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Version 2.3.0

Summary

Version 2.3 contains a number of new features:

• (Beta) Forest data can now be imported according to the new ForeStand standard (http://www.sis.se/tk538. ).

The import function currently allows importing stand data and GIS data (plot data and tree data will be possible in future versions), from only one file.

• A new plugin-mechanism allows modellers with programming skills in C# to use their own models in Heureka. The plugin feature currently supports growth, volume, mortality and height models.
• The default decay rates for dead wood has been changed
• Dead trees can be imported from TreeList-importer

New features

Dead trees possible to add when importing tree list data

Until now, dead trees measured in the field has only been possible to import when the inventory has been made with FMPP field computer. Now it is also possible to add dead trees registration to the Excel-sheet template used for tree list import. In the sheet Trees, two new (optional) columns has been added: Status and DecayClass. Status is blank, 0 or 1 for living trees, 2 for dead standing tree, 3 for dead lying tree, and 4 for dead tree if the position is unknown. DecayClass is set to 0-4, or left blank. If left blank, Heureka will distribute the dead tree volume over decay classes automatically. The same applies to if the species field is left blank, then Heureka will distribute the dead wood volume in proportion to the species distribution of the living trees. If tree height for a dead tree or log is left blank, there are new functions to calculate the dead wood volume.

In the Dead Wood control table, you can set how many decay classes has been inventoried (for example if only classes less decayed than class 2 has been inventoried and whether volume should be simulated for the remaining classes).

Default decay rates changed

Lately, the amount of dead wood is a funtion that has been used in a number of projects. It appears that the amount of dead wood accumulated over time according to a Heureka prognosis may be overestimated. The amount of dead wood is a function of mortality rates and decay rates. The decay rate are user-defined, and are by default 1.3 % per year for dead wood volume, and 4 % per year for dead wood biomass. The values have been retrived from Table 2 in Harmon, Karnkina & Sextion (2000), "Decomposition vectors: a new approach to estimating woody detritus decomposition dynamics". It is not clear why that specific table was selected (12 years ago). The new default values have been retrieved from Table 3 instead and gives a little higher dacya rates and a little less ackumulation of dead wood. Note however that this part is quite uncertain and needs further investigation. So please pay attention to these uncertainties when analysing results in dead wood and carbon contents in dead wood.

Beta: Import data using new forest data standard

(Beta) Stand register data can be imported as XML-files formatted according the new ForeStand standard (http://www.sis.se/tk538). This allows for importing stand data and GIS data from the same file. It also allows for importing tree layers and different tree species in a more flexible way than the ordinary Stand Register importer.

Plugin framework

There is a new folder under My Documents > Heureka > Common called Plugins. A programmer can implement one of Heureka's C# interfaces available (currently for tree growth, tree volume, tree mortality and tree height). When you start a Heureka application, this folder will be scanned for dll-files that implement any of these interfaces. If found, the name of the function will be available in the Production Model control table, and used in simulations if selected.

Bug fixes

Fixed: Null values in conditions were not handled

Fixed: If you formulated a condition in the forest domain builder and used IS NULL or IS NOT NULL as part of the expression the evaluation failed.

Fixed: Simulation sometimes crashed

Fixed: In PlanWise and RegWise, parallelization is used to minimize execution times, so that more than one CPU-core is used if available. Sometimes, there would be a conflict when different so called threads were writing to the Output progress window at the exact same time. This would result in e runtime exception error.

Other improvements

Captions added to buttons

To make life easier for the user, text labels has been added to several tool buttons in the applications user interfaces.

Promting for saving of pricelist better implemented

New projects no longer prompt where to save pricelist if they're still using the default pricelist. Only when changes have been made to the pricelist will a prompt appear. <feedDate>2015-05-20/feedDate>