Locations have been changed to protect resources.
When I worked as a forester, I gathered information via digital data files loaded onto a Trimble GeoExplorer 7x. Treatment and Silviculture Type were two of nearly 30 different datasets gathered during field reconnaissance. Slope, aspect, and habitat type species indicators were some factors weighed when determining silviculture type, which was then recorded as point data. Observations were gathered as point data approximately every 250 feet (76.2 meters). Treatment was determined by problem type, severity, and anticipated logging conditions.
Silviculture type and treatment aided in prescribed harvest determination.
GIS processing was conducted on ArcGIS Pro. During the post-reconnaissance processing, silviculture type lines were drawn based on observation point proximity, elevation, and aspect. Once these lines were finished, the project area boundary polygon was converted to a line (Polygon to Line tool), then copy + paste special into the silviculture type lines. Next, the lines were converted to polygons then cleaned up using the feature to polygon and multi-part to single part tools. Polygons were then sorted by size and slivers (polygons smaller than 0.5 acres or 0.168 hectares) were merged with an adjacent polygon.
A blank Silviculture Types Template feature class was copied in, with all fields and coded value domains preserved. Copy +paste special was used to get the blank polygons into the template, then the attributes were added manually based on point data visible on the map.
Observational point data was brought into the project as multiple separate feature classes, each with unique symbology to represent different fields. Fields represented were as follows: Overstory Species, Age Class, Size Class, Understory Species, Harvest System, Primary Problem, Secondary Problem, and Treatment.
The point feature classes and silviculture type polygons were used to determine Prescribed Harvest Polygons. The polygons were created using the same process as what was highlighted in Step 2.
These prescriptions underwent a series of interdisciplinary team tours (NEPA compliance). Over the course of the tours, some polygon boundaries were changed. Most importantly, a riparian management buffer of 100 feet (30.48 meters) was imposed, removing some harvest area acreage. The Buffer and Split tools were used to cut out the prescribed area that now fell within a buffer zone.
Clearcut with Residuals and Shelterwood (Regeneration) units were laid out using a separate .ddf on the Trimble GeoExplorer 7x. Once complete, the layouts were added to the project. To remove opportunity to overlap, the Prescribed Harvest Feature Class was converted into a feature class dataset, where topology rules could be applied. Topology rules was used to find all gaps and overlaps (especially between the predicted Regeneration unit boundaries and the actual boundaries). The Merge and Split editing tools were used to clean up errors found.
Lastly, there was a unique quirk of the project, where prescriptions needed to both reflect what was called during reconnaissance and what the interdisciplinary team agreed on. Unfortunately, prescriptions pre and post-interdisciplinary team could not be displayed on separate maps. To remedy this, a second Prescribed Harvest layer was brought in and the Erase tool was used to show areas which were originally prescribed for harvest but removed during the NEPA process.
