SFM in Practice - PractiSFM
F. Barrett, M. Nieuwenhuis and M.J. Somers
School of Biological and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Ireland.
e-mail: frank.barrett@ucd.ie
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Extended Abstract
A timber-centric approach to forest inventory has been the norm in Ireland. However, since
2000 private forest owners and managers are required to evaluate forests for sustainability
through the quantification and qualification of multiple resources. Such requirements place
additional demands for data collection methods beyond the traditional, timber orientated
forest inventory. This paper describes the application of the stand level multi-resource forest
components of the PractiSFM (Practical Sustainable Forest Management) system,
developed in accordance with the criteria and indicators identified in the Irish National Forest
Standard (INFS).
Inventory systems for assessing and monitoring indicators of Sustainable Forest
Management (SFM) are well established in countries with historically large forest areas such
as the US, Canada and Scandinavia (Omule et al., 1996; Zjheng, 1997; Scott et al., 1999).
These inventory systems seek to create a more holistic picture of the forest ecosystem,
establish a sound knowledge base upon which to make more informed forest planning and
management decisions and evaluate the movement towards or away from SFM.
While national forest inventory and monitoring initiatives have been ongoing in Ireland for a
number of years, several authors have drawn attention to the problems of the currency,
reliability, and correctness of the data gathered (Anon, 1996; Gallagher and O'Carroll, 2001).
These problems are particularly acute with regard to the needs of private woodland owners
and managers in the assessment and monitoring of SFM. One of the main objectives of the
PractiSFM project, initiated in 2001, is to develop a standard set of procedures for observing,
assessing and recording multi-resource forest inventory data at a stand-level scale.
Research to develop, apply and test the multi-resource inventory component of PractiSFM
took place in a 530 ha estate which incorporates the full range of environmental, physical
and social complexities that can be encountered in forests in Ireland. A further eight forest
sites throughout Ireland were chosen for assessment using the newly developed inventory
protocol in cooperation with a number of forest management companies.
The PractiSFM inventory protocol was developed with reference to the Criteria and
Indicators (C&I) and local measures of sustainable forest management as identified in the
INFS. The initial field work was carried out with a Irish forest management consultancy to
ensure a practical, relevant and user-friendly focus for the multi-resource inventory. To allow
the successful implementation of the multi-resource inventory a set of screening criteria were
adopted to ensure that the assessment procedures should (1) complement and be
compatible with existing inventory practice; (2) result in minimum extra demand on limited
financial resources; (3) have a high level of user-friendliness; and (4) yield relevant,
replicable and credible data.
The methods used to develop four components of the PractiSFM multi-resource inventory assessment of tree and forest health, assessment and evidence of wildlife activity,
estimation of deadwood volume and assessment of landscape sensitivity - are presented as
examples of the processes used in the protocol development.
Following a review and field trial of a number of tree and forest health assessment
methodologies, a three-level rating (good, moderate or poor) for stand health was adopted.
This permitted rapid visual evaluation of stand health to be made in the field. The tree health
rating system is based on visual symptoms of tree stress (e.g. needle/leaf defoliation) and
disease (e.g. signs of cankers or leaf rust). The visual symptoms are described, causal
agent(s) noted and the distribution of the affected area in the stand recorded.
Numerous methods for fauna inventories have been published. For example, Pendergast
(2002) notes that some thirty-nine methods have been published by the Resource Inventory
Committee in Canada alone. However, it was concluded from an early stage that complete
surveys of wildlife populations are beyond the scope of PractiSFM. A protocol was adopted
whereby evidence of activity was described and where possible the species named. While
the reliability of presence/absence data is highly dependant on species’ habitats, this
approach is very effective for species that vocalise during breeding season and species with
distinctive signs such as tracks, faeces, fraying or denning (Pendergast, 2002). Deer are one
of the most important mammals in Irish forestry. They increase biodiversity, provide revenue
from hunting activity, but also have the potential to damage forest and conservation habitats,
biodiversity, persons and property (Coad, 2004; Rooney, 2004). A deer habitat rating system
was developed based on available literature and expert knowledge. Conifer and broadleaf
age strata are assigned scores for food and cover ratings based on suitability for deer. In
future, habitat rating indices can be developed and integrated into PractiSFM for a range of
species, as detailed information on habitat requirements becomes available.
The line intersect method for estimating dead wood volume was first described by Warren
and Olsen (1964) and has subsequently been quite widely used (e.g. Kirby et al., 1998;
Mountford, 2002). The line-intersect method was used quantify stand deadwood volumes at
the initial test site, but was found to be time consuming and impractical at the stand level. In
order to reduce time, a flexible scale that could be implemented visually was devised.
Deadwood quantity is scaled at 0 for 0 m3/ha, 1 for less than 30 m3/ha, 2 for 30-150 m3/ha
and 3 for greater than 150 m3/ha. The scale is based on deadwood volumes detected in
plantation forests in Britain (Humphrey and Peace, 2003). Estimates of the number of
standing dead trees or snags are generated from data recorded during the timber inventory.
In order to assess the changes in deadwood over time and to determine the effects of
specific thinning or harvesting treatments at stand level, a decay rate function for deadwood,
developed by Eriksson and Lindhagen (2001) for Swedish forests was utilised.
For the PractiSFM multi-resource inventory, it was determined that assessment of landscape
sensitivity should be easily implemented without a need for specialised GIS or landscape
visualisation software. Using expert knowledge, a three-point sensitivity scale was tested
and later adopted for classifying stands into far-view or external visual sensitivity and withinstand or internal visual sensitivity. Factors including within-stand access, within-stand
visibility, presence or open spaces and diversity of tree species were considered in the
assessment of internal visual sensitivity. Factors including adjacent landuse, proximity to and
visibility from population centres and public roadways were included in the assessment of
external visual sensitivity.
The procedures were incorporated in a field sheet, including key information and field sheet
notes for each of the 28 components of the multi-resource inventory protocol. Subsequent
validation and testing of the methodology was carried out at the eight additional sites
selected. The multi-resource inventory was capable of accommodating the wide array of
biological, physical, cultural and social characteristics encountered in stands at the test sites
selected. The testing and validation phase of the research permitted the revision of the
protocol where inadequacies had been identified. Additions to the protocol resulting from the
testing and validation process included a methodology for the recording and mapping of
within-stand open spaces, a revision of the deadwood volume classes, a record of forest
wind-zone (Miller, 1986) and a record of any proposed statutory or non-statutory
designations within and/or adjacent to the site being assessed.
The challenge when developing a multi-resource forest inventory protocol is to prescribe
methodologies that achieve a balance between being practical and cost-effective, while
producing credible and useful data for SFM. The protocol adopted for PractiSFM achieves
this balance. Experience in the field showed that the PractiSFM methodologies complement
the traditional timber inventory well. Productivity was found to range from 0.6 to 8.2 ha/hr.
The time required to carry out the PractiSFM multi-resource inventory varied according to the
physical complexity of the different sites, the age and type of tree species present, and the
amount of mapping and other physical and environmental data already available.
Multi-resource forest inventory and forest management planning require close integration if
sustainable forest management is to be achieved. To this end the PractiSFM Decision
Support System (DSS) was developed to aid in the production of tactical sustainable forest
management plans for 10 year planning periods (Barrett and Nieuwenhuis, 2003). The data
collection and data processing stages of the PractiSFM System, comprising the multiresource inventory and decision support components are illustrated Figure 1.
Figure 1
The PractiSFM System: Multi-resource Inventory and Decision Support
System (DSS) Components.
The PractiSFM multi-resource inventory protocol assumes basic competencies in the areas
of traditional forest inventory on the part of the assessor. Thus, training will be required by
non-experts such as forest owners in the areas of timber inventory (e.g. dbh, height
measurement) and basic statistical concepts (e.g. stratified random sampling, number of
plots vs. crop variability, plot layout/measurement etc.) in order to implement the procedures
successfully. The PractiSFM fieldsheet has been designed to include adequate descriptive
notes of the procedures involved in recording each of the non-timber inventory variables.
Additional documentation, including an explanation and description of the process involved
in the development of the inventory protocol and an instruction manual for the PractiSFM
DSS have been produced as background and training material. Development of
photographic keys to facilitate the classification and identification of variables described in
the field sheet is planned for the stand health, wildlife activity, deadwood volume, natural
regeneration and landscape sensitivity components of the multi-resource inventory protocol.
This study contributes to the field of sustainable forestry by offering a practical, user focused
approach to stand-level, multi-resource inventory and management planning. The PractiSFM
multi-resource inventory provides flexible, efficient and cost effective methods for the
collection of data, without the need for highly specialised knowledge while requiring only
limited training. The multi-resource methods have been field-tested on a wide variety of
forest types and these tests have resulted in a number of modifications. There will still be a
need for further refinements, but the protocol is flexible, allowing the incorporation of new
research findings. Future work on the PractiSFM DSS will focus on the analysis of changes
occurring in the forest over successive inventories, to assess the impact of particular
management regimes on the overall sustainability of the forest resource, while also targeting
the integration of the PractiSFM multi-resource inventory and the Decision Support System
into an adaptive management framework.
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