SILVAH 7 - Decision support for managers of Allegheny hardwood and mixed oak ecosystems

Author

SILVAH 7 - Decision support for managers of Allegheny hardwood and mixed oak ecosystems

Scott Thomasma and Susan Stout

SILVAH (short for Silviculture of Allegheny Hardwoods, but now also applicable to mixed oak forests) is a computer tool for making silvicultural decisions in hardwood stands of the mid-Atlantic and upper Appalachian region. It is an "expert system" in that it recommends appropriate treatments based upon user objectives and overstory, understory, and site data provided by the user. SILVAH also contains a wildlife attributes report, forest stand growth simulator, provides the ability to test alternative cuts, enables development of a forest-wide inventory database, and facilitates other forest management planning functions. 

SILVAH is the computerized implementation of a systematic approach to silviculture, in which current conditions are identified through a systematic inventory of overstory and understory.  These conditions are evaluated using an objective set of research-based standards and the constraints and objectives of the land-manager.  Then a prescription is recommended to move the stand closer to the manager’s objectives. The silviculture behind the SILVAH system in Allegheny, northern hardwood, and mixed-oak forests is described in two publications titled Prescribing silvicultural treatments in hardwood stands of the Alleghenies and Prescribing regeneration treatments for mixed-oak forests in the Mid-Atlantic region   

SILVAH-7, Version 7.0, is available for download from our web site! SILVAH-7 is the successor to SILVAH 6.2, which will eventually be phased out. New features in SILVAH-7 include detailed understory inventory data entry (species by height class for seedlings and stump sprouts), enhanced wildlife reports and wildlife attributes for plant species, and the ability to see how changes in data or defaults affect recommended prescriptions in real time.  If you choose to download SILVAH-7, we would appreciate being notified if you find any problems when using the software.  A guide to data entry short-cuts for users who enter data directly into SILVAH is also available and quick reference guides for data collection are available below. The User's Guide to SILVAH may provide helpful background, although it was written for SILVAH 6 and there may be slight differences.

More Information

Downloads and Documentation
SILVAH-7, version 7.0.2.32 (may require user to obtain administrative privileges to install) - Revised November 22, 2016	exe (self-extracting zip file)	13 mb
User's Guide to SILVAH 6.2	pdf	1.9 mb
SILVAH Allegheny Hardwoods Quick Reference Guide	pdf	643 kb
SILVAH Oak Quick Reference Guide	pdf	645 kb
SILVAH Overstory Data Entry shortcuts	pdf	21 kb
Tally Sheets Allegheny Hardwoods Tally Sheets Mixed Oak Tally Sheets	pdf

  

(Some documents on this page are in PDF format. You may obtain a free PDF reader from Adobe.)

For further details log on website :
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/tools/silvah7/