Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

Box 7.13
System Architecture of a Standard FMIS
The following are the interconnected modules that
would comprise a standard FMIS:
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Forest Land Information Module. This module
would contain information on the current status of
the forest, as well as information encapsulating the
best current knowledge of how the forest develops
and reacts to management actions and stochastic
events (such as fire, pests, and disease). The module
would normally include the following:
– Land-use database. Basic attributes for various
units of land, often including their location, area,
legal status, administrative unit, land use/cover,
and so forth. This relational database containing
the attributes data would normally be linked to a
GIS (map) database where the spatial data, in the
form of polygons, are stored.
– Physical infrastructure database. Information
about the infrastructure (road network, bridges,
dams) available for supporting forest management
on the land base in question (these would
normally be viewed as layers in the GIS database).
– Forest inventory system. Information about each
unit of land that is of concern. This information
will include such data as forest cover type, tree
species and vegetation, basal area, volumes, site
class, terrain conditions, and any other forest
information required for managing (analyzing,
planning, and monitoring) the forest. The information
would be periodically updated through
interfaces with the growth and yield model, the
operations tracking module, and the resource
monitoring systems.
– Growth and yield models. Models describing the
natural development of forest types over time
(growth) and the values (timber and nontimber
forest products, revenues) that can be obtained
at the various stages of development (yield).
There are many kinds of growth and yield models,
including stand-level models for a forest type
in a specific geographic region, and single-tree
models specific to a particular species. Singletree
modeling tends to be more flexible, but
stand (or forest-type) models would usually be
more appropriate for national-, regional-, or
state-level forest management.
– Forest transition models (or ecological scenario
models). Models that describe the changes in a
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specific forest stand (or type, if on a national
scale) as a result of some specific intervention
(such as certain kinds of harvesting, stand establishment,
and stand tending actions).
– Forest monitoring systems. Although possibly included
in the Forest Inventory System described
in note 7.1, additional forest resource and biodiversity
monitoring systems that may be required
for purposes of administrative oversight, quality
control, and compliance with the criteria and
indicators of a forest certification scheme.
Forest Resource Planning Module (also known as
harvest scheduling module). Using much of the
information in the Forest Land Information Module,
the GIS and, in more sophisticated systems, the
Operations Management module (described below),
this module is used to forecast and plan the development
of the forest and the flow of products and services
(or forest values, including those related to
ecosystem conservation). The planning is generally
set up to cover a significant time horizon (often
more than one rotation of the major tree species),
thus allowing the resulting plan to be labeled “sustainable.”
The kinds of planning systems available
range from simple forecasting models to simulation
models through to optimization models. The model
type appropriate to a particular situation depends
upon management goals (strategic or tactical) as
well as on the availability of good forest data.
Operations Management Module. This is the mechanism
for making changes to ongoing management
activities and is well developed in commercial forest
applications. This module is designed to facilitate
stand-level planning, scheduling, and monitoring of
all major forestry activities, including stand establishment,
tending and harvesting, product sales and
transportation, forest protection, and road construction.
Costs, revenues, and production results
should be gathered and used for this planning,
although some or most of that information may
come from an accounting or business information
management system (described below). An operations
management system should be capable of
reporting on all relevant activities and operational
results for purposes of management control, as well
as to verify compliance with any regulations, forest
certification, or quality control requirements that
might apply.
264 CHAPTER 7: MONITORING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT