Truck Hill Forest Alliance
Cooperative Educational Outreach
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY 
FOREST MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING
SITE SPECIFIC LONG-TERM
FOREST PLANNING SIMULATION MODEL
The Truck Hill Forest Alliance forest planning simulation model is composed of a fictional group of forest land owners situated in the Sierra Nevada. They seek to manage their timberlands independently from each other and at the same time contribute cooperatively towards a sustained yield solution in support of the local community of Pioneer. Each ownership has unique management goals and objectives. The six ownerships comprise collectively 14,327-acres which encompasses 14 timber types consisting of ponderosa pine at the lower elevations, and extending though Douglas-fir and mix-conifer types at mid elevations, and true fir types at the upper elevations. Ownerships range in area from 1,299 to 3,279-acres. Current cumulative standing inventory is 283 MMBF net Scribner. Each ownership has been subdivided into logical logging units defined by terrain characteristics, logging system, and acreage limitations set by the California Forest Practice Rules. Public trust resources including northern spotted owls, bald eagles and pre-historic archaeological sites are found on several ownerships. Current northern spotted owl habitat consists of 12% nesting, 83% roosting, and 5% foraging.
The principle goals of the six individual landowners are as follows:
1. Create and enhance wildlife habitat diversity; 2. Harvest sufficient volume to satisfy property tax bill; 3. Maximize sustained yield using uneven-age management; 4. Maintain and enhance rangeland conditions and maximize sustained yield using even-age management but excluding the clearcut method; 5. Maximize sustained yield with aggressive conversion to plantations; 6. Develop recreation opportunities using uneven-age management.
Additionally, three of the landowners have imposed a constraint that harvest flows shall be non-declining over the planning horizon. This simulation model is designed to teach forestry students a site-specific approach to long-term planning of large landscapes. Students, with the use of Graphical Planning Interface (GPI©), can quickly create site-specific silviculture prescriptions over a 100-year planning horizon while incorporating solutions to resource protection issues. GPI© is a Windows database application that serves as an interface between CACTOS, CRYPTOS and SYSTUM-1 tree growth modeling programs. GPI© provides the land manager the capability to expeditiously evaluate management decisions at the unit level and collectively at the landscape level. Insight gained from this process will give students a better understanding of the complex issues facing forest management and more importantly demonstrate that solutions to a myriad of issues are definable and implemental. This management model creates accountability, which translates to greater professional, public, and regulatory confidence.
Alpine Land Information Services Inc.
3058 Crossroads Drive
Redding, CA 96003
(530) 222-8100
Fax: (530) 222-8108
email: info@alpine-lis.com