Forecaster Calculator
- In:
- 2017 Forest Growers Conference
- Report No:
- AC2017-27
- Report Date:
- October 18, 2017
- Author(s):
- Melissa Evans: Scion
Targeted Small Owner Research – Forecaster Calculator – Melissa Evans, Scion
The Forecaster Calculator is an upgraded online version of the Radiata pine and Douglas-fir calculators, which were originally designed for small forest owners. The upgrade is a combined Scion and NZFOA initiative.
The new calculators are web-based, and will be free and easily accessible to users, who will simply be required to register on-line. The ‘engine’ of the calculators is Scion’s powerful Forecaster forest management software. The calculators have been designed to be easy and quick to use, and will be an excellent decision-support tool for small forest owners.
Features of the Forecaster Calculators
Features of the new Forecaster Calculators include:
- use Forecaster’s spatial surfaces and site indices – Site Index, 300 Index and 500 Index. Users will be able to locate their own site on a map on the screen, and their site will then be correctly described in terms of the indices
- users need only basic knowledge of existing or proposed plantation; inputs of data are easy to make
- outputs are easy to interpret; available on-line or as pdfs. Outputs include e.g. log yield predictions for different regimes and analysis of different silvicultural options
- updates will happen automatically, whenever Forecaster is updated
- freely available; accessible any time on any device.
The calculators will be available via the Forest Growers Research website. They are ready for deployment, and growers will be informed as soon as they go live.
- Document:
- 27 Forecaster_Calculator_ M Evans (980.69 Kb)