Landscape Management System User Manual
Landscape Management System
User’s Manual
LMS v. 1.7 – November, 1999
Compiled and Edited by:
Christopher E. Nelson
Contributions by:
Christopher E. Nelson
James B. McCarter
Jeremy Wilson
Patrick J. Baker
Justin S. Hall
Principal Investigator:
Chadwick D. Oliver
June 2, 1999
Table of Contents
Table of Contents............................................................................................................................................................i
Manual Organization...................................................................................................................................................vi
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................1
What is the Landscape Management Project?........................................................................................................1
Description of the Landscape Management System..............................................................................................1
LMS System Requirements.......................................................................................................................................2
Typographic Conventions..........................................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................................................................3
Software License .........................................................................................................................................................5
Getting More Information..........................................................................................................................................5
Contact Information....................................................................................................................................................5
Obtaining and Installing LMS....................................................................................................................................7
Obtaining a copy of the Landscape Management System ....................................................................................7
Installing the Landscape Management System......................................................................................................7
Windows 95/98/NT.................................................................................................................................................7
Windows 3.x............................................................................................................................................................7
Basic Functions...............................................................................................................................................................8
What is a Landscape Management System Portfolio?......................................................................................8
General Functions.......................................................................................................................................................8
Opening a Portfolio…............................................................................................................................................8
Saving a Portfolio…...............................................................................................................................................9
Closing a Portfolio..................................................................................................................................................9
Restoring a Portfolio...............................................................................................................................................9
Backing up a Portfolio..........................................................................................................................................10
Viewing the Portfolio Log…..............................................................................................................................10
Flushing the Cache…...........................................................................................................................................11
Projecting Stands and Landscapes .........................................................................................................................11
Projecting Stands…..............................................................................................................................................11
Projecting Landscapes…. ....................................................................................................................................12
Changing the Current Year….............................................................................................................................12
Treating Stands and Landscapes.............................................................................................................................13
Treatment Dialog Box… ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Select Stand.........................................................................................................................................................14
Select Thinning....................................................................................................................................................14
Stand Subset Selection ........................................................................................................................................14
Ingrowth ..............................................................................................................................................................15
Apply To..............................................................................................................................................................15
Specific Examples of Treating Stands..............................................................................................................16
Thinning a Stand .................................................................................................................................................16
Vegetation Control..............................................................................................................................................16
Regenerating a Stand...........................................................................................................................................17
Simulating Ingrowth and Regeneration...............................................................................................................18
Analyzing Stands and Landscapes.........................................................................................................................19
Tables......................................................................................................................................................................19
Table Dialog Box…….........................................................................................................................................19
Sending a Table to a Spreadsheet........................................................................................................................21
Charts......................................................................................................................................................................21
Chart Dialog Box…….........................................................................................................................................21
Displaying a Chart...............................................................................................................................................22
i
Closing Charts…….............................................................................................................................................23
Visualizations ........................................................................................................................................................ 23
Stand Visualization……......................................................................................................................................24
Stand Comparison Visualization…….................................................................................................................26
Landscape Visualization……..............................................................................................................................28
Using Scenarios Files................................................................................................................................................29
Scenario File Format............................................................................................................................................30
Scenario File Keywords.......................................................................................................................................30
Scenario Editor...........................................................................................................................................................31
Scenario Editor Dialog Box…............................................................................................................................32
Scenario File Information....................................................................................................................................32
Year and Stand Selection ....................................................................................................................................32
Treatment Selection.............................................................................................................................................33
Control Buttons ...................................................................................................................................................33
Treatment Specification Section .........................................................................................................................34
Using the Scenario Editor....................................................................................................................................34
Adding a Treatment.............................................................................................................................................34
Removing a Treatment........................................................................................................................................36
Replacing a Treatment.........................................................................................................................................37
Portfolio Editor...........................................................................................................................................................38
Portfolio Editor Window ..................................................................................................................................... 39
Changing the Projection Step Size.....................................................................................................................39
Copying a Portfolio...............................................................................................................................................40
Copying Stands to a New Portfolio....................................................................................................................41
Making Multiple Copies of a Stand...................................................................................................................42
Copying a Stand from another Portfolio...........................................................................................................43
Deleting Stands from a Portfolio........................................................................................................................44
Renaming Stands in a Portfolio..........................................................................................................................45
Splitting Stands.....................................................................................................................................................46
Restoring the Portfolio to its Original State.....................................................................................................47
Reconstructing an Inventory File .......................................................................................................................47
Advanced Topics..........................................................................................................................................................48
Configuring the Landscape Management System… ...........................................................................................48
Changing the Default Text Editor......................................................................................................................48
Changing the Default Spreadsheet and Map Viewer......................................................................................49
Displaying Snags and Logs in Visualizations..................................................................................................49
Enabling the Snag Model....................................................................................................................................49
Changing the Visualization Display Options...................................................................................................49
Changing the Way Projections are Performed.................................................................................................50
Changing the Units of Volume Used when Projecting .......................................................................................50
Using FVS Keyfiles in LMS...............................................................................................................................50
Changing the way Logs are Bucked..................................................................................................................51
Adding Tree Record Numbers to Table Outputs ............................................................................................51
Changing How Stand Structure Classification Summarizations are Performed........................................52
Why the Charts & Graphs Configuration Button does not Work.................................................................53
Including Range Poles in Stand Visualizations...............................................................................................53
Changing The Look Of Stand Visualizations .................................................................................................. 54
Defining a New Viewpoint in UVIEW..................................................................................................................54
Removing the Cache.................................................................................................................................................55
Capturing Images from Visualizations..................................................................................................................55
Saving Images Using SVS and Uview..............................................................................................................55
Saving Images using WinSVS............................................................................................................................56
LMS File Formats .....................................................................................................................................................56
Portfolio Files (*.LMS)........................................................................................................................................56
Stand Database Files (*.SDB).............................................................................................................................57
Site Index File (*.SI)............................................................................................................................................58
ii
Inventory Files (*.INV)........................................................................................................................................59
Snag Files (*.SNG)...............................................................................................................................................59
Regeneration and Ingrowth Files (*.RGN) .......................................................................................................60
Scenario Files (*.SCN) and Log Files (*.LOG)...............................................................................................60
Glossary..........................................................................................................................................................................62
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................................................65
Appendix A – Using Windows Programs..............................................................................................................66
LMS Main Window..................................................................................................................................................66
Title Bar ..................................................................................................................................................................66
LMS Menu.............................................................................................................................................................66
Speed Button Bar..................................................................................................................................................67
Main Application Window..................................................................................................................................67
Status Bar...............................................................................................................................................................67
Open and Save File Dialogs....................................................................................................................................67
32-bit File Dialogs ................................................................................................................................................67
16-bit File Dialogs ................................................................................................................................................68
Creating Directories ..................................................................................................................................................69
Windows 95/98/NT...............................................................................................................................................69
Windows 3.1x........................................................................................................................................................69
Appendix B – Documentation and Credits for LMS Support Programs .....................................................70
ADDELEV..................................................................................................................................................................70
ASC2DB......................................................................................................................................................................70
BUCKTREE ............................................................................................................................................................... 71
CWDSIM ....................................................................................................................................................................71
Projection Method...............................................................................................................................................72
CWDSIM.INI......................................................................................................................................................72
Inventory File Formats ........................................................................................................................................73
Running CWDSIM..............................................................................................................................................74
EXTELEV....................................................................................................................................................................74
Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS)........................................................................................................................75
FVS2TRE....................................................................................................................................................................75
FVSSETUP.................................................................................................................................................................76
IMPRTDEM ...............................................................................................................................................................76
Graphics Server for Windows.................................................................................................................................77
Landvis ........................................................................................................................................................................77
LMSMAP....................................................................................................................................................................77
LOGVAL....................................................................................................................................................................78
MAKESVS.................................................................................................................................................................78
MAKEUVDB.............................................................................................................................................................79
MERGESVS...............................................................................................................................................................81
ORGANON ................................................................................................................................................................ 82
ORG2TRE...................................................................................................................................................................82
ORGSETUP................................................................................................................................................................83
Scenario Editor (scn_edit)........................................................................................................................................83
Str_clas........................................................................................................................................................................83
SVS (Stand Visualization System) .........................................................................................................................84
SVS2UP.......................................................................................................................................................................86
TRTSTAND ............................................................................................................................................................... 86
UCELL5......................................................................................................................................................................87
UVIEW........................................................................................................................................................................87
WGNUPlot.................................................................................................................................................................88
WinSVS.......................................................................................................................................................................88
iii
ZIP................................................................................................................................................................................89
Appendix C....................................................................................................................................................................90
Tables ..........................................................................................................................................................................90
Stand Tables ..........................................................................................................................................................90
Stand Inventory ...................................................................................................................................................90
Stand Scenario .....................................................................................................................................................90
Stand Summary ...................................................................................................................................................90
Stand Species Mix...............................................................................................................................................90
Stand Volume......................................................................................................................................................90
Standing and Cut Volume Author: Jeremy S. Wilson...............................................................................91
Volume by Size Class .........................................................................................................................................91
Volume by Spp. & Size Author: Jeremy S. Wilson....................................................................................91
Basal Area by Diameter Class.............................................................................................................................91
Trees Per Acre by Dia and Height.......................................................................................................................91
MAI/PAI Table....................................................................................................................................................91
Canopy Layers in Stands.....................................................................................................................................91
Stand Value Table ...............................................................................................................................................91
Stand Value Summary.........................................................................................................................................92
Stand Sort Summary............................................................................................................................................92
Stand Wind Hazard Variables .............................................................................................................................92
Extract CutList to run in FEEMA .......................................................................................................................92
Landscape Tables .................................................................................................................................................92
Landscape Attributes...........................................................................................................................................92
Stand Area Table.................................................................................................................................................92
Landscape Inventory ...........................................................................................................................................93
Landscape Scenario .............................................................................................................................................93
Landscape Summary ...........................................................................................................................................93
Landscape Species Mix.......................................................................................................................................93
Canopy Layers by Stand......................................................................................................................................93
Landscape Volume..............................................................................................................................................93
Standing and Cut Volume ...................................................................................................................................93
Volume by Size Class .........................................................................................................................................94
Volume by Spp. & Size.......................................................................................................................................94
Basal Area By Diameter Class............................................................................................................................94
Landscape Value Table .......................................................................................................................................94
Landscape Value Summary.................................................................................................................................94
Landscape Sort Summary....................................................................................................................................94
Landscape Wind Hazard Variables .....................................................................................................................94
Extract CutList to run in FEEMA .......................................................................................................................95
Advanced Tables:.................................................................................................................................................95
Struct. Stage Classifications................................................................................................................................95
Oliver Struct. Stage Class (Win3.x) ....................................................................................................................95
Carey Struct. Stage Class (Win3.x).....................................................................................................................95
East Cascade S.S. Class (Win3.x) .......................................................................................................................95
Puget Trough S.S. Class (Win3.x).......................................................................................................................95
Adjacency Conflicts (Washington).....................................................................................................................96
NPVAL Summary ...............................................................................................................................................96
Value Summary ...................................................................................................................................................96
Owl Habitat .........................................................................................................................................................96
Extract Treelist for FVS Raw Run ......................................................................................................................96
Contiguous Analysis ...........................................................................................................................................96
Ruffed Grouse Habitat Suitability.......................................................................................................................97
Barred Owl Habitat Suitability............................................................................................................................97
Charts...........................................................................................................................................................................97
Stand Charts ...............................................................................................................................................................97
Density Management Diagram ............................................................................................................................98
Distribution – Diameter.......................................................................................................................................98
Distribution – Height...........................................................................................................................................98
Basal Area by Diameter Class.............................................................................................................................98
Basal Area and TPA by Diameter Class .............................................................................................................98
iv
Stand Volume thru Time.....................................................................................................................................98
Standing Volume by Size Class..........................................................................................................................98
Cut Volume by Size Class...................................................................................................................................98
MAI/PAI Chart....................................................................................................................................................99
Landscape Charts..................................................................................................................................................99
Density Management Diagram ............................................................................................................................99
Landscape Volume thru Time.............................................................................................................................99
Volume by Size Class .........................................................................................................................................99
Cut Volume by Size Class...................................................................................................................................99
Advanced Charts...................................................................................................................................................99
Struct. Stage Classification..................................................................................................................................99
Oliver Struc. Stage Class. (Win3.x).....................................................................................................................99
Carey Struc. S. Class. (Win3.x).........................................................................................................................100
East Cascade S.S. Class (Win3.x) .....................................................................................................................100
Puget Trough S.S. Class (Win3.x).....................................................................................................................100
Height/Diamter Plot..........................................................................................................................................100
v
Manual Organization
The LMS Manual has been divided into seven distinct sections to facilitate navigation of the document.
Section titles, starting pages, and descriptions follow:
Introduction 1 introductory information, acknowledgements, general
description of the Landscape Management Syst em, and system
requirements.
Installation 7 installing and configuring the Landscape Management
System.
Basic Functions 8 basic navigation and functionality in the Landscape
Management System.
Advanced Topics 48 advanced functionality, data requirements, and file formats
used in the Landscape Management System.
Appendices 66 documentation of the supporting programs used by the
Landscape Management System.
vi
Introduction
The Landscape Management System (LMS) is an evolving set of software tools designed to aid in
landscape level management of forest resources. LMS is being developed as part of the Landscape
Management Project at the Silviculture Laboratory, College of Forest Resources, University of
Washington.
LMS is a computerized system that integrates landscape level spatial information, stand-level inventory
data, and individual tree growth models to project changes through time across forested landscapes. LMS
facilitates forest management planning, policy-making, as well as education.
LMS coordinates the execution and information flow between many different computer programs (40+).
These programs: format, classify, summarize, and export information; project tree growth and snag decay;
manipulate stand inventories; and present stand and landscape level visualization and graphics.
What is the Landscape Management Project?
The Landscape Management Project is a cooperative project between the Silviculture Laboratory, College
of Forest Resources, University of Washington and the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station.
The Landscape Management Project was created to investigate methods and facilitate techniques for the
management of forested landscapes. One focus of the project is to emphasize management over broader
temporal and spatial scales. Funding for the project was initiated through the efforts of Congressman Norm
Dicks. A major effort of the Landscape Management Project is to integrate and/or develop necessary
technologies to facilitate landscape level management.
Description of the Landscape Management System
The Landscape Management System (LMS) integrates forest inventory information, geographic
information, computerized growth models, decisions support systems, and other applications to facilitate
landscape, ecosystem, and watershed management. LMS projects changes in individual stands and
landscapes up to 50,000 acres; it can be used on any forested region for which there is a growth model and
appropriate inventory information. LMS can be used for management, planning, policy-making, and
education. It has been designed with the following features:
• Modular – It can incorporate all forms of inventory data, geographic information, growth models, and
decision support systems; various parts of the system can be replaced as new information and
techniques become available or they can be used as components in other computerized systems.
• Flexible – LMS works with a representative tree list. By maintaining the large amount of information
about stands contained in a tree list, LMS can incorporate new management objectives and measures
that can be linked to the tree list information.
• Easy to Use – LMS is a Microsoft Windows application and operates in a point and click manner.
• Projects Growth – LMS projects growth at the stand and landscape levels using existing growth
models (of your choice). Changes in stands and landscapes can be projected over time under different
management regimes.
• Presents Visualizations – LMS, in concert with the Stand Visualization System (SVS) and UVIEW,
provides visualizations of the projected stands and landscapes and can be used to provide information
on changes in habitats, susceptibilities to fire, etc., along with wood quantity and quality in graphic and
tabular forms.
LMS coordinates the activities of various pieces of software that, in combination, can be used for the
management, projection, summarization, and visualization of information about stands on the landscape. It
is an integrative effort that combines technologies and available software into a comprehensive system that
facilitates landscape level planning, management, and analysis.
1
In LMS, landscapes are composed of stands. These stands are projected through time using available forest
projection models (growth and yield or successional). Existing models are incorporated into the system
using data filters that translate and reformat data as needed to accommodate the projection and analysis
systems. Other attributes of a stand can be projected by providing projection models for those attributes.
The stands in LMS are represented by a tree list for each stand. The tree list include species, diameter,
height, trees per acre, and other attributes for trees in the stand. Stand average information can also be
used. These tree lists are the basic unit of projection and allow LMS to be flexible because information
about individual trees on the landscape is maintained as the stands are projected.
LMS System Requirements
The Landscape Management System runs on most machines capable of running Microsoft Windows in one
of its variations. The specific requirements are:
• IBM PC 386 running Windows 3.1x is required, a Pentium 133mHz running Winsows 95/98
recommended. Note that some of the programs (Scenario Editor, Str_clas, and Landvis) will only run
on Windows 95/NT machines.
• SVGA video required. A video adapter that supports VESA video bios extensions is required for
visualization.
• 4mb of RAM required, 16 or greater recommended.
• 20mb of hard drive space required. The data and intermediate files can use considerably more space.
Typographic Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual to highlight and emphasize.
File|Open… Commands are selected from the menu are indicated by the menu name
(File) and command (Open) separated by a vertical bar (|). Commands
followed by an ellipsis (…) indicate that the command leads to
additional steps (usually dialog boxes).
Courier Font Courier font is used to indicate typing by the user (in text) or screen
output (courier text surrounded by a box). Courier font is also used to
highlight filenames (filename.ext ) in the text.
Italics Italics are used in the text to highlight variable names.
Pro-jekt (v.) vs In LMS the verb project (pro -jekt) is used when discussing the
Proj-ekt (n.) estimation of stand conditions at a future time. The noun project (proj-
ekt) is not used in order to avoid the confusion caused by using both
pronunciations. Instead, portfolio is used for the collection of files for
a particular landscape (e.g. the Pack Forest portfolio, the Harry
Osborne Forest portfolio).
2
Acknowledgements
We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the following people who have provided support or
help in the development of LMS:
Concept and Design:
Dave Larsen
Professor of Silviculture, University of Missouri
John Kershaw
Professor of Silviculture,
Melody Steele
Bob McGaughey
Cooperative for Forest System Engineering, USDA Forest
Service and University of Washington
Richard Teck
USDA Forest Service
Al Vaughan
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Michael Whimberly
Former University of Washington Graduate Student
Jeremy S. Wilson
Former University of Washington Graduate Student
Providing feedback and ideas for LMS.
Bob McGaughey is the developer of the
stand (SVS) and landscape (UVIEW)
visualization software used in LMS. He
has also played a critical role in many of
the design aspects of the system.
Providing FVS details, feedback and
ideas for LMS.
Initiation of discussions on landscape
management, provided GIS data for the
Clallam Bay area of the Olympic
Peninsula, and facilitated access to
inventory data.
Conceptual discussions, design,
programming, and data summarization
and formatting.
Conceptual discussions, design,
programming, and feedback regarding
virtually all aspects of LMS.
Michael Scott Zens
Former University of Washington Graduate Student
Programming:
Michael Pederson
Israel Hsu
Early conceptual discussions and design.
Base LMS Programming
3
Data:
Andy Card
Forester, Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Carol Thayor
GIS Technician, Washington State Department of Natural
Resources
Alison Hitchcock
Forester, Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Kristen Klaphatie
GIS Technician, Washington State Department of Natural
Resources
Walt Obermeyer
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Pack Forest Personnel: Phil Hurvitz, Stan Humann,
Bryan Bernhagen, Justin S. Hall, and Tad Johnson.
Using and Providing Feedback:
Nancy Allison
Former University of Washington Graduate Student
Justin S. Hall
University of Washington Graduate Student
Lucy Hutyra
Former Yale University Graduate Student
Banner Forest data and analysis.
Harry Osborne Forest data and analysis.
Provided DNR FRIS inventory data for
the Clallam Bay area of the Olympic
Peninsula.
Pack Forest GIS, inventory data and
analysis.
Testing, using, and providing feedback
for LMS.
Larry Mason
University of Washington Graduate Student
Pil Sun Park
University of Washington Graduate Student
Steve Stinson
Former University of Washington Graduate Student
FM 425 (Ecosystem Management)
Students, University of Washington, 1995 - 1999
Senior Forest Engineering Students
Spring Quarter 1998 and 1999
Silviculture Institute and Natural Resource Institute
Participants
Module S1, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999.
Use of LMS in a classroom environment
and infinite amounts of debugging.
Use of LMS in creating management
plans.
Presentation of LMS to mid-career
professionals and a test of the software in
a case-study environment.
4
Software License
LMS – Landscape Management System v. 1.7, Copyright 1999, University of Washington.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the license, or (at your
option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without
even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License (LICENSE.TXT) along with this
program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place – Suite 330, Boston, MA
02111-1307, USA. See the file LICENSE.TXT for a copy of the GNU General Public License.
Getting More Information
More information about LMS is available from a variety of sources. The LMS On-line help file contains
information on using the software. The LMS Programmer’s Guide is distributed with the software as a text
file. The LMS Programmer’s Guide provides some additional information on the behind the scenes
operation of LMS and ways to customize the behavior of LMS.
For additional information beyond the written documentation, contact the Silviculture Laboratory at the
University of Washington.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact the designers and developers of LMS. We encourage comments and feedback
about the system. Written correspondence should be addressed to:
Jim McCarter (206)616-2376
Silviculture Laboratory
College of Forest Resources
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
Email: lmssupport@silvae.cfr.washington.edu
WWW: lms.cfr.washington.edu
Additional information and future versions will be available from our anonymous FTP site
(silvae.cfr.washington.edu) or our web page (lms.cfr.washington.edu).
5
The author of SVS and UVIEW, Bob McGaughey, can be reached at:
Bob McGaughey (206)543-4713
Cooperative for Forest Systems Engineering
College of Forest Resources
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
Email: mcgoy@u.washington.edu
WWW: forsys.cfr.washington.edu
The authors of the ORGANON growth model can be reached at:
ORGANON Growth & Yield Project (541)737-4951
Department of Forest Resources
College of Forest Resources
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
Email: organon@ccmail.orst.edu
WWW: www.cof.orst.edu/cof/fr/research/organon
The authors of the FVS growth model can be reached at:
Forest Management Service Center (970)498-1500
3825 E. Mulberry St.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Email: fmsc/wo_ftcol@fs.fed.us
WWW: www.fs.fed.us/fmsc/fvs.htm
6
Obtaining and Installing LMS
Obtaining a copy of the Landscape Management System
Copies of the program can be obtained from:
WWW: lms.cfr.washington.edu/lmsdown.html
FTP: silvae.cfr.washington.edu/pub/lms
Or to obtain a CD, contact:
James B. McCarter (206)616-2376
Silviculture Lab Box 352100
College of Forest Resources
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
Installing the Landscape Management System
Windows 95/98/NT
If you are installing from CD, the setup program should automatically begin. If it does not, or if
LMS was downloaded follow these instructions.
1. Click Start|Run… from within Windows.
2. Click the Browse button.
3. Locate the lms16setup.exe file. This file will be placed wherever you chose to download it, or
on your CD drive if you are installing from CD-ROM.
4. Select the lms16setup.exe file and click OK.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program.
Windows 3.x
1. Double click on the Main program group.
2. Double click on the File Manager icon.
3. Select File|Run… from the File Manager menu.
4. Change to the directory in which the LMS16setup.exe file is stored.
5. Double click LMS16setup.exe and follow the onscreen instructions.
7
Basic Functions
This section describes how to perform the basic functions of LMS. These functions are broken into three
main areas: general functions, treating/projecting stands, and analyzing landscapes. Each section will be
discussed with its related functions.
The Landscape Management System comes with three sets of data for use in becoming familiar with the
program. This manual will assume that you are using the Example portfolio (example.lms) for the
following examples. If you are using another data set then substitute it wherever the Example portfolio is
mentioned.
Users unfamiliar with the basic parts and functions of Windows programs should see Appendix A for a
discussion of these basic features. Prior to embarking on this discussion of LMS functions, we should first
get one definition out of the way:
What is a Landscape Management System Portfolio?
A LMS portfolio is the collection of files that LMS uses to simulate and analyze a landscape. It
includes the inventory files, spatial files, stand information files, etc. All of this information is
stored in the portfolio directory. Often in this manual we will refer to the Portfolio File (*.lms ),
which is a configuration file for the portfolio that tells LMS where all the other files are located.
This is just a basic description of the LMS Portfolio, for a more detailed discussion see File
Formats (page 56) or the LMS Programmer’s Guide.
General Functions
This section describes the general functions of LMS that do not involve the projection or analysis of data.
Opening a Portfolio
When LMS is started no data is loaded and it is necessary to open a portfolio. This initializes the
portfolio in LMS and loads all the relevant data into memory.
1. With LMS running, select File|Open Portfolio… from the LMS menu to load the Open
Portfolio dialog box (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Open Portfolio dialog box.
8
2. Browse to the portfolio you want to open and select the Portfolio file (*.lms ) from the left
side of the dialog box.
3. Press OK to initialize and load the portfolio.
Saving a Portfolio
If any projections have been made to a portfolio then you will want to save those projections.
Select File|Save Portfolio… from the LMS menu to save the portfolio.
Closing a Portfolio
To close a portfolio without exiting LMS, the File|Close Portfolio… option can be used. If the
open portfolio has not been saved then the close portfolio option will ask if you want to save it.
Restoring a Portfolio
LMS Portfolios can be stored in an archived format when not in active use (files are stored using
the Info-Zip program). This saves hard drive space by compressing the files into a single ZIP file.
Archived portfolios can be restored and opened at a later time using the Restore Portfolio
command in LMS.
1. With LMS running select File|Restore Portfolio… from the LMS menu to load the Restore
Portfolio dialog box (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Restore Portfolio dialog box.
2. Press the Select button to load the Open File dialog (page 67) and choose a portfolio to
restore.
3. Choose which portfolio to restore. This file can be located in any directory, although LMS
defaults to the LMS directory. In this case choose the Example portfolio archive
(example.zip) and press the OK button. The path and name of the archive should appear
in the “Portfolio to Restore:” line.
4. Press the Browse button to choose the directory to restore the portfolio. Many users choose
to store the portfolios directly in the LMS directory. This clutters up the LMS directory, so it
is recommended to create a new directory off of the root (i.e. C:\Data or D:\Data) in
which to store any portfolios you use (see Appendix A on how to create directories).
Regardless, choose the directory in which you would like to store the portfolio and select OK.
5. Once you have chosen the source directory in which you want to store portfolios, add the
specific target directory for this portfolio to the end of the “Target Directory:” line. Make
9
sure to include the slash “\” before your target (i.e. C:\LMS\Example or
C:\Portfolios\Example).
6. Select OK to restore the portfolio. Once the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running (it will
appear on the start bar when it starts running and then disappear when finished) press OK on
the LMS Status dialog box. LMS will automatically load the restored portfolio when
finished.
Backing up a Portfolio
This function compresses all of the files in the portfolio directory into one zip file (*.zip ). This
makes it easy to transfer a portfolio from computer to another, or to save disk space when a
portfolio is not in active use.
1. With LMS running and the portfolio you want to backup opened (see Opening a Portfolio,
page 8), select File|Backup Portfolio… from the LMS menu. This will load the Backup
Portfolio dialog box (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Backup Portfolio dialog box.
2. Browse to the directory you want to save the compressed file. The dialog box defaults to the
LMS directory, but it is advised to save the file to another directory to prevent clutter in the
LMS directory.
3. Select a name for the compressed file in the “File Name:” line of the dialog box (you do not
have to include the .zip extension).
4. Press OK to compress the portfolio files. Note that LMS does not close the portfolio, nor
does it remove the files from the hard drive. This must be done manually through Windows
(see Appendix A).
5. Once the LMSCMD.PIF finishes running you must press OK on the LMS Status dialog box.
Viewing the Portfolio Log
As projections and treatments are performed they are recorded in the Portfolio Log. To view the
log, use the View|View Log… function. This will load the log file into the default text editor
(Figure 4). To change the default text editor, see Configuring the Landscape Management System
(page 48).
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Figure 4. Portfolio Log.
Flushing the Cache
When projection and treatments are performed on a landscape the inventory files are updated to
reflect this. To restore the portfolio to its base or original status use the Utility|Flush Cache
function. Note that this will remove all of the projections and manipulations performed up to that
point.
Projecting Stands and Landscapes
This section describes those functions that project stands and landscapes forward in time.
Projecting Stands
Stand projection moves one stand forward one “stepsize” in time. The stepsize is defined when
the portfolio is created and is the number of years that projections simulate. When stands are
projected forward both the initial information and the simulated information is maintained for
analysis purposes.
1. With LMS running, select the Project|Stand… command from the LMS menu to load the
Stand Selection dialog box (Figure 5).
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Figure 5. Stand Selection dialog box.
2. Select the stand you wish to project forward in time and press the OK button to start the
growth model.
3. When the LMSCMD.PIF finishes running press the OK button on the LMS Status dialog box.
4. Notice that the end year for the data has changed in the LMS Main Window, but because only
one stand was projected forward it will be the only data available in the future periods.
Projecting Landscapes
While it is possible to project single stands forward in time, the purpose of the Landscape
Management System is to help in managing landscapes. So, it is often necessary and desirable to
project the entire landscape simultaneously. As with the stand projections, the original and future
data are both preserved for analysis.
1. With LMS running, select the Project|Landscape… command from the LMS Menu to start
the growth model. Note that if you have just projected a single stand forward in time your
current year is sometime in the future where you may not have data for the entire landscape.
See the Changing Current Year section (see below) on how to select a time period where the
data set is complete for the landscape.
2. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running press the OK button on the LMS Status dialog
box.
Changing the Current Year
When performing projections the current year for the portfolio is updated to the end of the last
projection. This makes it easy to continue making projections into the future. If however a
treatment performed did not have the desired effect it is necessary to go back to that time period
and re-project.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select Project|Set Year… from the menu
to open the Select Year dialog box (Figure 6).
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Figure 6. Select Year Dialog Box.
2. Select the year you want to go back too.
3. Press OK to change the current year.
Treating Stands and Landscapes
This section discusses those functions used for treating stands. This is a major portion of the Landscape
Management System and this section is one that should be examined closely to get an understanding of
how to effectively use LMS.
Treatment Dialog Box
Treatments are prototyped using the Treatment dialog box ( Figure 7), and may be later included in
a scenario file (page 29). All treatments, except for planting, are performed on the current year’s
data. Regeneration planted in LMS is established in the next time period, so all regeneration files
reflect trees that are one time step old.
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Figure 7. Treatment Dialog
The various parts of the dialog box are:
Select Stand
Highlight (by clicking on them) the stands that should be treated using the treatment you specify
in the dialog box. Note that more than one stand can be selected and treated.
Select Thinning
If the thinning option is enabled (by checking the box in the upper left corner) then the stand will
be thinned according to the parameters specified in this section.
Retain – This specifies what the remaining inventory will be. It can either be Percentage,
Target TPA (Trees per Acre), Basal Area, or SDI (Stand Density Index)
depending on what option is selected.
Removed from – These options specify how LMS determines what trees to remove from
the stand inventory. Above, below, or proportional can be by either DBH
(diameter at breast height) or by tree height depending on which option is
selected. Above removes those trees that have a larger DBH or height. Below
removes those with a smaller DBH or height. Proportional removes evenly from
across the spectrum of DBH’s or heights.
Stand Subset Selection
Often it is desirable to treat only one species or range of diameters in a stand. An example would
be removing Red Alder from a stand to favor conifers. There are two different ways to subset the
stand selected, they can be used independently or in unison. Enable either by checking the box
next to the function.
Species Selection – This option allows specific species to be treated or ignored in the
treatment. Species to ignore should be added to the “Exclude” area, while those
to treat should be added to the “Include” area. If there is a species listed in the
“Include” area then that will be the only species on which LMS will perform the
operation. Species must be specified using whatever codes the growth model
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uses. These must be determined from the documentation for each growth model
(FVS uses two letter species codes in upper case).
Diameter Limits – This option allows trees that fall within the specified diameter range to
be treated. The diameters should be specified in whatever units the inventory
file is using, but usually inches.
Ingrowth
The ingrowth section allows stands to be replanted using a specified regeneration file (*.RGN).
The format of this file is discussed in the File Formats section (page 56). Note that any file
specified here will be added to the inventory in the following decade (i.e. if a stand is planted in
1994 and the step size is 10 years, the regeneration will appear in 2004). So the regeneration must
reflect 10 year old trees. There should be at least 10 lines in any regeneration file, but the more
present the better.
Figure 8. Regeneration File.
Edit – opens the specified regeneration file in the default text editor. If a file is not
currently specified then the default regeneration file is loaded. To change the
default regeneration file see the Configuring the Landscape Management System
(page 48).
Default – sets the regeneration file to the default.
Browse – opens the Open File dialog box (page 67) to locate a regeneration file stored on
the hard drive.
Apply To
This section contains four miscellaneous functions simplifying the use of the treatment dialog.
Most users will rarely use most of these functions, but for completeness they are discussed here.
Treated/Original Stand – This allows treatments to be made sequentially to a stand
(treated stand option), or to throw out the previous set of treatments and use the
original stand data (original stand option).
Year – Specifies the year on which the treatment will be performed. Note that the stand
you select must be projected to the year you wish to perform the treatment. If
you select a previous year on which to perform the treatment, then you must reproject that stand forward in time. Performing the treatment will modify only
the specified year’s data.
Stand Sum – Creates the stand summary table for the selected stands. This table is a good
source of information about the stands’ current conditions.
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Specific Examples of Treating Stands
While the previous section explained the pieces of the treatment dialog, true understanding of how
to use the dialog box comes through use. This section gives very specific examples of how to use
the treatment dialog box to perform treatments to stands. Simulate natural disturbances using
thinnings.
Note: When performing these examples, flush the cache between them. For information on
flushing the cache see Flushing the Cache (page 11).
Thinning a Stand
The main function of the Treatment dialog box is to perform thinnings on stands, while many of
the other functions allow users to specify which trees to thin. In this example we will be thinning
stand 82 of the example portfolio to 75 trees per acre from below by DBH.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select Project|Treat Stands…
to open the Treatment dialog box (Figure 7).
2. Select stand 82 in the stand selection section. Change the retain value to 75, and
verify that the “Target TPA” option is selected (Figure 9).
Figure 9. Thinning a stand.
3. Click OK. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running the treatment is complete.
Vegetation Control
Stands managed for merchantable timber are often thinned to remove any unwanted species. In
western Washington, this typically involves removing Red Alder, Big Leaf Maple, and possibly
Western Hemlock depending on the density. In this example we will remove 90% of the Red
Alder and Big Leaf Maple from stand 82 of the Example portfolio.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select Project|Treat Stands… to open
the Treatment dialog box (Figure 7).
2. Select stand 82 in the stand selection section. Change the retain value to 10 and select the
Percentage treatment option (Figure 10).
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Figure 10. Vegetation Removal.
3. Click the check box next the Enable Species stand subset option.
4. Enter the species codes for Red Alder (RA) and Big Leaf Maple (BM) into the Include edit
box.
5. Click OK. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running the treatment is complete.
Regenerating a Stand
In order for a stand to regenerated it must be specified as a treatment. This can done as part of the
treatment which thins the stand or as a separate treatement. In this example we will first remove
all of the trees from stand 83 and regenerate using the default regenration file.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select Project|Treat Stands… to open
the Treatment dialog box (Figure 7).
2. Select stand 83 from the Stand Selection list box. Change the Retain value to 0 and verify
that the Target TPA thinning option is selected ().
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Figure 11. Regenerating a Stand.
3. Enable ingrowth by clicking the check box next to Enable in the Ingrowth section.
4. Click the Default button in the Ingrowth section to specify the default regeneration file.
5. Press OK. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running the treatment is complete.
Simulating Ingrowth and Regeneration
LMS does not automatically add ingrowth to stands as projections are performed. This must be
specified as a treatment. In this example we will add ingrowth to stand 83.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select Project|Treat Stands… to open
the treatment dialog (Figure 7).
2. Select stand 83 from the Stand Selection list box (Figure 12).
3. Disable the Thinning section by clicking the check box next to Thin.
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Figure 12. Ingrowth.
4. Enable ingrowth option by clicking the check box next to Enable in the Ingrowth section.
5. Press the Default button in the Ingrowth section to select the default ingrowth file. In this
example we will use the default file, but in other cases it is probably desirable to edit the file
to reflect the landscape being treated.
6. Click OK. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running the treatment is complete.
Analyzing Stands and Landscapes
This section deals with those functions that analyze both the current and projected stand information in a
portfolio. The ability of LMS to perform various analysis functions allows users to determine the result of
various treatments made to the portfolio.
There are three main types of analysis that LMS can perform. The first is to summarize and display data in
a tabular format. These tables can be viewed internally within LMS or exported to another program (such
as Microsoft Excel or Access) for further analysis. The second type of analysis is a set of charts. These
charts run internally within LMS, displaying and summarizing data. The final type of analysis is the
visualization functions: stand, stand comparison, and landscape visualizations. These visualizations show a
large number of parameters inherent to each stand in a very easy to understand way.
Tables
Tables are analysis tools that provide data summarized in textual form. The tables present in LMS
have been designed to provide basic forestry statistics. It is also possible for users to add specific,
customized tables to LMS; for information on this see The LMS Programmers Guide. Tables
allow users to look at stand and landscape statistics to both determine necessary treatments and to
see the results of those treatments. The data is delimited when output and can be viewed using a
text editor or spreadsheet, or it can be saved as a file.
Table Dialog Box
The Table dialog box (Figure 13) is the interface to access all tables available in LMS. Figure 13
is the default table dialog present in LMS. If LMS has been customized, it is possible that this
dialog will show other tables not present here.
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Figure 13. Table Dialog Box.
Table Type
The Stand Tables, Landscape Tables, Advanced Tables options define which of type
of table will be run. Stand tables will analyze only the selected stand, while landscape
tables look at the entire landscape. Advanced tables are those that do not comform with
either of the other groups.
Table Selection Box
This box contains a list of all the tables available. The list will be different for stand,
landscape, and advanced tables.
Data Type
The Standing Trees, Cut Trees, Snags/Down Logs options specify what type of data
will be analyzed. The Landscape Management System keeps track of standing and cut
trees and can keep track of snags/down logs as well. For further information on using
snags and down logs see the Snag Model Documentation (page 71).
Text Delimiter
This specifies what syntax will be used to specify text fields in the output tables. The
possible options are none, double quotation mark or single quotation mark.
Field Separator
This option specifies what type of field delimiter will be used in the table. The possible
options are space, tab, or comma.
Select Section
The two options in this section specify on which stand or year the analysis will be
performed. Not all tables use these values when they run.
Destination
These options specify where the table will be saved or displayed. The Text Editor
option will send it to the default text editor, while the Spreadsheet option will send it to
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the default spreadsheet (see Configuring the Landscape Management System, page 48).
The Create File option opens the File Save dialog box and saves the output as a text file.
Table Help Button
Opens a file that contains descriptions of each table.
Sending a Table to a Spreadsheet
In this example we will output a Landscape Inventory table for 1994 to a spreadsheet.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select View|Tables… to open
the Table dialog box (Figure 13).
2. Select the Landscape Tables option and the Landscape Inventory table from the
Table Selection box (Figure 13).
3. Select 1994 from the Year Selection drop down box.
4. Select the Spreadsheet option from the Destination section.
5. Press OK. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running press OK on the LMS
Status dialog box. The output should be similar to Figure 14.
Figure 14. Landscape Inventory table.
Charts
Charts are analysis tools that summarize data in a graphical format. Charts provide an excellent
way to summarize data over time and show trends. Like the tables in LMS, Charts can be added
and customized to reflect specific needs, see The LMS Programmers Guide.
Chart Dialog Box
The Chart dialog box (Figure 15) is the user interface to all the charts available in the Landscape
Management System. This is the default chart dialog box used in LMS, the actual dialog may be
different.
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Figure 15. Chart Dialog Box.
Chart Type
The Stand Chart , Landscape Chart, and Advanced Chart options specify what type of
chart LMS will run. Like the Table dialog box (page 19), stand level charts summarize
information for one selected stand, while landscape level charts summarize the entire
landscape.
Chart Selection
This list box shows all of the charts of a specific type available in your version of LMS.
Only one chart can be selected at a time.
Polygon Selection
The Polygon to Display drop box specify which stand will be summarized when running
a stand level chart.
Close Button
The Close button closes any open chart windows in LMS.
Chart Help Button
Opens a file that explains the function of each chart available in your version of LMS.
Displaying a Chart
In this example a Basal Area by Diameter Class chart will be run on stand 43 of the Example
portfolio.
1. With LMS running and the Example portfolio open, select View|Charts… to open the Chart
dialog box (Figure 1).
2. Verify that the Stand Charts option is currently selected (Figure 15).
3. Select the Basal Area by Diameter Class chart from the Chart Selection list box.
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4. Select stand 43 from the Polygon Selection drop box.
5. Press OK. When the LMSCMD.PIF file finishes running press OK on the LMS Status dialog
box. The results should be similar to those in Figure 16.
Figure 16. Basal Area by Diameter Class chart for stand 43.
Closing Charts
When charts are open in LMS you must use the Close Chart Window function in LMS. With
LMS running and a chart window open, select View|Close Chart to automatically close the
window.
Visualizations
Visualizations are a second way to summarize data graphically, by creating an image of the stand
or landscape. Visualizations summarize a large number of parameters in a very easy to understand
format. This makes visualizations very helpful in showing the results of various treatments to
stands and landscapes.
There are three different types of visualization: stand, stand comparison, and landscape
visualizations. Stand visualizations are performed by two versions of the same program, both of
which are distributed with LMS. SVS is a DOS version of the stand visualization program which
runs slightly faster on most machines, but will not work on Windows NT. WinSVS works on all
Windows 95/98/NT machines and is a Windows version of the stand visualization program.
Landscape visualization is performed by UVIEW, a DOS program distributed with LMS.
Stand/Stand Comparison Visualization Note: If the trees are rendered using unrealistic colors
then one of three things have occurred. The first possible explanation is that the species of tree
you are attempting to visualize is not a known species to SVS (this should not happen using the
Example portfolio). To fix this problem see the SVSLib Help File. The second possible
explanation is that you are using Windows NT which cannot use the standard SVS program to
visualize stands. However this can be fixed by changing the stand visualization program from
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