescriptions management guides regeneration Allegheny hardwoods northern hardwoods mixed oak forest type decision support system software The U S Department of Agriculture USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race color national origin age disability and where applicable sex marital status familial status parental status religion sexual orientation genetic information political beliefs reprisal or because all or part of an individual s income is derived from any public assistance program Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information Braille large print audiotape etc should contact USDAs TARGET Center at 202 720 2600 voice and TDD To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA Director Office of Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue S W Washington DC 20250 9410 or call 800 795 3272 voice or 202 720 6382 TDD USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer s L v Printed on Recyc
165. stand growth but also to develop objective guidelines on how much is enough or too much in particular circumstances These guidelines have been integrated into a complete stand analysis and prescription procedure that provides a systematic way of measuring and evaluating critical stand conditions and using that data to arrive at a recommended treatment This system involves a stand inventory of basic overstory understory and site factors that are then summarized and analyzed to evaluate the stand s potential for growth and regeneration The necessary calculations can be done by hand but we recommend use of the computer program for increased precision and efficiency Then decision tables are used to determine the proper prescription based on critical levels of the various site overstory and understory variables in combination with landowner objectives Since all steps of this process are based on stand and site parameters that have been measured during a sample inventory the entire process can be handled by a computer SILVAH was written for this purpose After field data are entered into the computer SILVAH performs a data summary outputting all of the tabular data that one normally expects from a stand inventory In addition to the tabular data SILVAH prints an analysis of the stand rationale for stand treatment and a specific recommendation or prescription in an easily understood narrative form Details on application of the recom
166. structions on entering correction factors Cubic foot correction factors are applied to gross cubic foot volume efore net cubic foot volume is calculated SILVAH calculates gross sawlog and gross total cubic volume for any tree with at least one half of an 8 foot bolt Board Volumes SILVAH calculates gross board foot volume for the International 1 4 inch Doyle and Scribner log rules as defined in the widely used Mesavage and Girard form class volume tables Mesavage and Girard 1956 These volumes are approximated using a simplified series of equations developed by Wiant and Castenada 1977 Users may enter a board foot correction factor for each species in the SILVAH defaults file Refer to the topic Editing Species Parameters in Chapter 4 for instructions on entering correction factors Sawlog correction factors are applied to gross board foot volume efore net board foot volume is calculated SILVAH calculates board foot volume for any tree with at least one half of an 8 foot log Board foot volume is a function of dbh sawlog height in 8 foot logs and form class Net Volumes SILVAH reduces gross volumes of a tree as follows Board foot volume If tree product grade is unknown SILVAH may reduce gross board foot volume by the estimated proportion of all sawtimber size trees of similar species and diameter that do not have at least one log of grade 3 or better based on examinations of tree grade distributions Ernst and
167. sure then click File then click Save As and use a slightly different file name in order to preserve the contents of the original data file Importing Defaults Files SILVAH allows you to import portions of information from other defaults files With this feature you can import only the plant species information or only the calculation parameters or both This allows you to reuse portions of a defaults file while preserving what you do not want changed 1 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 From the File menu click Import DEF file 3 From the pop up Import DEF file dialog click File to browse and select the defaults file that contains information you wish to import 4 Check Calculation parameters to import calculation parameters If you do not wish to import plant species information at the same time be sure to uncheck Plant species information and then click OK 5 Check Plant species information to import plant species characteristics including codes prices and other species traits If you do not wish to import calculation parameters at the same time be sure to uncheck Calculation parameters and then click OK User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File 41 Calculation Settings Default Commercial Sale Breakpoints These values specify how much volume per acre must be available for SILVAH to prescribe a commercial cutting For example the default breakpoints supplied by SILVAH require a mi
168. t typically appears in the upper right corner above the grid the Select variables dialog appears Fields currently being displayed are shown on the right hand side and they are arranged from top to bottom to reflect their display from left to right during data entry Turning off a field 1 Click the Configure button to launch the Select variables dialog 2 Click on the field that you wish to remove from display on the right hand side 3 Click the left pointing arrow to remove the field from the list of items displayed Alternatively you can double click the item you wish to remove from the display 4 If desired click the double left pointing arrow to remove all fields from the right hand side at the same time 5 Click OK User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 19 Turning on a field 1 Click the Configure button to launch the Select variables dialog 2 Click on the field on the lefthand side that you wish to display 3 Click the right pointing arrow to add the field to the list of items displayed Alternatively you can double click the item you wish to add to the display 4 If desired click the double right pointing arrow to add all fields on the left hand side at the same time 5 Click OK Changing the order that fields appear during data entry 1 Click the Configure button to launch the Select variables dialog 2 From the list of items to be displayed use the mouse to drag and drop a
169. ta contains percent inhibiting fern or percent other fern recorded as separate ground plot variables then the value recorded in SILVAH would be the sum of the percent inhibiting fern plus half the value of percent other fern Otherwise the total combined cover of hay scented and New York fern plus half of the combined percentages of all other fern species in the NED 2 ground cover plot observations will be recorded as the total percent fern in SILVAH Thick Duff There is no equivalent in NED 2 for this variable Rocky Surface The value of the NED 2 ground plot variable Rockiness barrier to regen too rocky will be recorded in SILVAH without modification Poor Drainage The value of the NED 2 ground plot variable Wetness barrier to regen too wet will be recorded in SILVAH without modification Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File About SILVAH defaults SILVAH uses defaults files def to maintain information on local stumpage prices the log rule you want to use a list of your own species codes if you do not like ours and other parameters Every time you analyze stands in SILVAH or perform calculations using TREECALC you will have the opportunity to specify the name of the defaults file you want to use SILVAH supplies default values for all parameters in the program so you do not absolutely have to have a defaults file The default values in the program are ones that we find convenient for our computers a
170. tand ID county land cover type comments etc 1 Click the Inventory Entry button 2 Click the Stand tab 3 Provide your answers in the upper section labeled Identification Entering Stand Physiography and Site Data The sum total of all factors in a stand such as climate physiography soil and vegetation results in a site with specific characteristics important to tree growth and forest management As an expression of site quality productivity you can record site index and species or site class Stand area and site index or class are used by SILVAH in determining a prescription If you elect to follow the prescription charts for oak you are required to provide information about site quality Site class can be used as an alternative to site index You do not need to record both site index and site class If you are not recording heights you may use a merchantable height adjustment if the SILVAH estimated heights are not representative for your site Valid merchantable height adjustment values range from 0 5 to 1 5 The merchantable height adjustment is applied to the estimated sawtimber and total merchantable height of each tree Other physiographic features such as slope and aspect are not currently used but may be used in the future and may be useful to you if you are using SILVAH to create a database of stand information User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 3 Data Entry and Manipulation 17 Working with Grid Tables
171. tential and landscape context variables are only available if users provide them Treatment Description with Marking Instructions This is a key report that provides a description of the treatment prescribed in SILVAH along with the reasons for that prescription if it was provided by SILVAH i e an expert prescription The report outlines treatment steps along with special considerations For prescribed cuts the report estimates the amount of volume available Marking instructions detail the amount of trees to retain leave in each size class followed by information on removals such as the target relative density and the proportion of trees to cut in each size class A companion report is automatically generated along with this report and is output in a separate file in the same folder as the source data file sil with an identical file name except for a prx suffix to identify it as a prescription history file It contains a history of the prescription chart decisions leading up to the treatment prescribed by SILVAH Comparison of Residual Cut Residual Stand Data This report provides tables that show the effects of a treatment on basal area number of trees average diameter relative density volume timber quality and species composition These characteristics are displayed in three columns to allow you to compare values for the original cut and residual stand Timber Volume and Value by Species This report is available only
172. than 50 percent forest name Ihe name or identification of the property entered in SILVAH For example Allegheny National Forest Elk State Forest South Woodlot User s Guide to SILVAH Glossary 113 grade Indicates the relative value and merchantability of trees for timber products See Appendix grapevine In SILVAH the number of grapevines rooted in the 26 foot interference plot reaching into the forest canopy grass and sedge In SILVAH the total combined cover of all grass and sedge species on the 26 foot interference plot Record 1 percent even if only a trace of grass or sedge is present group selection An uneven aged silvicultural technique involving the removal of trees in groups usually 1 10 to 2 3 acre in size but sometimes up to 3 to 5 acres Group selection can be applied in combination with single tree selection between groups herbicide Any chemical preparation used to kill or inhibit the growth of certain plants particularly herbs or their spores or seeds This term generally includes arboricides which are specific for trees and other woody plants intermediate treatment Any treatment or tending designed to enhance growth quality vigor and composition of the stand after seedlings are established and before mature trees are regenerated For example thinning is an intermediate treatment land cover type Ihe general cover type of the property entered in SILVAH See Appendix A low woody i
173. the recommended treatment and display the effects of the recommended treatment by showing the original cut and residual stand data Ask SILVAH to recommend a prescription 1 2 Click the Current Rx tab Make sure to select SILVAH expert recommended prescription Run the Analysis 1 2 2 Click the Run tab On the Run tab click the Run button All of the output from the analysis will be placed into an output file prn that matches the name of the stand e g newdemo prn SILVAH will display the results on the Run tab for quick viewing If you prefer to open the file in Notepad click the Open button Compare the output you get newdemo prn with those in Appendix B They should be identical If they are not you may have specified a different parameter file or selected different reports or something may be wrong See the section Solution to Common Problems in Appendix C or feel free to contact us Establishing a List of Stands to Run Adding Stands to the List Before SILVAH can provide results you must supply the names of the stands you wish to run SILVAH can just as easily process one stand at a time as it can many stands 1 2 3 Click the Analysis and Prescription button Click the Pick Stands tab Click the DEF file button to browse to and select a defaults file def If you do not select a defaults file SILVAH will supply the default parameter values during the run 50 User s
174. ts of grade and use that information in calculating value If no grade observations are entered SILVAH will estimate grade based upon dbh and species Grade equations are based on data from Allegheny hardwood Ernst and Marquis 1979 and oak hickory forests Myers et al 1986 Equations are not available for every species Species with similar form are grouped together For example white ash cucumber and basswood use the equation developed for yellow poplar For species of unknown form the beech birch equations are used Veneer is estimated at 15 percent of the grade 1 butt logs In all situations the proportions calculated above are used for trees entered into SILVAH on which grade was not recorded When grade is recorded SILVAH considers 100 percent of the butt log to be the grade recorded while grade distribution for the upper logs above the first two 8 foot bolts is calculated as described User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 7 SILVAH Calculations 75 Value SILVAH assigns values on the basis of the volume within each product and grade as determined either by actual measurements or by the SILVAH equations SILVAH calculates pulpwood firewood local bulk product local sawlog product and veneer values simply as the volume in that product times the stumpage value for that product entered by the user SILVAH evaluates factory grade sawlogs from extensive sawmill recovery data These data show the average proportion of the various
175. ttings and Species button 2 Click the Calculation Parameters tab 3 Enter the desired minimum diameters 4 Remember to save your work Doing so will place your values into a defaults def file that you can use with SILVAH and TREECALC 42 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 4 Setting up a Defaults File Log Rule Trees to Include and Other Values These values effect calculations by SILVAH and TREECALC To set calculation parameters 1 Click the Calc Settings and Species button 2 Click the Calculation Parameters tab 3 Remember to save your work Doing so will place your values into a defaults def file that you can use with SILVAH and TREECALC Log Rule You can select a board foot log rule to use International 1 4 inch Doyle or Scribner Trees Included Specify whether to include live trees only live and dead or only dead trees in your calculations Name of local log and boltwood product You can specify the names you want to use on reports for a bulk and local sawlog product For example if you have a pallet log market or a railroad tie market you can define that product name here Note that you must grade appropriate trees as local log or local bulk in your inventory to obtain volumes for local products Sugar maple site condition Sugar maple growth and seed production are affected by site quality The seed source calculation of SILVAH utilizes this value If you know that your site is rich in nutrients h
176. u are ready to resume calculating other trees uncheck Display totals from tree list below Managing the Tree List in the TreeCalc Grid Removing Trees A tree can be removed from the grid at any time 1 Click anywhere in the row of the tree you wish to delete 2 Click the Delete tree button If TreeCalc is currently displaying an accumulated total for all trees in the grid the total will be recalculated based on the remaining trees in the grid 3 To remove all trees from the grid at once click the Clear grid button Reviewing Tree Values The values for any tree in the grid can be retrieved and displayed in the TreeCalc screen Double click a row in the TreeCalc grid to retrieve and review the values for that tree Chapter 7 SILVAH Calculations About SILVAH Calculations This chapter describes some of the calculations performed in SILVAH Some literature references are provided in connection with these calculations There are many kinds of calculations in the SILVAH software and a discussion of all them is beyond the scope of this manual There are many other publications from which general information was used in developing the SILVAH approach These are cited in Marquis et al 1992 and Brose et al 2008 Cover Types At present SILVAH does not use cover type for any calculations or determinations If users enter cover type the information is stored with the stand in any databases that the user may create using SILVAH
177. ug S 103uoAu 10 5 ABO Ayuno 259104 IUMO uoneognuopr Glossary accessibility A subjective estimate of the ease of access to a stand as it may affect timber and wildlife management See Appendix A acre A unit of measure describing surface area One acre contains 43 560 square feet A football field without the end zones is 45 000 square feet slightly larger than an acre The inside of a professional baseball diamond is about 1 4 of an acre advance regeneration Seedlings or saplings that develop or are present in the understory aquatic features In SILVAH the indication of a water course within the stand and or within one mile of the stand that may be of value to wildlife See Appendix A basal area Ihe area of the cross section of a tree s stem at 4 Y2feet above ground or breast height in square feet Basal area of a forest stand is the sum of the basal areas of the individual trees in the stand It is usually reported in square feet of basal area per acre and is used as a measure of stand stocking stand density and stand volume black cherry seedling count In SILVAH the count of all black cherry seedlings that are at least 2 inches tall with two normal size leaves Stems greater than 1 foot tall are counted as two stems board foot volume Ihe amount of wood products expressed as the number of boards 1 foot wide by 1 foot long and 1 inch t
178. ure SILVAH projects growth in 5 year increments A cycle represents one 5 year increment Reports will be generated at the end of each 5 year increment Final results Report on final stand characteristics at the end of a simulation period Current Rx Report on the details of a treatment prescribed for the initial current stand Future Rx Report on the details of a treatment prescribed at the end of each 5 year increment within a simulation period Standard Reports For your convenience a set of standard reports can be selected under each scenario In most cases standard reports will be satisfactory in providing all of the information you need for analyzing your stands 1 Click the Standard reports button if you want to select the standard reports in every scenario 2 To select standard reports only for a single scenario right click once in the header cell at the top of the scenario column Click Standard reports 56 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription Short Reports For the Initial stand Every cycle and Final results scenarios a reduced set of standard reports can be selected known as short reports 1 To select short reports right click once in the header cell at the top of the scenario column Click Short reports Clearing Report Selections 1 Click the Clear selections button if you want to wipe out all report selections quickly 2 If you want to clear the selections only for a si
179. us stages of decay Often found under conifer dominated areas or under ericaceous shrubs thinning A silvicultural treatment made to reduce stand density of trees primarily to improve growth enhance forest health or to recover potential mortality In SILVAH may also be used to enhance acorn production timber stand improvement A silvicultural treatment applied to age classes of trees when they reach crown closure in group openings group selection or stands even aged systems prior to achieving merchantable sizes SILVAH recommends that these prescriptions only be applied when they are required to ensure persistence of desired species topographic position An indication of the relative position of a stand within the terrain position on slope See Appendix A tree grading procedure In the SILVAH inventory settings this specifies how trees were graded the stand If you prefer to get accurate volumes without grading all of the trees select culls and large pulp and record grades only trees that are cull grade 8 or large sawtimber size trees that only have pulpwood volume grade 6 uneven aged stand A stand with trees in three or more distinct age classes either intermixed or in small groups growing on a uniform site These stands generally contain trees of many sizes seedling through sawtimber due to the range in age as well as differences in growth rate among species User s Guide to SILVAH Glossary 117 uneven aged
180. ve older reports files consider archiving them so that multiple versions can be identified in the future Report output can be opened readily in Notepad You can copy portions of the output into other word processors as desired In the reports file prn reports will appear in a predetermined order regardless of the manner in which they were selected If you have selected reports over the course of simulation the same order will be followed at each time step Each report is uniquely identified with an underlined uppercase title Below the report title is the date and name of the source data file sil At the top of the file first page only SILVAH outputs a header that identifies the stand name forest type acres and so on Some of the values in SILVAH reports have definitions specific to SILVAH and are based on research To better understand these definitions see Marquis et al 1992 and Brose et al 2008 User s Guide to SILVAH Chapter 5 Analysis and Prescription 53 Report Descriptions There are nine categories of SILVAH reports Categories are highlighted in bold to help you distinguish them Some categories contain only one report in which case the highlighted category is the report Use the following descriptions to learn about each report offered in SILVAH Cruise Information This is a report that describes the inventory settings and sampling statistics for the stand Information on overstory sampling error includes th
181. y toothed margins sometimes shallow to irregularly toothed Reproduction biennial Flowers in April to May of second year At tip of stem tight clusters of small white four petaled flowers single flower is approximately inch wide Flowering progresses up the stem as older flowers bear seeds below Seeds form in late spring of second year Four sided slender capsule pod 1 to 5 inches long resembling a branch of the main stem Green then ripening to tan and becoming papery exploding to expel tiny black seeds Plant dies after producing seed Plant Ecology Shade tolerant Found under forest canopies and at forest margins and openings also in floodplains Reported to be associated with calcareous soils and intolerant of acidic substrates Seed pods burst and can expel seeds up to 10 feet Rodents birds and deer may disperse seeds People distribute seeds on boots pant cuffs and by roadside mowing and on cars May lie dormant for 2 to 6 years before germinating in spring Experiences year to year variations in population densities Allelopathic emitting chemicals that kill surrounding plants and microbes May occur as isolated plants expanding to form extensive colonies Response to Management Large densities of garlic mustard will outcompete and displace native wildflowers and tree seedlings Disturbed forest and riparian communities are most susceptible to garlic mustard invasion and may dominate the herb st
182. your data However there are additional ways to enter a species according to any of several possible species identifiers shown below This may be advantageous if you remember one identifier but not the one that belongs to the set of codes you have specified on the Inventory Settings tab For example if you have chosen the Mnemonic species code and you enter 318 the FIA code for sugar maple the program will recognize the species and display SM in the species field because SM is the mnemonic code If you could not remember either of these codes you could try entering the common name such as sugar maple and the program would display SM The code SM would be stored in the data file sil Types of species codes FIA The original U S Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis FIA codes A three digit numeric code that was formerly used throughout the United States Almost exclusively used for woody species only USDA Plants Symbol This is a relatively new identifier that replaced the FIA codes It is the first two letters of the genus and the first two letters of the species followed by a number if there are other plants that have similar genus and species abbreviations You cannot change this code because it is maintained in the PLANTS database developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for every species found in North America native or exotic SILVAH will readily interpret these c
183. ype 12mnemonic 2 user defined local 3 forest survey FIA 4 5 N Diameter any value from 1 40 inches decimals not used 6 N Quality see Appendix A 7 12 N Height in 8 foot bolts or count of observations of same species and diameter 13 N Grade see Appendix A 14 N Percent defect whole number from 0 9 representing nearest 10 percent i e 9290 percent and so on 15 N Crown condition see Appendix A 16 N Wildlife code see Appendix A A in the species column indicates the end of the overstory data This trailer record will appear in the file even if there is no overstory data Following the overstory data is the off plot nonnative invasive species data Table 5 plot based observations are recorded in the extended regeneration data described above It consists of a series of repeating records with each record corresponding to one of the species identified as exotic in the plant species module Table 5 Off plot nonnative species block Line Columns Description 27 1 3 A Species code species code recorded will correspond to species code type see above 4 5 Species present within stand 0 1 yes 6 7 N Species present near or adjacent to stand O no 1 yes A in the species column indicates the end of the off plot nonnative species data This trailer record will appear in the file even if there is no data on invasive species Appendix A Codes and Input Definitions Aquatic Features These are th

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