Forest Vegetation

Information System

by Bill Williams, Forester

National Science and Technology

Center

Background

The Forest Vegetation Information

System (FORVIS) is a system for

storage, retrieval, and analysis of

both tabular and spatial data about

forest lands. The focus of the system is the management of attribute

data about vegetation polygons and

about associated land management

events. The system provides data

management and analytical capabilities for inventorying and monitoring vegetation on forested

uplands. Using the full capability

of the system, FORVIS data:

❧ describes existing vegetation;

❧ classifies sites relative to current

condition, potential vegetation,

and site productivity;

❧ provides data to run forest

growth and forest structure

models;

❧ provides inputs to wildlife

habitat models;

❧ describes landscapes;

❧ quantifies forest products;

❧ aids developing silviculture or

forest restoration treatments; and

❧ provides a record of treatments

and disturbance events.

Discussion

An accurate map of the existing

vegetation is an essential part of the

system. The basis for data collection and storage is the forest stand

(or polygon) - a mapped unit of

existing vegetation. Each polygon is

given a unique identifier and all

data are linked to the map via the

polygon identifiers. Resource management applications depend on

the GIS for analytical and reporting capabilities which bring together FORVIS and non-vegetation

data such as legal description, elevation, land use allocations, watershed delineations, hydrography,

and ownership.

FORVIS allows broad, general vegetation descriptions where funds

for inventory are limited and where

resource value is low. It also allows

more detailed descriptions of species

attributes, forest structure, and

understory vegetation where the

resource values warrant. The system accommodates three sources or

levels of data describing vegetation.

The sources are (1) photo interpretation, (2) walkthrough survey,

and (3) plot measurements (stand

examinations). The presumption is

that data interpreted from aerial

photographs is inherently less

detailed than data derived from

measuring vegetation on sample

plots. Walkthrough data are estimated or observed while visiting the site

but lack a rigorous sampling of the

vegetation.

When plot measurements are

taken, projections of temporal

change and vegetation treatment

effects are possible using the U.S.

Forest Service’s Forest Vegetation

Simulator and Stand Visualization

System (FVS). The data are formatted and organized for direct input

to FVS. There is a table for selected

calculated (output) data elements

from FVS.

FORVIS includes data about vegetation treatments and events. The

purpose of these data is to track vegetation treatment history, treatment

needs, vegetation survey history

(including regeneration surveys)

and disturbance events (fire, wind,

insects, and disease).

FORVIS uses Informix as the

database managing software and

ArcView as the geographic information system (GIS) software. The program is menu driven. Menus offer

the options to query, add, update,

and delete items in the database.

The FORVIS extension to the

ArcView graphical user interface

provides enhancements to the standard ArcView menu bar. The

extension allows access to the full

functionality of the FORVIS program. You may edit, update, add,

and delete data from all tables

without exiting ArcView.

FORVIS enhances, integrates, and

expands the functions found in several manual and automated processes used by field offices in forest

management. Before the implementation of computers, stand examination data or stand inventories

were manually summarized and the

data stored in file cabinets. In the

past 20 years, each BLM State

organization has used some version

of an automated system, usually

referred to as a stand information

system, for processing stand examination data. Some systems were on

the BLM mainframe computer,

some were on the U.S. Forest Service mainframe computer. Some

offices developed personal computer systems. Most automated capability is no longer maintained or

was lost in the BLM Modernization move to UNIX. The FORVIS

database is a repository for the data

from the paper records or the various automated efforts of the past.

FORVIS increases automated functions for management of BLM forest

NO. 48 DATE 04/18/01

Range

Forestry
land beyond the timber emphasis

of the past.

Prior to the advent of GIS,

foresters manually maintained a

Timber Atlas with maps and

codes describing the forest in

terms useful for producing timber

products. The ArcView extension

for FORVIS provides an automated

version of the timber atlas.

A user group identified the data

requirements and functions needed.

FORVIS was prototyped at the

National Science and Technology

Center. Following the prototype

review, a beta version for the UNIX

operating system was developed.

The beta version was tested in

Montana, New Mexico, and Colorado. The user group reviewed the

beta version, made data element

changes, and requested development

of a version for the MICROSOFT

NT operating system now used by

BLM. The NT version will be

completed in fiscal year 2001.

Contact 

Bill Williams

National Science and 

Technology Center

Denver Federal Center

Building 50

P.O. Box 25047

Denver, CO, 80225-0047

phone (303) 236-0158

fax (303) 236-3508

email bill_williams@blm.gov.

Range

Resource Notes are intended to be early

announcements of technical and informational topics for

Bureau of Land Management personnel and some of their customers.

Information in this Resource Note is based on the opinion and

experience of the author and has not been peer-reviewed. Conclusions

and opinions expressed herein do not

necessarily represent those of BLM. Use of trade names does not

imply U.S. Government endorsement of commercial products.

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