# Presentation: 358858

## Condition Level Variables

- National Manual Version 1.56

## Condition Class Number

-  No change
-  Plot Center is always condition 1

## Land Use 

- Land use codes have changed
- Census water is still 91
- Some new land uses

## Forest Land Use Codes

- 01 Accessible timber land
- 02 Accessible other forest land
- 03 Inaccessible/hazardous forest land

- Deleted Forest Land Use Codes:
- Reserved timberland
- Reserved other forest land
- Separate item to record if land is reserved or not

## Agricultural Land Uses

- 10 Other agricultural land
- 11 Cropland
- 12 Pasture (improved)
- 13 Idle farmland
- 14 Orchard
- 15 Christmas tree plantation
- 16 Maintained wildlife openings

## Rangeland

- Changed to code 20

## Developed Land Uses

- 30 Other developed land
- 31 Cultural (business, residential, etc.)
- 32 Right-of-way (road, railroad, utility line)
- 33 Recreation area
- 34 Mining

## Other Non-Forest Land Uses

- 40 Other non-forest (barren land, rock)
- 41 Non-census water
- 42 Marsh
- 43 Beach

## Non-Sampled Land Uses

- 90 Other not sampled
- 91 Census water (not calculated into land base)
- 92 Denied access – land use not classfied
- 93 Hazardous – land use not classified
- 94 Area not in sample (Mexico)

## Condition Status

- First step in delineating conditions on the plot
- Accessible forest land
- Nonforest land
- Noncensus water
- Census water
- Denied access area
- Area too hazardous to visit
- Area that is not in the sample
- 9   Lost subplot/past condition data

## NEW Past Codes

- Land Use, Condition Status, Forest Type, Regeneration Status

- Use current procedures to determine the past data as if you were applying the new rules at the time of the last survey (5 years ago for SK1)

- Previous crew notes, diagrams, and photos

- Best judgement: Only differ with old data if it is OBVIOUS that it would have been different if current procedures had been applied

## OLD Land Use

- Record the current code that best matches the land use that the previous cruiser recorded

- Record the most detailed code available

- Example:  Previously most developed land uses were one code – 67 Urban and other.  Best match for a road under current system is 32, NOT Other developed – code 30

- Only change the code if it is OBVIOUS that the previous cruiser incorrectly applied past rules

## Nonforest Year

- Only record on a landcleared forest condition
- Record the year that the forest land was converted to a non-forest condition

## Similar Identified Condition Class

- Long name, but it’s actually a shortcut....

- Some conditions delineated only because they are landcleared, reverted, or procedural change

- Some may be too small to otherwise qualify as a “regular” condition

- Record the Condition Class Number of the condition that these small, broken out conditions would otherwise be “lumped” into

- Don’t need to record most of the condition level variables if there is a link to a similar condition

## Similar Identified Condition Class

- Some are large enough to stand on their own

- But are identical to another condition in every aspect except the Past Land Use

- Record the Condition Class Number of the identical condition

- Don’t need to record most of the condition level variables if there is a link to a similar condition

- Long name, but it’s actually a shortcut....

- Some conditions delineated only because they are landcleared, reverted, or procedural change

## Reserved Status

- 0	Not reserved
- Reserved
- Forest condition defining attribute
- No change in reserved land definition

- Coded separately from land use

## Owner Group

-  	US Forest Service
- 20		Other Federal
- 30		State and Local Government
- 40		Private
- Forest condition defining attribute
- Previously termed “Broad ownership category”

- Forest Industry is no longer an owner group

## Owner Class

- Specific divisions within the Owner Group
- Owner Class is NOT a condition defining attribute

## Owner Class Codes

- _US Forest Service Group_
- 11 National Forest
- 12 National Grassland
- 13 Other Forest Service

- _Private Group_
- 41 Corporate
- 42 Non-Gov’t Conservation/ Natural Resource Org
- 43 Unincorporated Partners/ Associations/ Clubs
- 44 Native American Reserve
- 45 Individual

- _Other Federal Land Group_
- 21 National Park Service
- 22 Bureau of Land Mngmt
- 23 Fish and Wildlife Service
- 24 Dept of Defense/Energy
- 25 Other Federal

- _State and Local Gov’t Group_
- 31 State
- 32 Local (County, City)
- 33 Other Non-Federal Public

## Private Owner Industrial Status

- Separated from the old private owner class code:
- Not a condition defining attribute
- 0	Land is NOT owned by industrial owner with wood processing mill
- 1	Land IS owned by industrial owner with wood processing mill

## Total Acres and Percent Forest

- No change:  Still only record on NIPF land owners

## Stand Size

- Condition defining attribute
- One major departure from previous manual:
- Conditions that are delineated based solely on Stand Size must be at least two size classes apart

- Two exceptions to this new rule:
- If another condition defining attribute (forest type, regeneration status, etc.) is used to delineate a separate condition, then consider Stand Size as an “ancillary” attribute: Record the specific size class of each condition, even if only one class apart

- Nonstocked forest (code 0) vs. stocked forest (codes 1-4) are always delineated

## Stand Size Codes

- Codes are now ordered from the small to large size classes, and sawlog sizes are broken up:

- 0	Nonstocked
- 1	Up to 4.9 inches (seedlings/saplings)
- 2	5.0-8.9 softwoods/ 5.0-10.9 hardwoods (poles)

- 3	9.0-19.9 softwoods/ 11.0-19.9 hardwoods

- 4	20.0-39.9 inches

- 5	40.0+ inches

- 6	Cover trees (western TX/OK, ignore in AR, GA)

## Regeneration Status

- Formerly called “Stand Origin”
- Condition defining attribute

- Codes are simplified:
- 		0	Natural
- 		1	Artificial

## Artificial Regeneration Species

- Record species code of artificially planted stands

## Tree Density

- Last condition defining attribute
- Still only record change in density if it’s the only reason to delineate a condition

- Code changes:
- 1	Initial density class
- 2	Density class 2 – density different than 1
- 3	Density class 3 – density different than 1 and 2

## Stand Age

- Stand Age is linked to Stand Size Class instead of Stand Structure, but procedures are basically same

- Average age of trees in predominant Stand Size Class that are not overtopped

- When no single Stand Size Class is predominant, assign weights to the age of each size class

- If all of the trees in a condition class are not suitable to be bored for age, record 998

## Stand Structure

- No change

## Disturbance

- Code up to three
- Most important to least important (use best judgement)
- Threshold: 25% of individual trees in condition
- Positive or negative effect
- Since last survey or within last 5 years on SK 1 plots
- Codes changed: 2 digits instead of 1 digit

## Disturbance Codes

- 00	None
- 10 	Insects
- Disease
- Crown and ground fire (either prescribed or natural)
- Ground fire
- Crown fire
- Animal other than the following:
- Beaver
- Porcupine
- Deer/ungulate
- 45	Domestic animal/livestock (includes grazing)

## Disturbance Codes

- Weather other than the following:
- Ice
- Wind (includes hurricane, tornado
- Flooding (weather induced)
- Drought
- Vegetation (suppression, competition, vines)
- Unknown/ not sure/ other (include a note)
- 80	Human – Any significant threshold human-caused damage not described by other Disturbance or Treatment codes

## Disturbance Year

- Record the continuously over time, record 9999
- Since last year each disturbance occurred
- If occurs survey or within last 5 years on SK 1 plots

## Treatment

- Code up to three
- Most important to least important (use best judgement)
- Since last survey or within last 5 years on SK 1 plots
- Codes changed

## Treatment Codes

- 00	None
- Other cutting
- Clearcut
- Partial harvest
- Seed-tree/shelterwood harvest (include final harvest of the seed trees; don’t record as clearcut)
- Commercial thinning
- TSI
- Site preparation
- 30 Artificial regeneration (no distinction between afforestation and reforestation)
- Natural regeneration
- 50	Other silvicultural treatment (fertilizers, herbicides, etc.)

## Treatment Year

- Record the year each treatment occurred
- Since last survey or within last 5 years on SK 1 plots

## Physiographic Class

- New codes:
- Xeric codes are grouped in the 10s
- Mesic codes are grouped in the 20s
- Hydric codes are grouped in the 30s

- Definitions are the same except the following four new classes have been broken out:
- Dry mountain tops and slopes category is split into:
- 11	Dry Tops
- 12	Dry Slopes

- Beaver and cypress ponds are broken out from the other hydric category:
- 	34	Beaver ponds
- 	35	Cypress ponds

## Operability

- No definitional change

- Codes changed:
- 0	No problems
- Seasonal access
- Mixed wet and dry
- Broken terrain
- Year-round water problems
- Slopes of 20% or more

## Water Source

- Not just permanent water– new intermittent code added
- Added swamps, bogs and marsh
- 0	None
- Intermittent
- Permanent stream/canal less than 30 feet wide
- Permanent stream/canal 30-199 feet wide
- Permanent stream/canal 200 feet wide or greater
- Permanent swamp, bog, marsh less than 4.5 acres
- Permanent swamp, bog, marsh 4.5 acres or more
- Permanent lake/pond less than 4.5 acres
- Permanent lake/pond 4.5 acres or more
- Other permanent water (includes ocean)
- Record the water source that has greatest impact

## Distance to Water Source

- Still water within 1000 feet
- No coding changes

## Site Class

- Subtle changes
- Still estimate Site Class of condition if no site trees are collected
- No required list of site tree species, only a “preferred” list
- Can record any tree species as a site tree if no preferred species are present
- Estimate Site Class if there is not a site class curve in Appendix 4 for the site tree species recorded on plot

## Fire and Grazing

- No changes
- Simple presence or absence on the condition

## Condition Level Notes

- Record any pertinent notes for each condition

## Old Condition Level Items

- Two groups of items are no longer recorded at the condition level:
- Individual site tree information is recorded at the Site Tree Level (Section 7.0)
- Slope and Aspect are now recorded at the Subplot Level (Section 4.0)

- Dot count is gone:
- No more subplot and microplot dots
- No more 5 dot minimum on the subplot
- All conditions on the plot are delineated, regardless of area the condition occupies on the subplot

## The End!