Version 2.6.0

Summary

• Online maps (GIS plugin) included
• Buffer zones creator included in installation
• (Beta) Habitat prognosis model included as integrated component of Heureka (no need for ArcGIS license)
• Possibilty to print out tree lists for a plan (an optimization result) in PlanWise (as has already been possible for a simulation in RegWise)
• Possibility to rerun a plan in PlanWise or simulation result in RegWise, for exammple to include additional result variables, print tree lists, or change the discount rate.

New functionalty

Online background maps (WMS and WMTS) (Beta)

You can now add background maps from map services in PlanWise and RegWise. A number of predefined services is included, such as Lantmäteriets Topowebb. You can also define one custom connection. For SLU-users, ortophoto data can be selected from the list. Read more here: http://heurekaslu.org/help/index.html?MapBackground.htm

Import column for breeded plants

If an existing plantation has been planted with breeded plants, you can now provide this information in a new column called "IsBreeded" in the stand register file to be imported. Set value 1 for a stand where breeded plants have been used.

Heureka BufferZones GIS tool included

Since some months, a tool for creating buffer zones has been available for manual download. This tool is now included as part of the installation. Read more here: http://heurekaslu.org/help/index.html?MapBufferZones.htm

Habitat model included (Beta)

A new habitat model, which is independent of ArcGIS, is included. This model replaces the stand-alone application HabitatPrognosis. Read more here: http://heurekaslu.org/help/index.html?MapHabitat.htm

Improvements

Recreation index model modified

• The recreation model consists of three sub models, where each applies to a certain mean height interval. Now, a "smoothifying" transition zone is used between the models to minimize sudden “jumps” in the recreation index due to changed height interval. When the mean height is in the transition zone between two models, the model results are weighted.
• The recreation model considers time since last harvest operations when calculating soil damage variable. The effect of soil damages on the recreation index is assumed to decrease over time. You can change the so called Soil Damage Recovery rates in control table Recreation Model.
• The occurrence of dead wood in the recreation index model is now inactivated by default, due to the uncertainty in Heurekas dead wood model and the fact that the initial amount of dead wood inventory is seldom available in the input data.
• Intensive fertilization in RegWise was only applied on stands if to initial state was a young spruce stand with mean height between 2 and 4 m. Now site constraints are sufficient, thus allowing stands for being intensively fertilized in the next rotation.

About net present values in RegWise

Net present values in RegWise have never included periods after the planning period selected, since RegWise makes no calculations after the last planning period. This is not a problem in PlanWise in which an infinite time horizon is approximated by assuming the last rotation or last cutting cycle is repeated in perpetuity. However, in RegWise you can now add additional periods when you do a RegWise simulation, to obtain a longer time horizon. The results for the additional period are not saved to the results database, but only used when the net present values are calculated. More periods will decrease the infinite time horizon approximation. For example with a time horizon of 100 years, and 20 additional five-year periods, the discount factor for the last period is less than 2% with a 2 % discount rate, and less than 0.2 % with a 3 % discount rate. The lower the discount rate, the larger is the difference to the true net present value. With a discount rate of 1 %, the discount factor for revenues 300 years is 0.05, which is not neglectable. A future improvement is therefore to assume that the last rotation or cutting cycle is repeated after, say 200 years. It is more complex than in PlanWise, since the allocation of treatments between treatment units are dependent during the simulation, which is not the case in a TPG-simulaton in PlanWise. This problem has not come to our attention earlier because the main users of Heureka (for SKA-analyses) have not been interested in the net present values.

Bug fixes and other changes

Bug fix: Area restrictions in RegWise

Restrictions in RegWise for maximum area proportion fertilization, intensive fertilization, stump extraction, and harvest residue extraction were not implemented. The main users we have contacted say they have never needed that functionality, which is why the bug has not been discovered.

Bug fix: Breeding effect when planting in period 0

No breeding effect was obtained when planting in period 0, which is now fixed.

• Bug fix: Result variable TreeSizeDiversity (Hugin def.) fixed====

Result variable SturcutrualDiversity.TreeSizeDiversity = UnevenAged was not implemented correctly. To be classified as UnevenAged, acccording to the original Swedish NFI definition, there must be trees in four diameter classes, and the number of trees in class i must be larger than the number of trees in class i + 1. Also, the largest tree must be at least 20 cm. The bug was that no checking was done that trees existed in the largest diameter class, which lead to that a stand could be classfied as UnevenAged, altough there were only trees in the first three classes.

Improvement: Handling of bio fuel extraction after wind-throw

Improvement: The decision to extract fuel extraction in a stand that has been windthrown (in RegWise) is now determined by the control category settings. In previous version no biofuel was extracted after windthrow.