Whole stand growth and yield models for major forest types in the Upper Great Lakes Region

Abstract

A system of models for forest growth and yield estimation for sixteen forest types common to the Upper Great Lakes region is presented. The system is novel in its use of representatively sampled and remeasured forest inventory plot data for modeling growth, and in its explicit incorporation of regular and irregular mortality. Component projection models are explicitly formulated with reference to stand age, site index and relative density. Models for predicting number of trees, quadratic mean diameter, relative density, and basal area are linked to build an expectation for basal area development from fundamental tree-based observations and relationships. Further, system projections are produced in terms of the above variables, and for timber volumes, with options for estimating biomass and carbon. The system of models was developed from USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program data for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. We designated this formulation the Great Lakes Forest Projection System (GLFPS). ... The GLFPS is intended for projecting future forest conditions including growth and yield on a local to region-wide basis assuming the kinds and levels of management and disturbance inherent in the data. User instructions, assumptions in usage, consistency of estimates, procedures for handling mixed species stands, and other considerations in modeling and applications are also discussed. The system is publicly available on-line in an Excel spreadsheet format. As such, it is highly customizable.