CO forest management practices

Forest management actions will be defined here for later inclusion in documentation and the lc_params_co.xls file.

Afforestation

Afforestation is a special case and cannot be modeled at the same time as [Burned Area] Reforestation. I am focusing on the other forest management practices first. This management action is applied to model "Riparian Forest Restoration".

Thinning

Several different "practices" are used to specify changes in how thinning is implemented through time. The names of the practices "Thinning_current" Thinning_potential" and Thinning_maximum" correspond to the ambition scenarios, though these practices are not used exclusively in the corresponding ambition scenario.

Thinning_current ["Partial Cut" to avoid changing practice names from CALAND] — used to represent Historical and Current thinning with:

30% of live and dead standing biomass cut.
20% of cut biomass transported for energy production (including firewood)
20% of cut biomass transported to mills or other processing facilities for use as long-lived wood products
60% of cut biomass remaining on site as residue or piles of slash
25% of slash is burned
75% of slash is left to decay on site
post-treatment high_sev_frac scalar = 0.84
post-treatment med_sev_frac scalar = 1.1
post-treatment low_sev_frac scalar = 1.19

Thinning_potential ["Thinning"] — used to represent potential thinning improvements

30% of live and dead standing biomass cut.
35% of cut biomass transported for energy production (including firewood)
35% of cut biomass transported to mills or other processing facilities for use as long-lived wood products
30% of cut biomass remaining on site as residue or piles of slash
25% of slash is burned
75% of slash is left to decay on site
post-treatment high_sev_frac scalar = 0.84
post-treatment med_sev_frac scalar = 1.1
post-treatment low_sev_frac scalar = 1.19

Thinning_maximum ["Thinning_hi_slash_util"] — used to represent potential thinning improvements

30% of live and dead standing biomass cut.
50% of cut biomass transported for energy production (including firewood)
40% of cut biomass transported to mills or other processing facilities for use as long-lived wood products
10% of cut biomass remaining on site as residue or piles of slash
25% of slash is burned
75% of slash is left to decay on site
post-treatment high_sev_frac scalar = 0.84
post-treatment med_sev_frac scalar = 1.1
post-treatment low_sev_frac scalar = 1.19

Next Steps

In the future it may be worth pursuing the refinement of slash burning rate and effects on subsequent fire intensities, but that us probably out of scope now.

Prescribed Fire

Prescribed_burn

This is the sole prescribed fire practice with no changes in how the practice is implemented through time.

TNC-NMFO / NWLAND