Estimating the Fisher Resting Habitat Suitability Index Using FVS
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Estimating the Fisher Resting Habitat Suitability Index Using FVS Chad Keyser Gary Dixon Forest Vegetation Simulator Group Forest Management Service Center Forest Vegetation Simulator Group provides national support for forest growth and yield forecasting by developing, maintaining, and providing technical support for the Forest Vegetation Simulator software suite. Objectives/Mission Supply FVS system software and documentation Develop, maintain and enhance FVS variants Provide training and hotline support Assist with FVSrelated analyses. National map of 22 FVS variants. Each variant is calibrated to a specific geographic area. Some variants may have additional pest and fuel and fire extensions. Objectives/Mission Support links to other corporate software Provide statistical / biometrics analysis support Provide for technology transfer FVS Outputs Fisher Resting Habitat Suitability Index Based on work by Zielinski, Truex, Dunk, and Gaman Only applicable to Sierra Nevada of CA (primarily southern Sierra) GAM model or parametric version Parametric version is adaptable to FVS Fisher (Martes pennanti) Independent Variables Largest tree dbh Basal area of small trees ( <51cm) Slope Avg dbh of all hardwoods Canopy cover (P,D,C)* DBH largest conifer snag* Fisher at rest Canopy Cover Predominants, Dominants, Codominants Exclude trees with dbh < 1” Exclude trees with Crown Ratio < 31% Estimated using all trees with a total height > 50% of the height of the 90th percentile tree in the height distribution Canopy Cover Why not input crown position so canopy cover could be calculated for predominants, dominants and codominants more precisely? How do you model change in crown position over time and with management? How do you assign crown position to newly established trees? DBH largest conifer snag Snags tracked by the Fire and Fuels Extension (FFE) Uses 18 2” dbh classes up to 36” 19th class is 36+” dbh Any class gets split into 2 classes if the difference in tree heights > 20 feet Variable is estimated using average diameter of all snags in the largest class Estimating the index FFE event monitor variable (FISHERIN) Activate FFE using the FMIN keyword Use an event monitor sequence to compute and output the Fisher Index Before thinning or after thinning FMIN END COMPUTE BFI = FISHERIN END 0 Results and Examples Five sample FIA plots Variety of stand conditions Range of Fisher Resting Habitat Suitability Index values How did we do? Plot 5534 Single story 73% canyon live oak; 18% ponderosa pine; 9% black oak; 1% white fir 1 33” dead sugar pine tpa 597; ba 157; qmd 6.9”; top ht 52’ How did we do? Plot 5630 Single story 92% interior live oak; 8% blue oak 1 25” dead blue oak tpa 72; ba 35; qmd 9.4”; top ht 24’ How did we do? Plot 6312 Single story 98% black oak; 2% incense-cedar Large dead ponderosa pine and incense-cedar Smaller dead black oak tpa 706; ba 25; qmd 2.5”; top ht 26’ How did we do? Plot 6786 Multi story 46% white fir; 45% black oak; 8% sugar pine; 1% incense-cedar large dead white fir Smaller dead black oak tpa 93; ba 257; qmd 22.5”; top ht 102’ How did we do? Plot 8994 Multi story 98% black oak; 2% incense cedar; <1% ponderosa pine Medium sized dead black oak & incense-cedar tpa 1102; ba 149; qmd 5.0”; top ht 58’ How did we do? How did we do? Plot 8994 under Management No Action Maintain as a black oak stand; thin to BA 80 in year 2038; let black oak regenerate naturally Conversion to a ponderosa pine stand; cut all black oak now, control black oak sprouting, plant to ponderosa pine What is the effect of these management alternatives on the Fisher Resting Habitat Suitability Index? How did we do? Conclusions FVS can be used to assess the impact of management alternatives, or disturbances such as fire, on the Fisher Resting Habitat Suitability Index FRHSI values, while not exact, at least give an adequate indication for differentiating resting habitat suitability for the Fisher The feature is currently available in all California variants of FVS Conclusions Other FIA-based predictive wildlife models are under development: FRHSI for northwestern CA Northern goshawk models Other FIA-based models are completed: Terrestrial mollusks Salamanders California spotted owl The FRHSI is simply the first model of many to be implemented in FVS. Questions? Forest Management Service Center 2150 Centre Ave., Bldg A, Ste 341a Fort Collins, CO 80526 WWW.FS.FED.US/FMSC FVS Hotline: (970) 295-5770 Gary Dixon Erin Smith-Mateja Robert Havis Don Vandendriesche Stephanie Rebain Chad Keyser
