DATA COLLECTION
Data collection includes collecting and manipulating GIS data layers from DNR, collecting numerous reference materials, collecting harvest and road building equipment costs and production estimates, collecting and developing silvicultural data, and conducting interviews with DNR and other specialists.
Excerpt from the FE Handbook (FE 450 web site):
"Gathering Data -- The DNR provides a large amount of data that you can use to do your analysis, but during the planning stage you have to narrow the focus down to only the information that you want to use. It is important to make sure the data you receive is usable before you spend too much time working with it. The data comes from the DNR in an Arc/Info format, and from the first day of the quarter you will be submerged in the world of GIS. Take a look at the section on Arc/Info that is included with this report for some tips on how to make life easier."
GIS COVERAGES
DNR maintains various data layers for their lands, as well as some state-wide coverages. This data must be joined or clipped, as the case may be, to the specific landscape in question (boundary layer). The following is a list of data layers that were used in the 1999 and 2000 capstone projects.
DEM (Created from 1:4800 contours)
Hydro (stream network and polygons)
Trans (Road network)
POCAL (Public Land Survey Boundary Info)
RIU (stand data)
Soils (soil inventory)
RMUALL (current and pending timber sales)
Boundary (Built by UW for clipping state-wide layers)
Ortho_s (digital ortho photos -- topographically corrected aerial photos)
PLS-PT (Public Land Survey Point Layer – statewide surveyed corner positions)
POCA (Political Boundary Lines – Section Lines)
Precip (statewide precipitation cover)
ROS (statewide rain on snow)
Storm (Coverage of precipitation during a storm)
WAU (Watershed units)
Mastertic (Tics for calibrating digitizers)
Landsat (Digital satelite images)
Unstable Slopes (DNR cover of unstable slopes)
Towns (township boundaries)
REFERENCE MATERIALS
There is a wide array of reference materials used in the project. These include such items as the Habitat Conservation Plan, Landscape Management Plan, Forest Practices Act, Watershed Analysis Information (including wildlife issues, erosion issues, and unstable slopes analysis), text books, technical documents, maps, the UW FE Handbook (available on the FE 450 website), and many other reference materials.
HARVEST AND ROAD BUILDING EQUIPMENT COSTS AND PRODUCTION ESTIMATES
Most of the work in these areas will be conducted under their own headings. They fit into the data collection section only in that cost information and production equations must be collected before they can be used for analysis.
SILVICULTURAL DATA
Necessary information includes average tree size, average log size, reasonable tail tree size, and total volume of stands. More information about this can be found in preliminary timber modeling.