Author Archives: jordan yano

Weekly Update March 5th

This week at Aurea has been very eventful. We have started modelling our different scenarios using our TIPSY and VDYP curves in FPS-ATLAS. Using the baseline, we hope that this coming week we will be able to model some different scenarios in the woodlot to demonstrate what is our optimal scenario. We have also started some of the initial work in writing the management plan. We are currently working on directing our management strategies to be able to conform with the FSC certification scheme. In doing this, we hope that the woodlot will be managed in a sustainable fashion. We are also writing an appendix to provide a guide to management strategies surrounding the Pacific Water Shrew in the area.

This coming week we will be concluding what writing we can and starting to get our plan together. We will also be using the data attained from our various modelling scenarios, and inputting it into a Carbon modelling program to see if there are any opportunities to consider carbon as one of our main values.

Update February 25th 2015

This last week has been our reading break, so everyone at Aurea has been doing minor research while taking some much deserved time off. After the break, we have been working on the visualization aspects of the woodlot, learning how to use a new program and modeling the visuals for the landscape. We have also been converting all of the raw stand data into a usable form and then importing it into TIPSY and VDYP, two stand simulators, to get our yield and growth curves in order to further our modelling process.

Next on our to-do list is to read a couple of different management plans in order to get a general feel for what research has to be conducted. We will also start doing some of the preliminary writing and start to formulate the final package for woodlot 1699. On top of the preparation we will be conducting,  we are going to finish inputting our data into TIPSY and VDYP and carry the projections into the FPS_Atlas system in order to model our different scenarios.

Update February 10th 2015

This week was a very productive week for Aurea Consulting. We had our first site visit to the Chartwell woodlot in Harrison Hot Springs. We had a chance to finally see what the woodlot looks like outside of a computer lab and were rewarded with some rain in the mean time.

Our objectives for the trip were as follows;

  • To identify candidate areas for potential silvicultural treatment,
  • To obtain reconnaissance data within potential WHA additional area,
  • To Identify possible replacement area for WHA reductions to landbase,
  • To identify harvest methods and transportation restrictions from future harvest sites, and
  • To identify restrictions based on VQO polygons.

Overall we met all of our objectives, and had a great break from the classroom setting. More information on each of the trips objectives can be found on the connect website, listed under the “useful links” tab of the catergories drop down menu.

 

This coming week, we will be concentrating on completing an introduction for the management plan we are creating, and looking at getting the Visual Quality package together for an outside consultant to aid us in completing the assessment.

Update February 2nd 2015

Following our conception on January 5th, 2015, Aurea Consulting has been organizing the management of Woodlot #1699 owned by Chartwell Consultants Ltd. Following the initial data analysis, our team at Aurea has been conducting assessments of Visual Quality Objectives (VQOs), Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHAs), as well as considering potential silviculture options for improved yield.

Using Forest Planning Studio ATLAS, we have defined multiple shapefiles, and identified potential baseline scenario inputs. We hope to use the baseline scenario to help quantify the effects of each management technique, with the objective of economic gains over a long term. Our scenarios include examining:

– Potential gains from carbon credits associated with WHA for Pacific Water Shrew;

– Potential gains from using silviculture to improve Site Index and growing conditions; and

– Optimal harvest rotation for polygon dsesign.

This week we will be travelling to the site with Rob Deines, RPF, of Chartwell Consultants Ltd., and our resident silviculture expert Steven Mitchell, RPF. We hope to identify areas of concern, as well as factors contributing to each scenario. A link to our ERP, and site visit summary will be included in the Useful Links tab, located in the Categories dropdown menu.

 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a response below, or in the Weekly Updates page.

 

– The Aurea Consulting Team