Sylva Foundation is excited to announce the launch of a major new myForest development.
The new myForest Inventory functionality is the result of a two year partnership with Northwoods Innovation Programme and significantly improves the ability of myForest users to calculate and store woodland inventory information.
myForest users can now get an automatic estimation of the timber volume of a stand, simply by entering two parameters for a selection of trees in sample plots. myForest takes the diameter and height for each tree and calculates the estimated volume and basal area, then extrapolates the data to stand level. This fully automated process, of converting raw diameter and height measurements into tree volumes and basal areas, is the result of myForest team digitising thousands of lines of data from the Forest Research Blue Book. Up until now, this process has been both confusing and laborious, involving cross-referencing to published charts and tables.
“We wanted to create a woodland inventory process that required limited user input and be gathered with relative ease. By limiting the data required to species, diameter-at-breast height (DBH), and height, this new functionality means the process is accessible to those with limited experience, and does not depend on specialist or expensive equipment.”
Andrew Clark, Head of Forestry, Sylva Foundation
When applied correctly, by ensuring your sample plots are representative of the stand, this methodology is a straightforward way of estimating timber volumes and basal areas. Once the data is entered into myForest, it can be viewed in multiple ways; Paid Plan users also benefit from the ability to export all data into a spreadsheet to allow further manipulation and analysis.
Tree and stand measurements are a vital component of woodland management, allowing owners and managers to evaluate the timber stock on their land, carry out production forecasts and plan harvesting operations. Volume estimates are also required for felling licences in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and felling permissions in Scotland. Assessment of volume may also be the basis of natural capital payments for carbon stocks in established woodlands in the future.
The new myForest functionality provides the foundation for more innovative work currently underway; the ability to link myForest to inventory collection apps, capacity for carbon storage calculations, and the potential for myForest users to sell stock through timber sale platforms such as Cloud Forest and Timber Auctions – so look out for new updates soon. Further support is also available at myForest.sylva.org.uk/guidance under “Sub-compartment Management Data” and “myForest Inventory”
This project was made possible by the Forestry Commission’s Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund.
