** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE OPERATIONAL TREE GROWTH MODELS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ASSUME A CONSTANT CLIMATE AND WERE DEVELOPED FOR NONSPATIAL PREDICTIONS FROM GROUND-BASED TIMBER CRUISES. TO ADDRESS THE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION NEEDS WHILE CONSIDERING THE CHANGE IN CLIMATE, WE PROPOSE A FOREST PLANNING METHOD THAT INTEGRATES TIMBER PRODUCTION SYSTEM COMPONENTS WITH PROCESS-BASED, INDIVIDUAL TREE GROWTH MODELS USING HIGH RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSING DATA. TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL, WE FOCUSED ON THREE OBJECTIVES: 1) ESTABLISH A METHODOLOGY FOR SITE SPECIFIC CALIBRATION OF THE CLIMATE SENSITIVE -INDIVIDUAL TREE MODEL ILAND USING REPEATED REMOTE SENSING OF TREES, 2) ASSESS THE COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE OF SINGLE- AND MULTI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS IN DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL TREE SILVICULTURAL PRESCRIPTIONS WHEN LINKED TO ILAND, AND 3) EXTEND ILAND TO PREDICT CROWN ARCHITECTURE AND INCREASE THE ACCURACY OF ESTIMATING NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY AMONG TREES' BIOMASS COMPARTMENTS. THE PROJECT WILL DELIVER ROBUST AND COMPUTATIONALLY EFFICIENT CALIBRATION OF ILAND AND SINGLE-OBJECTIVE SILVICULTURAL OPTIMIZATIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE STUDY SITES. FURTHERMORE, WE WILL IDENTIFY, ASSESS, AND DEVELOP COMPUTATIONALLY EFFICIENT METHODS FOR MULTI-OBJECTIVE SILVICULTURAL OPTIMIZATION AS WELL AS PREFERRED SYSTEMS SUITABLE ALGORITHMS AND ILAND CALIBRATIONS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT SUPPORTS THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PLANT HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRODUCTS (I.E., SEEKS INSIGHTS INTO AND ENCOURAGES INNOVATION IN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS) BY IDENTIFYING OPTIMAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TREE GROWTH PROCESSES AND INNOVATION IN FOREST MANAGEMENT.
$649,333FY2023National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR