SILVAH 7

SILVAH 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.