Previous Software Upgrades
Updates for FPS Version 6.50 Release

These updates may be downloaded by anyone, but will only work on your local computer if FPS was pre-installed from an FPS Version 6.50 CD-ROM. Do not mix these downloads with previous versions of FPS because these will overwrite those older components rendering them non-functional.

Version upgrade 6.51 (released June 18, 2006)
This update provides additional defaults for reporting options (acres net-of-roads, acres net-of-riparian, acres in riparian zones only), a correction for variable top diameter merchandising, a correction for handling non-tree vegetation growth in the Species Libraries; and, complete functionality for the FBRI-certified Regional Libraries. (This is a recommended download).

Note: See the end of this page for alternative methods of incorporating these database changes into your existing databases.

The FPS Drop-Down Menu in Access Now Includes

• Database / “Check Database Integrity”
• Compiler / “Create DibCls Stratification”
• Compiler / “Create DbhCls Stratification”
• Growth / “Build Schedule Table Periods”
• Scheduler / “Compute Wildlife Constraint Circles”
• Scheduler / “View Harvest Summary”
• Scheduler / “View Residual Summary”
• Scheduler / “View Wildlife Habitat Summary”
• Scheduler / “View Basin Habitat Summary”
• Year-end / “Delete Old Database Records”

The FPS Database Now Includes Additional Tables* and Columns

• ADMIN – Birth column: User-defined birth year for stand, overrides tree ages.
• DBHCLS – DbhCls column: Groups table statistics by user defined classes.
• DWOOD*: Down Woody Debris now reported in its own table.
• HABDENS*: Summary statistics by stand which meet minimum size and density.
• HABRULE*: Parameters for size, basin and wildlife to populate HabRule table.
• HISTORY*: Automatic additions from execution of all FPS menu utilities.
• NESTAREA*: Definitions of stands within various wildlife nesting circles.
• NESTSITE*: Number and GIS locations of all wildlife home sites.
• SCHEDULE – Val_Min: Additional constraint for minimum harvest values.
• SNAGS*: Snags now reported in their own table from cruise compilation.
• STANDCUT: Output from Harvest Scheduler defining harvest date and Regime.
• STANDRES: Output form Harvest Scheduler defining residual regime and yield.
• YLDENS*: Same statistics as HabDens table for future rotation stands.

The FPS Database now accepts any number of User-defined tables and columns. This was incorporated in an earlier version, but became limited after subsequent Microsoft updates. The cruise compiler now automatically senses all-aged versus even-aged height/dbh relationship and fits two-stage regressions to accommodate variable taper conditions. It looks for stem form trends across the range of dbh/height values in the cruise. These trends are passed into the height over dbh regression to facilitate regressions on weak samples (typically less than six height samples per species).

DBHCLS and DIBCLS tables may now be reported in user-specified size classes and ranges found in the CLASS table. Growth projections incorporate self-calibrated natural regeneration species composition with frequency and survival sensitive to all silvicultural treatments including: site-preparation, brush control, animal control, thinning, group selection and fertilization.

Silvicultural treatments now include site-preparation, brush control, animal control, planting, thinning, group selection (openings up to two acres) and fertilization. Thinning may now be defined: From Below, From Above, Cut/Leave Ratio, Spacing, Min-Max Dbh Range, or by Group Selection with a user-specified opening size.

Database summary reports automatically compute and display TPA (or hectare), average dbh, basal area, stand age, crown competition function and relative density for merchantable stand only as well as total stand. These same arrays of statistics are automatically computed for any user-specified dbh threshold to determine minimum stocking for hydrographic basin constraints, wildlife habitat and late-succession composition.

Stand age may be user-specified to default to plantation birth year instead of tree-sample bored ages.

Any menu-induced update to the FPS database causes a time-date stamped record added to the HISTORY table.

Harvest scheduling simultaneously solves any combination of clearcut, seed-tree, shelterwood thinning, group selection and individual tree selection regimes for up to six rotations in one run. Number of regimes/stand is unlimited. In spite of database and operating structure changes introduced by Microsoft Corporation, the FPS system runs on all operating systems (Win 98, ME, 2000, NT, XP, 2003). It is not subject to SandBox mode (Win 2003 system registry) or limitations on software functionality which block application of some other forestry packages and tools.

A new Year-end menu item, “Delete Old Database Records”, provides automatic cleaning of the database by removing all DbhCls, DibCls and Stand records with Rpt_Yr dates between the most recent cruise year and the current Admin table Rpt_Yr. A stand cruised in 1999 and grown each year to 2003 has redundant records in 2000, 2001 and 2002. These redundant records are removed. The database may then be compacted for a significant savings in disk space.

All Database Macro commands are now in one item, “FPSMacros”. No others are required by standard FPS utilities.

All Database Module commands are now in one item, “FPSModules”. No others are required by standard FPS utilities.

Upgrade Path

• If you are using Microsoft Access 2003, then down-grade the SandBox security to Low.
  • Open your FPS Access database and go to the Tools drop-down menu.
  • Select Macros, then Security from the menu.
  • Select Low Security. This lowers SandBox mode to a level 2 from 3.
  • SandBox mode was introduced in Windows 2003 to block Microsoft programs (Word, Excel, Access) from shelling out to other programs in case they are virus launchers. It blocks all valid third-party applications that shell out using menus. It is a solution that was not well thought out by Microsoft and will probably change over time. SandBox mode did not exist before Windows 2003.
    
    
• If your old database is standard FPS format, then import your data into a copy of the new “FpsZero.mdb” that comes with Version 6.4 or from the Forest Biometrics Web Site.
  • Make a copy of FpsZero.mdb and re-name it according to your own conventions.
  • Re-name your old database to “FpsAdd.mdb” and place it in the \Fps\Data folder.
  • Open the new database and execute “Append Another Database” under the FPS Menu bar labeled “Database”.
  • After the routine finishes, all of your old data will be loaded in the new database. It will ask if you want the background tables copied. There are new records in the CLASS table for Dbh and Dib stratifications, but SPECIES may contain merchantability specifications not like your old database specifications.
  • Run FPS Menu, “Year-End” item labeled “Compact and Repair Database”.
  • Close the database and create a WinZip archive of your new database for safety.


• If your old database has been locally customized, then import the new FPS tables, FPSModules, FPSMacros and FPS Menu into your database. The FPS Menu will not import unless you first delete the existing FPS Menu. Then run the “Database / Check Database Integrity” utility to verify and add missing tables and columns.
  • To import the FPS Menu, go to the “Get External Data”, “Import” function under the File drop-down menu.
  • Point the Import Window to the folder where the “F2kZero.mdb” database resides.
  • Select the “F2kZero.mdb” database and click “Import”. A new window will open displaying all tables, queries, forms, reports, macros and modules in that database.
  • Click the “Options” button and then check the box for “Menus and Toolbars”.
  • Click the “OK” button and the FPS Menu bar will be imported into your current database.
  • Now repeat steps (a) through (c) to copy over the following items:
    • Queries: #QDwood #QHabDens #QHistory #QLogData #QSnags #QStandCut #QStandRes #QVegCls
    • Reports: #Rpt ErrorVeg Harvest Summary Residual Inventory
    • Macros: FPS Macros (delete all others unless their your own versions)
    • Modules: FPS Modules (delete all others unless their your own versions)
  • Run FPS Menu, “Year-End” item labeled “Compact and Repair Database”.
  • Close the database and create a WinZip archive of your new database for safety.
• Use the Birth column in the ADMIN table to set a permanent total age reference year for all future output to the STAND table and all reports. Alternatively, set Birth to zero to use ages from the Cruise Compiler tree ages to determine total age in the STAND table.
• All cruise compilations, expansions, growth, scheduling now causes records to be written to the HISTORY table for tracking updates.
• The stocking information for merchantable trees (trees/acre, average diameter, basal area, stand density) are now reported in the STAND table at the end of the table. For example, all trees are displayed in the Stems column while all merchantable trees are displayed in the MStems column. The minimum merchantable specification comes from the SPECIES table, Log_Dbh column. Only trees with a Dbh greater than or equal to this threshold are considered to be merchantable and appear in the MStems summary. This can vary by individual species.
• Compile all new cruises after setting the SPECIES table specifications.
• Run the FPS Menu item, “Growth”, “Build Silvics Regimes”.
  • Select the “GROW” regime and set the Site Preparation to a reasonable percentage of success (70% perhaps), set Planted to Yes/No, set Brush control to a reasonable success (50% perhaps), and set Animal control to a reasonable success (50% perhaps). Click the “Assign Regime to Flagged Stands” button. Click the “Save Regimes” button.
  • Run the FPS Menu item, “Growth”, “Grow Stands”. Check the radio button, “Grow to:” (the text window will show the current year). Check the radio button, “Grow all Tables” to update past cruises to the current year. Check any other boxes to display reports or visualizations. Click the “Start” button to grow the flagged stands.
• Run the FPS Menu item, “Strata”, “Run Cruise Expansion on Veg_Lbl” to estimate values for all tables of stands not cruised to-date based on weighted (by acres) averages from the cruised stands within the same phototype label (Veg_Lbl).
• Run the FPS Menu item, “Strata”, “Create New Habitat Classification” in order to set up stratification parameters for ages, sites, sizes, densities and bio-geo-climatic zones for natural regeneration species selection and for all summary report writers.
• Run all “Year-end” reports of interest. Archive the database for save keeping.