Forestry Tools

What open source geo products have tools that may be specially useful for foresters and resource managers?

A discussion started on the QGIS-User list led to starting this page.

General Categories

What types of workflow or features are required for managing forests? Think broad, and then we can get into specifics in each category.

GPS traversing

General data capture to record paths, boundaries and locations using GPS.

• Ability to turn it on/off
• Ability to capture multiple types of features

Design and capture

Block, road, treatment areas

• Connect various attributes to GPS collected information
• Custom input forms

Mobile map platform

Following current and planned locations

• Map layer control on/off
• Zoom, pan, query
• Basic feature calculations - length, area, sum attributes
• Show GPS,
• Auto panning map via GPS
• Edit stand boundary and sale boundary shapefiles

Inventory collection and analysis

Backend database and front end collection of inventory details

• Offline database, with inventory schema
• Platform for mobile data collection and input
• Auto form generation for particular feature types
• Syncing with master db when back online
• Generation of reports such as stand tables, stocking tables, and associated information.
• Predict future devlopment of standing volume etc.
• Perform economic analysis with specifed user input

Sample plot reconnaissance and survey

• Generate plot schemes based on sampling intensity needs, and other input criteria (random vs. systematic, etc).
• Relate/connect plot/survey locations with inventory to allow for plot re-use in subsequent more intensive sampling efforts.

Terrain/slope computation

...

Time-analysis

• What has the development of the different stands been over the years?
• Compare pictures taken previously to visualize changes
• Linking stands over time (splitting, changing borders)

Surveying

• From old style surveying techniques, calculate positions of corners/markers in GPS datum