4.2 How Does WOODLOT Work?
WOODLOT uses mathematical techniques to simulate the growth of a woodlot forest, and harvest the woodlot over time. Timber volumes are derived from natural and managed stand yield tables, and accounted for over time. The actual harvest calculation uses a series of iterations of growth and cut to arrive at an optimal harvest rate for the polygons selected in their order.
Harvest calculations are a function of:
- Yield information you have compiled from your inventory information
- The silviculture system selected for each polygon
- The harvest age selected for each polygon
- The harvest order selected for each polygon (note that stands that have not reached their harvest age or parameters will be placed in a cue until the harvest age or parameters are met, and harvested at the next opportunity in the harvest simulation.)
- The planning horizon
- Harvest parameters you set
- Constraints you place on the woodlot
Some important features in WOOLDOT are:
- The harvest calculation is a non-declining even flow (flat line) harvest rate, calculated to be sustainable over a 250 year planning horizon.
- Inventory information is loaded in manually or using a CSV (comma delimited) spreadsheet.
- Data may be exported using an exporting feature.
- Yield information is generated from Ministry of Forests yield programs, Variable Density Yield Prediction (VDYP batch version) to derive yields on natural stands, and Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY batch version) to derive yields on managed stands.
- All yield and harvest calculations are carried out on a polygon specific basis.
- Partial cutting can be approximated in the absence of widely accepted partial cut yield information.
- Forest cover constraints are used to simulate spatial and temporal resource constraints.
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