Introduction

The first step in the FRIS2FVS conversion was identifying the items in the FRIS data that would need to be brought into FVS. The complex nature of the FRIS data structure required some unique solutions to get data into FVS. Initially, it was thought that data could be brought in using expansion factors in the FRIS data. However, because the standing live and standing dead timber uses different Basal Area Factors we could not bring the data in using the expansion factors. To resolve this problem, all trees taken out of the plt.tree info files are expanded to number of trees per acre and then brought into FVS. The importance of modeling dead standing timber was not realized until after some initial runs. Modeling the standing dead timber reduced growth and stocking rates for the stands, more closely modeling site conditions.

Data Mapping

Mapping items from FRIS into FVS files required quite a bit of work. In order to minimize data error and make the process reporduceable ArcInfo AMLs were created to automate the process. View the data mapping structure here.

Files

There are three files needed for FVS to work properly; the loaction file, stand line files and fvs files. The location file basically points to the stand line file and names the areas with logical names. The location file for the Burnt Mountain planning area was constructed by hand.

The stand lines files are constructed using the AML. Each time the AML is run it produces one slf file and many fvs files. For the Burnt Mountain planning area there are two FRIS inventories, one called Deadmans and the other called Olyup, therefore we have two stand line files.

The fvs files are for each stand. In the fvs file there are records for each tree in the inventory. The AML generates the fvs files assosciated with the stand line file. Both the slf and fvs files are generated with the AML.