How to Determine Site Index in Silviculture
Background Information
Target Audience
The target audience for this course includes silviculture surveyors, contract administrators, and planners. Participants should have a working knowledge of silviculture survey systems and plans. This course is in PDF format, condensed from a one day workshop,
Prerequisites
- Working knowledge of silviculture surveys
- Basic understanding of forest health issues
- Basic understanding of multi-story stands (PDF)
The purpose of this course is to improve forest management in British Columbia by improving the ability of silviculture surveyors to estimate site index — one of the key variables that needs to be considered for effective forest management decision making.
By the end of this course, participants should be able to:
- Understand the purpose of estimating site index.
- Know which method of estimating site index is best to use for each species and site.
- Collect site index data that conforms to provincial standards.
Equipment Required
- Pencil/pen
- Personal field gear (Cruiser's vest, rain gear, boots, etc.) plus whatever you can bring from the following list:
- Increment borer
- 5.64 m plot cord
- Folding hand saw
- Carpenter's measuring tape
- Field book
- DBH tape
- Suunto
- 30 m tape or loggers chain
- Hand lens
- Calculator
- Pocket knife