NED-2 Reference Guide
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United States Department of Agriculture NED-2 Reference Guide Forest Service Northern Mark J. Twery Research Station Peter D. Knopp General Technical Report NRS-86 Scott A. Thomasma Donald E. Nute Abstract This is the reference guide for NED-2, which is the latest version of NED, a forest ecosystem management decision support system. This software is part of a family of software products intended to help resource managers develop goals, assess current and future conditions, and produce sustainable management plans for forest properties. Designed for stand-alone Windows-based personal computers, NED-2 integrates a variety of forest management tools into a single environment. These tools include databases, growth and yield models, wildlife models, geographic information systems (GIS), visualization tools, and others. The software is distributed with an online help system and a user’s guide. This reference guide provides more detailed explanations of the models, equations, and rules that underlie the software. NED-2 software can be downloaded from http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/tools/ned/products/ned2/ Cover Photo Dukes Experimental Forest, Marquette, MI. Photo by Mark J. Twery, U.S. Forest Service. The Authors MARK J. TWERY is a research forester and Project Leader with the Northern Research Station in Burlington, Vermont. PETER D. KNOPP is an information technology specialist affi liated with two research units of the Northern Research Station, and is located in Delaware, Ohio. SCOTT A. THOMASMA is an information technology specialist with the Northern Research Station, and is located in Shingleton, Michigan. DONALD A. NUTE is professor emeritus, Department of Philosophy, at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Manuscript received for publication February 2011 Published by: For additional copies: U.S. FOREST SERVICE U.S. Forest Service 11 CAMPUS BLVD SUITE 200 Publications Distribution NEWTOWN SQUARE PA 19073 359 Main Road Delaware, OH 43015-8640 Fax: (740)368-0152 June 2012 Email: [email protected] Visit our homepage at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/ i Contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1 - Introduction ................................................................................................................1 About NED Software .................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2 - Guiding Principles and Concepts ..............................................................................4 Silviculture .................................................................................................................................8 Appendix A - Goal Descriptions...................................................................................................19 Timber Goals ............................................................................................................................19 Visual Goals .............................................................................................................................26 Water Goals ..............................................................................................................................38 Wildlife Goals ..........................................................................................................................47 Amphibians ........................................................................................................................49 Reptiles ..............................................................................................................................79 Birds ...................................................................................................................................99 Mammals .........................................................................................................................259 Ecology Goals ........................................................................................................................312 Wildland-Urban Fire Risk ......................................................................................................317 Appendix B - Variable Descriptions ..........................................................................................321 Plant Species Attributes ..........................................................................................................321 Species Biological Characteristics ...................................................................................321 Species Timber Characteristics ........................................................................................325 Management Unit Variables ...................................................................................................345 Stand Variables .......................................................................................................................349 Tallied Stand Variables ....................................................................................................349 Biomass Variables ............................................................................................................365 Composition and Structure and Age Variables ................................................................368 Diameter Variables and Q Factor .....................................................................................383 Mast Variables ..................................................................................................................388 Regeneration Variables ....................................................................................................390 Site Variables ...................................................................................................................391 Stocking Variables ...........................................................................................................396 Timber Volume and Value Variables ................................................................................405 Visual Quality Variables ..................................................................................................414 Cluster Variables .....................................................................................................................416 Tallied Cluster Variables ..................................................................................................416 Calculated Cluster Variables ............................................................................................418 Overstory Variables ................................................................................................................430 Tallied Overstory Plot Variables ......................................................................................430 Overstory Plot Variables ..................................................................................................434 Tallied Overstory Variables ..............................................................................................453 Overstory Variables ..........................................................................................................468 Tallied Log Variables .......................................................................................................497 Log Variables ...................................................................................................................499 ii Understory Variables ..............................................................................................................504 Tallied Understory Plot Variables ....................................................................................504 Understory Plot Variables ................................................................................................512 Tallied Understory Observation Variables .......................................................................517 Understory Observation Variables ...................................................................................522 Ground-cover Variables ..........................................................................................................540 Tallied Ground-cover Plot Variables ................................................................................540 Ground-cover Plot Variables ............................................................................................553 Tallied Ground-cover Obs Variables ................................................................................555 Ground-cover Obs Variables ............................................................................................560 Transect Variables ...................................................................................................................562 Tallied Transect Variables ................................................................................................562 Transect Variables ............................................................................................................564 Tallied Transect Observation Variables ...........................................................................565 Variables for Buildings in the Wildland Fire Interface ...........................................................567 Description of Building Variables ....................................................................................567