United States

Department

of Agriculture

Forest Service

Rocky Mountain

Research Station

General Technical

Report RMRS-GTR-49

April 2000

Forest Insect and Disease

Tally System (FINDIT)

User Manual

Barbara J. Bentz
Rocky Mountain Research Station

324 25th Street

Ogden, UT 84401

Abstract

Bentz, Barbara J. 2000. Forest insect and disease tally system (FINDIT) user manual. Gen. Tech. Rep.

RMRS-GTR-49. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research

Station. 12 p.

FINDIT, the Forest Insect and Disease Tally System, is an easy-to-use tool for analyzing insect and

disease population information taken during stand surveys. Incidence of insects, pathogens, and other

biotic and abiotic influences on forest ecosystems are summarized using traditional mensurational

measurements. Information is summarized by diameter class, tree species, influencing agent, and for the

entire stand. Several insect and disease hazard rating systems are also included. FINDIT version 1.2 runs

within the Windows platform.

Keywords: computer program, bark beetle, stand survey analysis, pathogen, defoliator, dwarf mistletoe

The Author

Barbara J. Bentz is a Research Entomologist and Project

Leader of the Rocky Mountain Research Station project

Disturbance Ecology in the Interior West: Bark Beetle

Disturbance in Conifer Forests, and Assistant Professor

in the Forest Resources Department at Utah State University. Dr. Bentz received a Ph.D. degree in entomology

from Virginia Tech, an M.S. degree in forest resources

from the University of Idaho, and a B.S. degree in forestry

from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Acknowledgments

Dawn Hansen (former Entomologist, Forest Health

Protection, Ogden, UT) provided continual feedback on

the program during development, as well as review of the

manual. Jim Long and David Chojnacky reviewed the

mensuration equations used in the program. Shirley

Waters supplied volume equations. Leslie Brown and

Manish Chandra assisted with programming. Forest

Health Protection in Regions 3 and 4 provided startup

funds to initiate the program, and the Forest Health

Technology Enterprise Team provided funds to develop

the Windows graphical user interface (GUI). David

Graham (INTECS International, Fort Collins, CO) developed the GUI for FINDIT version 1.2.

Contents

Page

Introduction and Use ...................................................1

Getting Started .........................................................1

System Requirements .......................................... 1

Installation ............................................................1

Running FINDIT (ver 1.2) .....................................1

Data.............................................................................2

Data Input ................................................................2

Data Analysis ...........................................................2

Trees Per Acre and Basal Area ............................3

Quadratic Mean Diameter ....................................3

Stand Density Index .............................................3

Live Age ................................................................3

Crown Competition Factor ....................................3

Board Foot Volume Computation .........................3

Statistical Measures .............................................4

Insect and Disease Rating Systems .....................4

Mountain Pine Beetle Loss Model ........................4

Spruce Beetle Susceptibility Rating ......................4

Douglas-fir Beetle Susceptibility Rating ................5

Average Dwarf Mistletoe Rating System ..............5

Output .........................................................................5

References ..................................................................6

Appendix .................................................................... 7

Contact Barbara Bentz for details on obtaining the FINDIT software:

e-mail: bbentz@fs.fed.us telephone: (435) 755-3577
USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000 1

Introduction and Use ____________

Indigenous insect and disease populations are important components of healthy forest ecosystems.

Outbreak phases, during which population numbers

increase nonlinearly, are often inherent components

of the natural cycle of these populations, and serve a

vital role in the regulation of many ecosystems. During the outbreak phase of population cycles, however,

and when dealing with exotic species, competition

with humans for significant economic resources is a

common issue. In areas where forest resources (including recreation, timber, and wildlife) are important

commodities and insect and disease populations exist,

managers require information that will facilitate decisions on appropriate strategies for reducing risk to

epidemic-phase populations. Additionally, for those

species that are natural disturbance agents in forest

ecosystems, managers also need the capability to accommodate and utilize insect and disease populations

in maintaining dynamic ecological systems. Both aspects are critical for forest ecosystem management

and require detailed information about insect and

disease population events.

FINDIT, the Forest Insect and Disease Tally system, is a simple tool for quick analysis of insect and

disease population information taken from stand surveys. FINDIT provides a summary of biotic and abiotic

factors that have been sampled, but it does not make

any management decisions. Decisionmaking is left to

the user, given the summary information provided by

FINDIT. FINDIT was initially patterned after INDIDS,

the Forest Insect and Disease Damage Survey system,

which was developed to help managers estimate losses

caused by various insect and disease populations

(Bousfield 1980). However, INDIDS was developed for

the Forest Service Data General (DG) computer system, which is no longer in operation. FINDIT was

developed specifically to run on the personal computer

platform, and includes modifications and enhancements not found in INDIDS. Data formats and codes

previously used in INDIDS have been modified somewhat for FINDIT. Therefore, to analyze INDIDS data

files using FINDIT, modifications to the data file are

needed.

Forest Insect and Disease Tally

System (FINDIT) User Manual

Barbara J. Bentz

Getting Started

System Requirements—

• PC compatible with a floppy drive.

• Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT 4.0.

Installation—To install FINDIT (ver 1.2), place

the disk in floppy drive A: and run Setup. The program and all necessary files will be placed in the

specified directory on the hard drive.

Running FINDIT (ver 1.2)—To begin the FINDIT

program within Windows, double click on the FINDIT

icon under Start, Programs. A Project within FINDIT

is a collection of files where each file represents survey

information for a single stand. A Project may contain

an infinite number of stand survey files. The FINDIT

program has a routine for entering data for stand

surveys. Alternatively, a stand survey file can be

created using Microsoft Excel (see appendix for instructions). Once the FINDIT program is running,

follow steps 1 through 4 to analyze stand survey(s)

information.

Step 1—Create a new FINDIT Project. Select

File→New. This will create a new FINDIT Project.

Step 2—Add stand survey files to the Project. If

stand survey files have previously been created, choose

Survey→Add (or Add Survey) to add an existing

survey file to the Project. Each stand survey file must

be added separately. There is no limit to the number of

survey files in a Project. To create a survey file using

the FINDIT data entry routine:

Step 2.1—Choose Survey→New (or New Survey button), and the Edit Survey Header dialog box

will be displayed. Enter the header information (see

appendix). Select the Next button.

Step 2.2—Add tree information for the stand

survey. The Edit Survey Entries dialog box will be

displayed. Each line in the Survey file represents a

single tree (except for regeneration, see appendix).

Enter information for a single tree and select the Add

Entry button. Continue in this fashion until all trees

within the data set have been entered. When all items

have been entered select the Next button.
2 USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000

Step 2.3—Save the survey file. The Save FINDIT

Survey dialog box will be displayed. Save the data file

in the appropriate directory.

Step 2.4—Enter additional stand survey file information. Repeat steps 2.1 through 2.3 for each additional stand survey to be included in the project.

Step 3—Save the project. Select File→Save As.

Step 4—Execute FINDIT. Choose Tools→Execute

FINDIT (or Execute FINDIT button) to run the

FINDIT program. All stand survey files within the

current project will be executed.

Output reports from each stand survey file are stored

in the same directory as the survey file. Output files

have the same name as the stand survey file, but with

the extension ‘out.’ The list of data input and output

filenames for a project are saved in the directory with

the .fid extension.

To view and print the FINDIT output report after

running the program:

Step 1—Select a stand survey file from the Project

list. Click on the filename of the survey in the FINDIT

Project window. This filename will be highlighted.

Step 2—View the output report. Select View→

Report (or View Report button). A Report View

Window will appear with the results for the highlighted stand survey.

Step 3— Print the output report. Select File→Print.

Output will be sent to the default printer.

Data __________________________

FINDIT is designed to accept stand survey data

collected using fixed or variable plot methods. Please

consult a mensuration reference such as Husch and

others (1982) for information and methodology on

these survey types. Format specifications and codes

are included in the appendix.

Data Input

Each stand survey file must only contain data for a

single stand that has been sampled with a specific

number of plots. Use additional survey files to analyze

additional stands. Data may be entered using Microsoft

Excel (see appendix), a text editor such as WordPad

within Windows, or the data entry routine within

FINDIT (New Survey button). The first line of each

survey file, the header line, contains information about

the stand and survey sampling procedure. The header

line is followed by individual tree data, where each line

represents a single tree. The one exception involves

regeneration tree data. If more than one tree of a

particular species that is regeneration size exists in a

plot, replicates may be entered in columns 5 through 7

of that tree data line. There is no limit to the number

of trees or number of plots in each stand survey file.

Valid species and insect codes for the tree data are in

the appendix. Although three sets of columns are

available for entering insect and disease codes (I&D),

the first I&D code must be in the first column (25 and

26). If there is no code in the first column, FINDIT

assumes there are no other I&D codes for that particular tree. Also, the mortality causing agent (if any) must

be in the first column. In addition to the 29 predefined

insect and disease codes (appendix), the user may

define up to three additional codes (30, 31, 32) for

impacts on trees such as weather, fire, additional

insect and disease species not included in the original

codes, and other special needs such as tallying downed

and infested trees. To add a label for a user-defined

code, choose Tools→Set User Code Labels. The user

will be prompted for a label, which includes three lines

with a maximum of six characters in each line. If you

chose to not enter a custom label, the default label for

output purposes is “User Code xx.” User-defined code

30 is reserved for agents that result in death of the

tree. Trees with a 30 code are included in mortality

estimates.

Data Analysis

Survey data collected in either fixed or variable plot

design may be input into FINDIT. The type of survey

is indicated in column 1 of the header line, and the size

(basal area factor or fixed plot size) is included in

columns 7 and 8 (appendix). Calculations are based on

2 inch diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) classes:

Inches

0-2.9

3.0-4.9

5.0-6.9

7.0-8.9

9.0-10.9

11.0-12.9

13.0-14.9

15.0-16.9

17.0-18.9

≥ 19.0

All stand summary statistics are calculated using

only tree data with a d.b.h. greater than the entered

d.b.h. breakpoint (columns 14 through 16 on the header

line). The default d.b.h. breakpoint is 5.0 inches. Any

value from 0.0 to 19.0 inches may be entered as a d.b.h.

breakpoint, and only trees with a d.b.h. greater than or

equal to the d.b.h. breakpoint entered will be included

in calculations. Expansion for regeneration plots is

included by default, based on a 1⁄300 acre plot. If the

d.b.h. breakpoint value is less than 5.0, all trees in
USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000 3

classes less than the d.b.h. breakpoint class are

considered regeneration. Otherwise, all trees less than

5.0 inches d.b.h. are considered for regeneration. A “1”

entered in columns 10 through 12 of the header line

causes regeneration data to not be computed. If a

regeneration plot size other than 1⁄300 acre is desired,

the appropriate value must be entered in columns 10

through 12 of the header line. All regeneration statistics are calculated using fixed plot formulas.

Trees Per Acre and Basal Area—Total trees per

acre (TA) and basal area (BA) for trees greater than or

equal to the d.b.h. breakpoint (default = 5.0 inches

d.b.h.) are calculated as:

Fixed plot design

 

TA Number of trees

Size of plot number of plots = ×

 

BA

( . DBH

Size of plot number of plots

i=

i=n

=

×

×

∑ 0 005454 2

0

i )

Variable plot design

 

TA . DBH

Number of plots

BA number of trees

Number of plots

i i=

i=n

= ×













= ×

∑ BAF

BAF

0 005454 2

0

where

n = total number of trees

BAF = basal area factor.

Quadratic Mean Diameter—Quadratic mean diameter (QMD) is an alternative method for calculating average tree diameter, based on an expansion to an

area basis. Only trees larger than the d.b.h. breakpoint

are included in QMD calculations. QMD is calculated

for each plot, then averaged for the stand.

 

QMD

BA

TA = 0.005454

Stand Density Index— Stand density index (SDI)

is a measure of relative stand density that is independent of stand age and site quality (Reineke 1933). To

account for uneven-age distributions and age distributions that may not be normal, SDI is calculated for

each tree, then summed for the stand (Long 1995;

Long and Daniels 1990). Only live trees larger than

the d.b.h. breakpoint are included in calculations.

 

SDI DBHi = × 





 TAi 10

1 6.

where

DBHi = d.b.h. of the ith tree

TAi = trees per acre represented by the ith tree.

Live Age—If age values are included in the input

file, the arithmetic mean age of each species and the

total stand are calculated as:

 

Live age =

Age

N

i

i=

i=N

0

∑

where

N = number of live trees with a recorded age.

Age is not expanded to an area basis.

Crown Competition Factor—Crown competition

factor (CCF) (Krajicek and others 1961; Wykoff and

others 1982) is a relative measure of stand density

that is based on tree diameters. Individual tree values

of CCF are an estimate of the percentage of an acre

that would be covered by the tree crown if it were open

grown. CCF for a stand is the summation of the

individual tree CCF values. A value of 100 theoretically indicates that tree crowns will just touch in an

unthinned, evenly spaced stand. CCF is estimated,

using only live trees larger than the d.b.h. breakpoint,

as:

if d.b.h. ≥10 inches:

 

CCF a DBH i i = × +× +× TA a a DBH i i ( ) 01 2

2

if d.b.h. <10 inches:

 

CCF TA b DBH i i i

b = ×+ ( ) 0 1

where

TAi = trees per acre for the ith tree

a0, a1, a2, b0, b1 are species-specific parameters.

Board Foot Volume Computation—Board foot

volume (BFV) computations are based on Kemp (1956)

for northern species and Hann and Bare (1978) for

southwestern species. Because height values are only

measured on a subsample in each plot, heights for each

tree are predicted using a linear regression based on

measured d.b.h. and height data in the stand (see

Wykoff and others 1982 for parameter values). For

tree species in the Northern (1) and Rocky Mountain

Regions (2 and 4) (Douglas-fir, grand fir, subalpine fir,

white fir, larch, alpine larch, Englemann spruce, blue

spruce, bristlecone pine, limber pine, whitebark pine,

western white pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine,
4 USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000

western red cedar, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, birch, ash, cottonwood, aspen), BVF is computed

to an 8 inch top, assuming a 7 inch minimum d.b.h. and

an unforked tree. For species found in the Southwestern Region (3) (Douglas-fir, Corkbark fir, southwestern white pine, Englemann spruce, ponderosa pine,

aspen, white fir), BFV is computed to a 6 inch top,

assuming an unforked tree. Region code entered on

the header line of each stand survey file is used to

determine volume equations to be used. Volume equations for Apache pine, juniper, Chihuahua pine, Arizona pine, and pinyon are not included.

Northern species

 

BFV X b TA ii i = × a − ×

 where

BFVi = Scribner Board Foot Volume for tree i

Xi = d.b.h.2 x height for tree i

a, b = species-specific parameters

TAi = trees per acre for tree i.

Southwestern species

 

BFV BFV R TA i I S

I

= ×× i

where

BFVi = Scribner board foot volume for tree i

BFVI = international board foot volume

RS⁄

I

= ratio of actual gross Scribner BFV to

International BFV

TAi = trees per acre for tree i.

Statistical Measures—The standard error of the

mean (SEM) is calculated for stand and species-specific estimates of trees per acre (TA), basal area (BA),

quadratic mean diameter (QMD), and stand density

index (SDI). The standard error of the mean is inversely proportional to the square root of the number

of observations in the calculated plot mean, and is an

estimate of the variance among plots for each measure.

Insect and Disease Rating Systems—Included

are systems used for rating stand susceptibility to the

mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae

Hopkins), the spruce beetle (D. rufipennis Kirby), the

Douglas-fir beetle (D. pseudotsugae Hopkins), and

dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.). Although all

systems have not been validated, they are currently

used to gain a better understanding of stand conditions conducive to the growth of an epidemic insect

population. The user is urged to use caution when

interpreting results.

Mountain Pine Beetle Loss Model—A model

that estimates trees per acre (TA) of lodgepole pine

(Pinus contorta) infested and killed by the mountain

pine beetle over a 10 year period is included (Cole and

McGregor 1983). Predictions of mortality from this

model were found to be within about 25 percent of the

actual mortality (Cameron and others 1990). Output

includes TA killed by diameter class for each year. If no

infested trees are currently in the stand, a default

percentage of trees in each d.b.h. class are assumed

infested and used to initiate the model run (Cole and

McGregor 1983). Beetle-induced mortality on a yearly

basis is a function of the number of green trees (≥5.0

inches d.b.h.) available for infestation, and the number of trees infested the previous year in each diameter

class. Q, the probability of a tree in a particular

diameter class not being infested, was estimated by

Cole and McGregor using data from a mountain pine

beetle infestation in lodgepole pine in Yellowstone

National Park. This model assumes that beetles emerging from trees in a particular diameter class only

attack trees in that same diameter class. Model output

is only printed if there are live lodgepole pine trees in

the stand. Because parameter values were originally

developed for lodgepole pine, this system is not valid

for use with mountain pine beetle in ponderosa pine

(P. ponderosa).

d.b.h. class Default infestation Q

inches percent

0-2.9 0.000 1.00

3-4.9 .000 1.00

5-6.9 .0038 .9937

7-8.9 .0128 .9820

9-10.9 .0206 .9650

11-12.9 .0353 .9090

13-14.9 .0500 .7430

15-16.9 .1429 .3090

17-18.9 .1500 .2850

≥19 .1500 .2850

 

Mortality GreenTA Q Mortality t t +1 = × ( ) 1− exp log ( ) ×

where

Mortalityt = TA infested in the stand at time t

Q = diameter class dependent coefficient.

Spruce Beetle Susceptibility Rating—Schmid

and Frye (1976) developed a system for rating the

susceptibility of spruce stands to population outbreaks

of the spruce beetle. This system has not been officially

validated, so the user is urged to use caution when

interpreting these susceptibility rating results. Although this system has not been officially validated, it

is often used to gain a better understanding of specific

stand conditions that are conducive to a spruce beetle

population outbreak. Four stand factors are used:

1. Arithmetic average diameter of live spruce in the

stand that are greater than 10.0 inches d.b.h.

2. Basal area (BA) of the live stand.
USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000 5

3. Proportion of live spruce basal area in the stand.

4. Physiographic location of the stand.

If live spruce are present in the stand (with d.b.h. ≥10

inches) a rating is calculated using factors 1 through 3.

The user is urged to include the physiographic location

of the stand (information that is not part of the input

data file) to calculate a total stand rating. Results are

printed only if there are live spruce trees in the stand.

Douglas-fir Beetle Susceptibility Rating—

Weatherby and Their (1993) developed a rating system for the Douglas-fir beetle based on information

from Furniss and others (1981) (also see Steel and

others 1996). This system provides an indication of

stand susceptibility. Although this system was validated on the Boise National Forest, the user is urged

to use caution in interpreting results, especially when

data from areas other than the Boise National Forest

are applied. The system is based on:

1. Stand basal area of all live trees (≥5.0 inches

d.b.h.).

2. Proportion of the stand basal area comprised of

live Douglas-fir trees.

3. Average age of Douglas-fir in the stand based on

at least two site trees per plot (≥5.0 inches d.b.h.).

4. Arithmetic average diameter of all Douglas-fir ≥9

inches d.b.h.

Values for each attribute are assigned a class, and a

rating value of Low, Moderate or High is then calculated based on the summation of values within a class.

This table is only printed if the stand data contains live

Douglas-fir trees with a d.b.h. ≥9 inches.

Average Dwarf Mistletoe Rating System—

When codes are included for the six-class dwarf mistletoe rating system (Hawksworth 1977), an average

dwarf mistletoe rating (DMR) for the stand is calculated by host species. Although a DMR is typically

recorded only for live trees, trees currently infested

with bark beetles, for example, could also be rated for

dwarf mistletoe in the field. Therefore, because FINDIT

considers bark beetle infested trees as dead, DMRs are

categorized by both live and dead trees. The stand

DMR (of live and/or dead trees) is calculated for each

species as:

 

DMR

rating

N

i

i

i N

= =

=

∑0

where

ratingi = Hawksworth (1977) mistletoe rating for

tree i

N = number of trees in stand with a Hawksworth rating.

Output ________________________

Program output consists of four general sections: (1)

stand-level, (2) species-specific, (3) regeneration, and

(4) insect and disease rating systems. Stand-level

information is printed for each input file, while the

three other sections are only printed if the appropriate

data is contained in the input file. The stand-level

section includes summary statistics, by species and

d.b.h. class, for the entire stand. TA, BA, BFV, and

QMD are calculated by species for all trees (≥d.b.h.

breakpoint) in the data set, including both live and

dead. Only green living trees are included in calculations for Live QMD, Live SDI, Live BFV, Live TA, Live

BA, Live Age (N), Stand CCF and percent of Stand BA,

and percent of Stand TA. Only dead trees are included

in calculations for Dead TA and Dead BA. Dead tree

calculations include trees with I&D Codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8,

9, 14, 16, 18, 28, or 30. Trees with the remaining codes

are included in live tree calculations.

In the second output section, a separate table is

developed for each species. If at least one tree in a

particular species has an I&D code other than 0, a

table is printed for that species. Each table consists of

a column for each I&D code recorded for trees of that

species. Within each column, TA and BA by d.b.h. class

are calculated. Total TA, BA, and QMD are also

calculated for each I&D code. Output for a particular

I&D code is only printed if it is found in the data. If no

trees in the survey have an I&D code recorded, no

species-specific tables will be printed. Dwarf mistletoe

ratings (DMR) on both live and dead trees are output

for each species with at least one tree coded for dwarf

mistletoe.

Where a single tree has more than one I&D code

recorded, that tree will be included in calculations for

each code. In this manner, all trees affected by a

particular insect or disease population will be included in the Total TA, BA, and QMD for each code.

However, when totals are calculated for the entire

species, each tree is included only once. Therefore, in

cases where more than one I&D code is recorded for at

least one tree, adding column totals will not sum to the

Total for that species.

A table of regeneration information is printed next

if the appropriate data is found in the input file.

Regeneration data consists of all trees with a d.b.h.

less than the assigned d.b.h. breakpoint (header line,

columns 14 through 16). Columns 10 through 12 of the

header line must also have a value other than ‘1,’

which represents the size of the regeneration plot (e.g.,

300 for 1⁄300 acre) (see appendix). A value of ‘1’ in this

column results in no regeneration information in the

output file.
6 USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000

Rating system results for D. ponderosae, D. rufipennis, and D. pseudotsugae are only printed if live trees

of the respective hosts (lodgepole pine, Englemann

spruce, and Douglas-fir) are found within the input

file. Otherwise, a table of results is not printed.

References _____________________

Bousfield, W. E. 1980. R-1 forest insect and disease damage survey

system. Rep. 3450. Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Region State and Private Forestry. 23 p.

Cameron, D. E.; Stage, A. R.; Crookston, N. L. 1990. Performance of

three mountain pine beetle damage models compared to actual

outbreak histories. Res. Pap. INT-435. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research

Station. 13 p.

Cole, W. E.; McGregor, M. D. 1983. Estimating the rate and amount

of tree loss from mountain pine beetle infestations. Res. Pap. INT318. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,

Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 22 p.

Hann, D. W.; Bare, B. B. 1978. Comprehensive tree volume equations for major species of New Mexico and Arizona: I. Results and

methodology. Res. Pap. INT-209. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range

Experiment Station. 43 p.

Hawksworth, F. G. 1977. The 6-class dwarf mistletoe rating system.

Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-48. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range

Experiment Station. 7 p.

Husch, B.; Miller, C. I.; Beers, T. W. 1982. Forest mensuration. New

York: John Wiley and Sons. 402 p.

Kemp, P. D. 1956. Region 1 volume tables for cruise computations.

Northern Region Handbook R1-2430-31. Missoula, MT: U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

Krajicek, J.; Brinkman, K.; Gingrich, S. 1961. Crown competition—

a measure of density. Forest Science. 7(1): 35-42.

Long, J. N. 1995. Using stand density index to regulate stocking in

uneven-aged stands. Uneven-aged management: opportunities,

constraints and methodologies. Misc. Publ. 56. Montana Forest

and Conservation Experiment Station: 110-122.

Long, J. N.; Daniel, T. W. 1990. Assessment of growing stock in

uneven-aged stands. Western Journal of Applied Forestry. 5(3):

93-96.

Reineke, L. H. 1933. Perfecting a stand density index for even aged

forests. Journal of Agriculture Research. 46: 627-638.

Schmid, J. M.; Frye, R. H. 1976. Stand ratings for spruce beetles.

Res. Note RM-309. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 4 p.

Steele, R.; Williams, R. E.; Weatherby, J. C.; Reinhardt, E. D.;

Hoffman, J. T.; Thier, R. W. 1996. A stand hazard rating for

central Idaho forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-332. Ogden, UT: U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 61 p.

Weatherby, J. C.; Thier, R. W. 1993. A preliminary validation of a

Douglas-fir beetle hazard rating system, Mountain Home Ranger

District, Boise National Forest. Rep. R4-93-05. Boise, ID: U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Intermountain Region, Forest Pest

Management.

Wykoff, W. R.; Crookston, N. L.; Stage, A. R. 1982. User’s guide to

the stand prognosis model. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-133. Ogden, UT:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain

Forest and Range Experiment Station. 112 p.
USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000 7

Appendix ________________________________________________________

Data Input

All values must be entered in integer format (except where specified) and right justified in the appropriate

column. Each data file represents one stand.

Header (line 1)

Column Description

1 Survey type (variable plot = 1, fixed plot = 2).

3-5 Total number of plots.

7-8 Plot size (BAF or fixed size; e.g., BAF = 10 or fixed = 10 [1⁄10 acre]).

10-12 Regeneration plot size: 1 if no regeneration included, or size. Default = 300 (1⁄300 acre).

14-16 d.b.h. breakpoint. Default = 5.0 inches (enter as integer, e.g., 50).

18 Forest Service Region.

20-34 Forest name.

36-50 Stand name.

52-61 Survey date (format mm/dd/yy).

63-65 Surveyors initials.

67-80 Additional comments.

Tree data (lines 2-n)

Column Description

1-3 Plot numbera.

5-7 Number of tree replicatesb.

9-11 Species code.

13-15 d.b.h. (inches) (enter as integer).

17-19 Height (feet).

21-23 Age.

25-26 Insect and disease code.

28-29 Insect and disease code.

31-32 Insect and disease code.

a

Plot number must be smaller than or equal to the total number

of plots entered in columns 3 through 5 of the header line. b

Tree replicate entries are for regeneration data only.

Header line variables [maximum number of characters]

Survey type: Survey sample type, either fixed (2) or variable (1) [1].

Total number of plots: Total number of plots in stand survey [3].

Plot size: Size of survey plot used in sampling. Fixed plot size (e.g., 10 = 1⁄10 acre), or BAF

(e.g., 20) [2].

Regeneration plot size: Size of survey plot used in sampling regeneration. Enter 1 if no regeneration

sampled, or size of plot. Default value = 300, which represents 1⁄300 acre plot size.

Regeneration is all trees smaller in diameter than the d.b.h. breakpoint, or

smaller than 5.0 inches if the d.b.h. breakpoint entered is greater than 50 [3].

d.b.h. breakpoint: Entered in inches as an integer value (e.g., 50 represents 5.0). Any value from 0.0 to

19.0 may be entered. Only trees with a d.b.h. ≥ the entered value will be used in

calculations. The default value is 5.0. If the d.b.h. breakpoint is less than 5.0, the

entered value is also used as a breakpoint for calculations of regeneration statistics.

In this case, all trees with a d.b.h. below the breakpoint value are considered

regeneration [3].

Forest Service Region: One digit code for the Forest Service Region in which the stand is located [1].
8 USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000

Forest name: Descriptive name of forest [15].

Stand name: Descriptive name of stand [15].

Survey date: Date of field survey with format mm/dd/yy [10].

Surveyors’ initials: Initials of field crew responsible for field survey [3].

Comments: Any combination of alpha and numerical characters to describe data [13].

Tree line variables [maximum number of characters]

Plot number: Number representing the plot the tree was located in [3].

Number of tree replicates: These columns are used for regeneration data only. If several trees exist in a plot and

they are the same size and species, one line of data may be used to represent them.

Enter the number of replicates in this column. For example, if there are four

lodgepole pine seedlings with a 0.1 inch d.b.h., one line of data with a ‘001’ in

columns 13 through 15, ‘LLP’ in columns 9 through 11, and a ‘004’ in columns

5 through 7 would represent all four trees [3].

Species code: Alphabetic character abbreviation (see below) for the tree species [3].

d.b.h.: Diameter at breast height, in inches, entered as aa integer (e.g., 190 represents 19.0

 and 50 represents 5.0). [3].

Height: Height, in feet, of the tree entered as an integer (e.g., 56) [3].

Age: Age, in years, of the tree entered as an integer [3].

Insect and disease codes: Up to three codes (see below) may be included for each tree with a maximum of two

characters per code. If a tree is live and healthy with no symptoms, a 0 (the default)

is entered. If a tree is dead, the mortality causing agent must be entered as the first

code (columns 25 and 26). Other symptoms the tree may have are entered in columns

28 and 29, 31 and 32.
USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000 9

Insect and disease codes (columns 25 and 26, 28 and 29, 31 and 32), and

tree mortality status assigned to each code.

Code Description Tree status

0 Healthy tree, no damage Live

1 Unknown mortality Dead

2 Current beetle attack Dead

3 Last year’s beetle attack Dead

4 Older beetle attack Dead

5 Unsuccessful beetle attack Live

6 Current beetle strip attack Live

7 Older beetle strip attack Live

8 Current secondary beetle attack (bole only) Dead

9 Older secondary beetle attack (bole only) Dead

10 Secondary beetle strip attack (bole only) Live

11 Light defoliation (≥25 percent) Live

12 Moderate defoliation (26-50 percent) Live

13 Heavy defoliation (≥51 percent) Live

14 Defoliator mortality Dead

15 Root disease on live tree Live

16 Root disease on dead tree Dead

17 Blister rust on live tree Live

18 Blister rust on dead tree Dead

19 Mistletoe class 1 Live

20 Mistletoe class 2 Live

21 Mistletoe class 3 Live

22 Mistletoe class 4 Live

23 Mistletoe class 5 Live

24 Mistletoe class 6 Live

25 Top Kill (>1⁄3 of crown) Live

26 Bole Canker Live

27 Branch flagging (>30 percent of needles) Live

28 Decay Dead

29 Animal or environmental impact Live

30 User-defined (mortality agent) Dead

31 User-defined Live
10 USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000

32 User-defined

Live

Species codes (columns 9 through 11)

Ash ASH or GA

Aspen QA or ASP

Birch B

Cottonwood CW

Fir, Douglas DF

Fir, grand GF

Fir, red RF

Fir, subalpine, corkbark AF, SAF or CBF

Fir, white WF

Incense cedar IC

Juniper J

Larch L or WL

Larch, subalpine, alpine AL

Mountain hemlock MH

Pine, Apache AP

Pine, Arizona ARP

Pine, bristlecone BCP

Pine, Chihuahua CHP

Pine, Jeffery JP

Pine, limber PF or WLP

Pine, lodgepole LP or LPP

Pine, ponderosa PP, BJP or YP

Pine, southwestern white SWP

Pine, sugar SP

Pine, western white WP

Pine, whitebark WBP or WB

Pine, pinyon P

Spruce, blue BS

Spruce, Englemann S or ES

Western hemlock WH or H

Western redcedar C or WRC

Other hardwoods OH
USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000 11

Using Microsoft Excel to create a FINDIT stand

survey file

Each Excel spreadsheet column will represent a

FINDIT variable. For example, the “plot number”

variable of each tree data line must contain three

characters; therefore, the Excel column must be formatted as three characters. To do this, with the plot

number column of the spreadsheet highlighted (column A), click on Format→Cells→Number. Choose

“Custom,” “0,” and enter “000.” Save this entry. That

column will now be formatted to take up three characters. Repeat this for the remaining variables of the

tree data line using “000” for those variables requiring

three characters and “00” for those requiring two

characters. In the species columns, choose “Text” as

the format type. Because the species variable requires

three characters, but the text format will not allow this

length to be set, when entering the species code spaces

must be added to fill in the three characters. For

example, if a juniper tree is being entered, the field

must be entered as “J” or “J” or “J.” Likewise for

ponderosa pine “PP” or “PP” with 1 space either before

or after the PP code. All the Insect and Disease code

columns (Rows: 2 - n; Columns: G, H, I) need to have

a value entered. If there is no code for a particular tree,

enter 0. Change the cell formats of row 1 to match the

variables of the header line. Do this in the same

manner you set up the column formats above, but do it

for each individual cell rather than an entire column.

The forest name, stand name, and comment variables

will need to be entered as type “Text,” and the date

column will need to be set as a “Date” format. For

FINDIT to be able to read the file, you must save it as

a Text (Tab delimited *.txt) file. The saved survey file

can now be entered into a FINDIT project.
12 USDA Forest Service Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-49. 2000

Tree data (rows 2-n)

Excel Number of Excel Data

column characters format description

A 3 000 Plot number

B 3 000 Number of tree replicates (for regeneration only)

C 3 Text Species code

D 3 000 d.b.h. (inches)

E 3 000 Height (feet)

F 3 000 Age

G 2 00 Insect and disease code

H 2 00 Insect and disease code

I 2 00 Insect and disease code

Header (row 1)

Excel Number of Excel Data

column characters format description

A 1 0 Survey type (variable plot = 1, fixed plot = 2)

B 3 000 Total number of plots

C 2 00 Plot size (BAF or fixed size)

D 3 000 Regeneration plot size: 1 if no regeneration included,

or size. Default = 300 (1⁄300 acre)

E 3 000 d.b.h. breakpoint. Default = 50 (represents 5.0 inches)

F 1 0 Forest Service Region

G 15 Text Forest name (optional)

H 15 Text Stand name (optional)

I 10 Date Date (optional)

J 3 Text Observer initials (optional)

K 13 Text Comments (optional)
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