North Central Research Station

Software

Today, computer applications are an integral part of the research process.  Our research staff not only uses state-of-the-art software, we develop new applications for others in the natural resources.

• Acorn: A Comprehensive Ozark Regenerator  ACORn is a computer program that can help forest managers predict the number and species of trees that will regenerate following harvest in upland oak stands in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri and adjacent States (fig. 1). The program predicts the development of the most important hardwood species in the Ozark Highlands including the oaks, hickories, blackgum, sassafras, and flowering dogwood. ACORn predicts the expected height or diameter distributions of major trees species at 5, 10, and 21 years after complete overstory removal. ACORn also predicts stocking values by species and diameter class at age 21. To make these predictions, ACORn requires an inventory of the advance reproduction (trees <1.6 inches d.b.h.) and the overstory (trees >1.6 inches d.b.h.) before final harvest as well as information on site quality.
• Landscape Habitat Suitability Index Application  Landscape-level Habitat Suitability Models For Twelve Wildlife Species in Southern Missouri. Describes GIS-based habitat suitability index models for twelve terrestrial vertebrate species in southern Missouri. Demonstrates model application to a simulated forest landscape.