Farm Forestry Toolbox

The Farm Forestry Toolbox is a collection of computer programs, referred to as 'Tools', intended to be used by farm forest owners and managers to aid decision making. The Toolbox includes a set of simple 'Hand Tools'; conversation of measurements and map co-ordinates; measuring the volume of stacked logs, slope, basal area; and a survey tool. A second set of more complex tools or 'Power Tools'; are used to estimate site productivity (growth rate), volume and value of wood grown for individual trees, at the coupe or stand level and forest estate level.

The Toolbox was included in the 2009 CSIRO publication Agroforestry for Natural Resource Management [1]

The Toolbox Inventory tool is recognised in the A Standard for Valuing Commercial Forests in Australia,[2] as a suitable Tool to undertake inventory for the purposes of the Standard.

A Workshop - The Farm Forestry Toolbox - Australia's most versatile and widely used forestry software, was conducted as part of the 8th Australia and the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (ANZIF)[3] Conference (2015).

Background

Farm Forestry is a term used in Australia to describe the use of private land.[4] to grow wood products and provide a number of other ecosystem services. Farm Forestry is defined as 'establishment and/or management of trees or forests on agricultural landscapes for commercial, aesthetic and/or environmental reasons.[5] The term 'Farm Forestry', as used in Australia, encompasses Afforestation, Agroforestry, Analog forestry, Buffer strip, Plantation, Reforestation, Riparian-zone restoration, Silvopasture and Windbreak.

Support for Farm Forestry is provided by both the Australian Government[6] and State governments. In 2005 the Australian government released a Farm Forestry - National Action Statement.[7] Governments have provided grants, funded research, provided advice (forest extension) and tax incentives to encourage landowners to adopt Farm Forestry.[8]

Rationale

The 'Tools' were initially developed to make routine tasks easier. For example, using the 'Stocking Tool' it is possible to calculated the number of trees required, given a row and in-row spacing, and area to be planted.

The 'Health Tool' has a similar approach. A user can diagnose tree health problems using the Toolbox, replacing the need to use reference texts, or having to enlist the assistance of a forest health expert.

Forest researchers have developed a number growth models, but these models are often difficult to access and use. The Toolbox was developed to ensure that growth models were available to farm forestry owners and managers, able to be used to inform decision making, and provide a link between the growth models outputs and financial modelling tools.

The 'Stand Manager' is more complex and used to calculate net present value, internal rates of return, and wood and product yield. This Tool is used to explore management scenarios, and the resultant financial return and wood yield. A user of the 'Stand Manger' is required to create log grade sets (log specifications), regimes (sequence of events over the life of the rotation detailing events, including timing and costs/returns), as input data. This Tool can also use the output from 'Site Productivity' and 'Inventory' tools.

Users can 'customise' the Toolbox by using the 'Editors' and/or manual input of key data, such as growth rate. This means the Toolbox can be used for any type of planted forest (windbreak or shelterbelt, agroforestry, woodlot, or plantation), and can be used for existing planted forest or an area being considered for planting.

Extensive user support is available for the Toolbox, with Manuals and Workbooks provided. In addition to 'On Screen Help', 'Help' panels are displayed in many Tools. A series of 'Video Help' Camtasia Studio files provides instruction on the use of the Tools. The Toolbox includes in the 'Editors' sample Log Grade sets, Regimes and Biomass sets, that a user can modify.

Development

Andy Warner, an employee of Private Forests Tasmania, conceived the concept of the Farm Forestry Toolbox in 1996[9] He obtained funding support for, and managed, the development of versions 1 to 5.[10] Originally the Toolbox was promoted as a User Friendly PC Tree Modelling Package (versions 1 and 2). He also conducted training courses around Australia and overseas. Now living in Thailand, he continues to support the ongoing development and promotion of the current Toolbox for wider use internationally.

Adrian Goodwin,[11] initially as an employee of Forestry Tasmania and since 2003 as principal consultant of Bushlogic, is responsible for most of the concepts and code, and continues to expand the functionality of the Toolbox package. He has presented the Toolbox to forest growers, foresters and educators in Australia and overseas.[12][13]

Farm Forestry Toolbox version 5

In 2008, Toolbox was completely re-written in VB.NET 2005 implementing .NET Framework 2. This has resulted in an improved user interface, and provided an opportunity to streamline code.

Version 5 of the Toolbox is sensitive to international currency and date formatting. It is possible to set defaults for anywhere in the world and select any currency. Non-English help and instructions can be displayed by populating appropriately named folders with translated .RTF files. The Toolbox developers are in the process of “internationalising” some of the Toolbox programs so that all labels and headings can be translated to non-English.

A number of enhancements were made to Version 5.1,[14][15] labelled as Farm Forestry Toolbox Version 5.1 - Carbon Ready. These enhancements allow a user to model biomass components and explore changes in accumulation of biomass due to climate change and changes in growth rates for planted forests. Carbon planting regimes were developed and modifications to the 'Stand Manager' allows a user to explore options to use planted forests for carbon storage.

The Toolbox is able to be used for a wide range of plantation species in Australia,[16][17] including mallee oil[18] and sandalwood.[19] It is also suitable for inventory in teak plantations in Southeast Asia.

Version 5 contains 50 taper models, 15 empirical growth models, and 4 process-based growth models (3 parameterisations of AGGRO,[20] and an adaption of 3PG [21] for oil mallee). AGGRO calibrations for P.radiata and E.nitens are currently unavailable and awaiting re-calibration.

It is reported that the Toolbox is being used in universities in Germany, Thailand, Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Australia.[22]

Recent version history for Version 5.3

Version Version Date
5.3.5 August 2014
5.3.6 September 2014
5.3.7i June 2015
5.3.8 December 2015

Farm Forestry Toolbox Versions

Version history

Details Version 1 Version 2.0 to 2.8 Version 3.0 to 3.12 Version 4.0 to 4.9 Version 5.0 to 5.3
Released/launched March 1999[23] 2000[24] 2001[25] 2003 [26][27] 2008 (5.3 released October 2012)
Release name Helping Treegrower Help Themselves An aid to growing trees on farms An aid to growing trees on farms An aid to growing trees on farmsAn aid to successfully growing trees on farms.
Operating System Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or NT No change No change No change Microsoft Windows XP onwards. VB.NET 2005 implementing .NET Framework 2.

Stages of development for "Hand Tools"

Hand Tools Version 1 Version 2.0 to 2.8 Version 3.0 to 3.12 Version 4.0 to 4.9 Version 5.0 to 5.3
Calculator The standard Microsoft Windows Calculator No change Deleted
Conversions Converts common standard units of measurement including area, length, volume, weight and slope. Updated with more conversations No change Updated with more conversations No change
Log Stack Volume Estimates volume and weight of an individual log or a stack of logs. Calculates and presents a statistical report for a stack of logs. Output can be saved and printed. No change No change No change No change
Plot Area Determines the area of rectangular, pseudo- rectangular, and circular plots. No change No change No change Deleted
Map-Coordinates Not available Not available Converts geographic and map grid coordinates on various datums. No change Updated - Works globally.
Slope Calculates vertical, horizontal and slope length using angle units (degrees or percent) No change No change No change No charge
Stocking Calculates the number of trees per hectare using the distance between trees and between rows. It can also account for grazing bays. No change No change No change Updated - replaced by a planting design tool which links to planting event(s) in the Regime editor.
Survey Not available Not available Calculates the map area, using bearings and distances, either from a traverse or by GPS. Updated – able to annotate maps and print at different scales and import/export files to GIS Updated - Allows an image (scanned aerial photo or map) to be added to the background of a map. Boundaries can then be over-drawn and areas and distances estimated. The tool is now more efficient, and can import larger shape files more quickly.
Wedge Calibration Not available Calibrates angle gauge instruments used to measure basal area. No change No change No change

Stages of development for "Power Tools"

Power Tools Version 1 Version 2.0 to 2.8 Version 3.0 to 3.12 Version 4.0 to 4.9 Version 5.0 to 5.3
Site Productivity (for Plantations) Estimates, for selected species, growth over time using Site Quality Index (MDH - mean dominant height & Age) or ProMod. Updated No change No change Updated – The ProMod model replaced by AGGRO, the physiological model also used in Stand Manager. AGGRO is calibrated for E. globulus, E. nitens, and P. radiata. Site and climate data required. Toolbox provides default climate data for most Australian regions in which commercial plantations can be grown.
Tree and Log Volume Estimate volume (and value) of any log in a standing tree, including the entire stem. It also provides information about the shape of a log; for instance, its diameter (under bark) at a certain height, or vice versa. The tool can be used to work out the length of the merchantable log.Replaced by Inventory Tool
Inventory Tool Not available A tool that allows quality assessments of single trees or plots. Log grades to be specified and value specified by user. Output be can saved and printed. No change No change Updated – able to estimate wood volume and log grades in a single tree, a plot of trees or the whole forest. The tool displays information graphically and has import and export data function. 30 additional taper models for species from Australia.
Management Tool Not available Tracks income and expenditure over the rotation of your forest to calculate NPV and IRR. You can save and print the output. Replaced by Stand Manager
Stand Manager Not available Not available Uses costs and income (actual or predicted) to calculate returns over a rotation. Allows a user to test management options. Output can be saved and printed. No change Updated – Inclusion of a physiological growth model (AGGRO) with parameterisations for Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus nitens, and Pinus radiata. Ten additional empirical growth models for species planted in Australia. All scenario runs summarized in the Session Log, and scenario data can be recovered from both the Session Log. Users able to simulate an income stream from carbon credits with Carbon Inventory events.

Stages of development for "Other Tools"

Other Tools Version 1 Version 2.0 to 2.8 Version 3.0 to 3.12 Version 4.0 to 4.9 Version 5.0 to 5.3
Default Data Editor Not available Used to define some system-wide default values. No change No change Updated - Finance tab had been removed. The setting of interest rates and scope now takes place in the financial base event in each regime. Biomass tab added: Stem wood can now be given a dollar value per tonne for biomass evaluation.
Log Grade Editor Not available Used to define log grade specifications. No change No change Updated - Grades can be defined with preferred length and overcut allowance. Log assorts can be directed to maximise preferred product volumes, or total value.
Regime Editor Not available Used to construct a sequence of forest operations/events. No change No change Updated – Regimes are now of two types, Forest used for growing trees, or NPV & IRR used purely for financial analysis without forest growth and harvesting. Adding a Planting event to a 1st rotation automatically adds compulsory Financial Base and Clear-felling events. The Planting event facilitates complex planting designs and area exclusions. The Financial Base event sets the date to which future cost and revenues are discounted, and the interest rate to be used for NPV calculations. Event dates set to the day rather than the year and can be set as a date or age. Event costs can be set as a rate ($/ha), or a fixed cost. Biomass removal (roots, branches etc.) is now dictated by the cutting event (thinning, clear-felling etc.) rather than the Stand Manager. Regimes apply to both Empirical and Process-based (physiological) models.
Health Keys. Three separate keys - Eucalypt Health Key, Pine Health Key and Other Species Health Key Not available Not available A key to assist in the identification of health problems in plantation grown trees. The 'Health Tool' is an expert system for the major commercial eucalyptus plantation species used in southern Australia (Eucalyptus globulus & Eucalyptus nitens) and major commercial exotic pine species Pinus radiata. Updated[28] Key revamped and changes made to operation. This Tool is designed to allow the addition of other keys.

Contribution to Toolbox from researchers and others

The Toolbox is a means of ensuring research output is made available for forest owners and managers. The following summaries the contribution from researchers and others, and the organizations they worked for when the contribution was made.[29]

3PG-FFT - (in Site Productivity and Stand Manager) - developed by Joe Landsberg and Richard Waring[21] with additional contributions by Peter Sands and CSIRO.

AGGRO - (in Site Productivity and Stand Manager) - developed by Michael Battaglia of Ensis and CRC-Forestry with support for the Joint Venture Agro-Forestry Program (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation/Land & Water Australia/Forest Wood Products Research Development Corporation/Murray Darling Basin Commission (Authority) - joint venture) (Project CPF-1A).

Biometric Models - Developed and programmed by Adrian Goodwin; Eric Keady (Forestry Plantations Queensland); Steve Candy (Forestry Tasmania); Jerry Vanclay (Southern Cross University); Yue Wang and Thomas Baker (School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne) with the support of the Forests and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation and the Department of Primary Industries (Victoria); and Justin Wong (Department of Sustainability and Environment Victoria).

Forest Health Keys - Software concept and original programming by Tim Osborn (Forestry Tasmania). Keys prepared by Tim Wardlaw (Forestry Tasmania). Additional unpublished information, advice and comment were provided by the following specialists: Dick Bashford, Jane Elek, Andrew Walsh, Paul Adams (Forestry Tasmania); David de Little, Tim Hingston (Gunns Ltd); Dugald Close, Phil Smethurst, Clare McArthur, Caroline Mohammed, Geoff Allen, Marina Hurley (Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Production Forestry); Andy Warner. Unless otherwise acknowledged, photographs used in keys were taken by staff of Forestry Tasmania. Robyn Doyle provided many photographs taken specifically for use in this key.

Specialised models and data - Oil Mallee Production - Based on a concept by Alan Herbert, Senior Economist with AgWest and using growth models developed by John Bartle, Manager of the Farm Forestry Unit at Department of Conservation and Land Management (Western Australia); and Adrian Goodwin. Data provided by Kim Brooksbank (AgWest, Farm Forestry and Revegetation group), Dan Wildy (University of Western Australia) and the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre. Sandalwood Production - Data provided by Kim Brooksbank.

Citation of literature where Farm Forestry Toolbox used

The Toolbox has been used to model financial and wood yield in the peer reviewed publications, thesis, and reports and proceedings.

Peer reviewed publications

Thesis

Reports and conference proceedings

2002
2004
2005
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

This report was commissioned by the State Government through the Tasmanian Climate Change Office.

2013
2014

See also

References

  1. Agroforestry for Natural Resource Management 2009. Edited by Ian Nuberg, Brendan George and Rowan Reid. CSIRO Publishing ISBN 9780643092242
  2. Leech, Jerry and Ferguson, Ian, Technical Editors (2012), A Standard for Valuing Commercial Forests in Australia. Association of Consulting Foresters of Australia, Division of the Institute of Foresters of Australia, Canberra. Version 2.1, July 2012. This document is intended to be used for, but not restricted to, forest valuations required under the Corporations Act 2001, and forest valuations which require adherence to the AASB’s accounting standards. Version 1 was published in 2004 in response to the Australian Accounting Standards Board adoption of the SGARA approach in AAS 35 and AASB 1037. Version 2.0 reflected the Australian Accounting Standards Board adoption of the international accounting standards including AASB 141 “Agriculture”. Version 2.1 contains some minor editorial changes for clarification and reflecting the ongoing changes in the forestry sector. http://www.forestry.org.au/kcfinder/upload/files/A%20standard%20for%20valuing%20forests%20in%20Australia%20ACFA%20July%202012.pdf
  3. ANZIF conference is convened by the Institute of Foresters of Australia and the New Zealand Institute of Forestry http://www.forestryconference.org.au/
  4. Private land refers to land registered under Torrens title and leasehold land, usually leased from the government.
  5. Australia's State of Forests Report 2013 - Montreal Process Implementation Group for Australia and National Forest Inventory Steering Committee, 2013, Australia’s State of the Forests Report 2013, ABARES, Canberra, December. CC BY 3.0. page 403
  6. http://www.agriculture.gov.au/forestry/australias-forests/plantation-farm-forestry/management. Accessed 21 January 2015
  7. http://www.agriculture.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/forestry/plantation-farm/nas_booklet_web.pdf
  8. 'Farm Forestry Area and Resources In Australia' July 2008 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Publication No. 08/104 Project No. URS-2A. https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/08-104
  9. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 1997-1998.
  10. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2007-2008.
  11. http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adrian_Goodwin
  12. 8th Australian and New Zealand Institute of Foresters, 8th Joint Conference April 2015. Creswick, Victoria, Australia. http://www.forestryconference.org.au/ckeditor/kcfinder/upload/files/ANZIF%202015%20Conference%20Program_12%20March.pdf
  13. Pre-Conference Workshop at the 2015 IUFRO Eucalypt Conference 2015, Zhanjiang City, Guangdong, China October 21–24 conference http://www.euciufro2015.com/en/page.asp?hid=&pageid=82.html Retrieved 25 November 2015
  14. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2010-2011.
  15. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2011-2012.
  16. Warner, A., 2007 'Farm Forestry Toolbox Version 5.0: Helping Australian growers to manage their trees.'http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/51360213 https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/07-135
  17. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2008-2009.
  18. Barton, A., The Oil Mallee Project: A Multifaceted Industrial Ecology Case Study Journal of Industrial Ecology Volume 3, Issue 2-3, pages 161–176, April 1999.
  19. Indian Sandalwood Plantations in Australia. Tropical Forest Services (TFS) Ltd in Australia http://www.tfsltd.com.au/
  20. F.L. Hensken, M. Battaglia and M.L. Ottenschlaeger Silvicultural Design Support for Farm Forestry RIRDC/L&WA/FWPRDC Joint Venture Agroforestry Program ISSN 1440-6845 https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/08-094.pdf
  21. 1 2 J.J. Landsberg & R.H. Warning. A generalised model of forest productivity using simplified concepts of radiation-use, carbon balance and partitioning. Forest Ecology and Management 95 (1997) 209-228
  22. Annual Report of Private Forests Tasmania page 31
  23. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 1998-1999.
  24. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 1999-2000.
  25. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2000-2001.
  26. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2002-2003.
  27. Private Forests Tasmania Annual Report 2003-2004.
  28. Osborn, Tim and Warner, Andy. A Tree Health Diagnostic Tool for Farm Forestry Toolbox 4 [online]. Australian Forest Grower, Vol. 25, No. 3, Spring 2002: 16. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=525872068843209;res=IELHSS> ISSN 0156-448X. [cited 08 Sep 14].
  29. Manual 2011 Farm Forestry Toolbox Versions 5.2. Available as part of the Toolbox download.
  30. Ecosystem Goods and Services in Production Landscapes in South-Eastern Australia http://hdl.handle.net/11343/38388
  31. The Development of Strategies for the Management and Research of Foliar Pathogens on Eucalypt Plantations: Using Mycosphaerellaas a Case Study http://eprints.utas.edu.au/378/
  32. Genetic Improvement of Wood Properties of Eucalyptus nitens - Breeding to improve solid wood and pulp properties. http://eprints.utas.edu.au/20603/
  33. Predictive Models for Integrated Pest Management of the Leaf Beetle Chrysophtharta bimaculata in Eucalyptus nitens Plantations in Tasmania http://eprints.utas.edu.au/224/

External links

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