• Microsoft Access 97, 2000, XP, 2003 or any other ODBC-compliant database structure is supported and may be utilized, including SQL Server databases.
• FPS design assumes a polygon-based forest inventory database structure. The number of forest polygons in one database is only limited only by the size of computer hard drive space. Typical 100,000-acre forest inventory occupies 40-Mbyte-disk space as a Microsoft Access database.
• FPS provides open-architecture database tables, queries, forms and reports for user customization as desired. The complete inventory database architecture (in Microsoft Access) is available for user customization. This customization is best provided by a Forest Biometrics Research Institute (FBRI) certified forestry consultant but may be manipulated by any Microsoft knowledgeable developer.
• All FPS defined tables may be modified with additional fields in any structural order as long as the FPS-defined column names remain intact. The user, to facilitate proprietary database management and reporting, may add any number of additional tables and/or columns to meet their own needs.
• A built-in database integrity checker automatically replaces missing tables and/or columns should an inventory database manager accidentally delete a database feature necessary to FPS

Cruise Selection

• User invoked annual cruise selection tool provides stand selection based on sampling intensity, current stratification and the number of years since the last cruise in each stand. This selection utility uses probability proportional to polygon size (pps) statistical theory against a sorted list within each stratum.

Cruise Compilation

• Using the “Flag” attribute, cruise compilation may be initiated for single stands or for unlimited numbers of stands using batch processing.
• The Cruise Compiler provides automatic batch cruise processing over multiple years in the same stand with the most recent automatically selected as reference for current status and reporting.
• Cruise designs provide an unlimited range of BAF factors, fixed plot sizes, non-tree vegetation plots, snag surveys and down woody debris transect designs.
• Cruise designs provide optional sub-sampling for height, crown, age, taper and defect. All sub samples are expanded to all trees by regression estimation from field-sampled trees.
• Regressions are compiled for each species sampled in the field cruise. Height regressions are developed first by taper profile and then over dbh to accommodate all-aged stands with wide ranges in taper classes.
• Log specifications may include cruise sampling to variable dib, length, defect, and grade. Each species may be compiled to its own merchantability specifications, log sorts and value classes.

Cruise Expansion

• The inventory forester may stratify the forest into a maximum of 200 strata based on any observable criteria. This is commonly by major species, stand size class and stand stocking level based on aerial photo classifications. These strata usually do not comprise more than 2-3 dozen classes for consistency and repeatability in application.
• The FPS Cruise Expansion routine computes (weighted by individual stand acres) averages of cruised stands for each stratum to be applied to the un-cruised stands within that stratum. Inventory foresters rarely have ample budget to field sample every stand polygon in the forest in a given year. Therefore, this cruise expansion utility provides estimates of species composition and size class distributions within each un-sampled stand polygon based on weighted-by-acres cruises from other stands within the same stratum.
• This user-invoked batch tool automatically assigns weighted stand and stocking tables to all un-sampled stands within each stratum based on available cruises in that stratum from all past years.

Habitat Classification

• User invoked tool to automatically generate forest wide stratifications in any year based upon the forest-wide combination of current cruised stands, species composition, stand size class, stand density class, site productivity, elevation, solar radiation (slope and aspect), annual precipitation and soil depth. This habitat stratification calibrates natural stand species regeneration composition based on species tolerance, abundance, site productivity, elevation, solar radiation, precipitation and soil depth. The growth model then applies this species ranking to all site-specific growth projections and silvicultural treatments across the forest land base.
• All age, size, density, productivity, solar radiation, elevation, precipitation and soil depth class intervals and ranges are user specified and remain constant for further analyses and reports until revised and updated by the forest manager.

FPS to/from GIS Linkages

• Automatic two-way linkage of all inventory processing and reporting to GIS database for visualization reporting and analysis.
• Complete control of all two-way linkages provided for ArcView, Arc 9, MapInfo GIS, Manifold GIS systems, and all other Microsoft Access compliant systems.
• User invoked tool for acreage updates and stand statistical maintenance using two-way linkages to GIS stream buffers, road installations, polygon boundary adjustments and harvest depletions.

Regional Species Libraries

• All species definitions by region for volume, taper, site curves, specific gravity, natural regeneration potential, growth rates, mortality rates, silvicultural response, shade tolerance and response to treatments are maintained in external Region/Species libraries.
• All region/species libraries are user editable using software tools, numerous dialogues and documented procedures. All of these tools and procedures are available separately from Forest Biometrics Research Institute (FBRI) to Institute members.
• All region/species libraries are reviewed, validated, and/or re-calibrated on a 3-5 year cycle and provided to FBRI members at no additional cost.
• FBRI currently maintains 16 regional libraries covering Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan with multiple local regions based on productivity, habitat, climate, and species occurrences.
• FBRI currently maintains databases for over 20,000 permanent plots and 12,000 felled trees for volume and taper to backup and validate theses Region/Species libraries. In 2004, these libraries included over 30 tree species on 10 million acres of commercial forest in the west.

Growth Model

• A maximum of 96 species may be represented per stand per growth projection.
• A maximum of 20,000 trees may be represented per stand per growth projection.
• The growth projection interval may be from one to 400 plus years in length.
• There may be a maximum of 12 individual treatments per regime. The number of regimes per stand is unlimited.
• Output reports may be for any period interval down to annually.
• Precision of nitrogen fertilization rate (nearest lb/ac)
• Precision of thinning removal (nearest 1 tree/ac)
• Kind of thinning – from below; d/D ratio; from above; min – max range; or group selection to a maximum of a 2-acre opening.
• Growth model spatial resolution is every tree on user-defined 0.25 to 2.47 acre plot.
• Specification of site preparation treatment – nearest 10%
• Specification of brush control treatment – nearest 10%
• Specification of animal control treatment - nearest 10%
• Specification of spatial tree pattern is based on continuous index of clumpiness.
• Opportunity for natural regeneration – automatically calibrated species regeneration:
  • Based on individual tree farm and habitat strata
  • Based on shade tolerance and size of individual openings in crown canopy.
  • Based on site preparation, brush control and animal control treatments.
• Merchantability available for any length and dib specification
• Board foot volume based on Scribner scale using either Columbia log scale or USFS 20-ft multiples.
• Log values assigned per stand / per regime / per species / per log sort.
• Logging cost assigned per harvesting system / per rate of removal / per log size.
• Number of logging systems allowed – unlimited.
• Cost of hauling is assigned by stand by distance to mill or sorting yard.
• Cost of silvicultural treatments are individually specified for site preparation, planting density, brush control, pest control, fertilization rate and thinning intensity.
• Cost of administrative overhead, roads and facilities may be included (optional).
• Rate of inflation, wood appreciation, discount rates are user specified.
• Stand visualizations are provided throughout each growth projection period by a direct link to the USFS
• Stand Visualization System (SVS). It may be applied for an unlimited number of projection intervals and stands. Unlike most other growth model applications of SVS, all trees maintain fixed position through time and treatments.
• Batch processing with the growth model automates unlimited numbers of stands, silvicultural regimes, treatments within regimes, species compositions, regional libraries, site productivity, operability conditions, stand densities, SVS visualizations and reports.

Harvest Scheduler

• Goal – highest sustained or targeted by period: yield, net value or net present value.
• Polygon-specific treatment regime selection and scheduling of harvest periods
• Simultaneous solution for 1 – 20 planning periods
• Each planning period may be any number of years, typically 1 to 20 years.
• Each polygon may be evaluated for unlimited number of alternative silvicultural regimes, typically 3-6 per stand but capacity is provided for any number of regimes.
• Simultaneous solution for databases of up to 20,000 individual polygons, each scheduled independently and assigned treatment regimes independently of any others.
• Optional simultaneous GIS constraints include variable circles around wildlife nesting sites (such as spotted owls, eagles, coyotes and lynx), watershed basin cover constraints, habitat late-successional characteristics, and neighbor green-up constraints. Capacity for tracking up to 100 species and 1000 individual nesting sites in simultaneous combination with all other GIS constraints of basins and neighbors.
• Number of possible silvicultural regimes in one solution (unlimited).
• Individual stands may be hard coded to invoke given regimes, harvest dates or set-asides by period.
• No other harvest scheduler provides simultaneous solution of both attribute and spatial constraints on a polygon by polygon basis for an entire tree farm in one pass.

Software Maintenance and Update
All software components and database utilities are reviewed annually. All functionality is checked annually against Microsoft platforms including Windows 98, NT, Me, 2000, XP and 2003. All FPS software runs consistently on all Microsoft platforms and versions of Access.

Technical Support
Forest Biometrics, LLC, provides all software maintenance. The Forest Biometrics Research Institute provides all species library reviews and refinements. FBRI operates as a non-profit industry-support applied research organization.

User Base in 2005
As of January 2006, over 140 forestry offices are utilizing the FPS software package to manage approximately 10,000,000 acres in six Western States and two Canadian Provinces. With assistance from Forest Biometrics and from the Forest Biometrics Research Institute, a significant number of these organizations have developed some degree of customization of the species libraries and/or database structure in the past five years. The majority of the offices using FPS are part of the large private commercial forest industry sector. FPS was first released in 1995.