SIMPPLLE, version 2.5 user's guide

Abstract

SIMPPLLE is a spatially-interactive, dynamic landscape modeling system for projecting temporal changes in the spatial distribution of vegetation in response to insects, disease, wildland fire, and other natural and management-caused disturbances. SIMPPLLE is designed to provide a balance between incorporating enough complexity and interactions in modeling ecosystem processes to provide an acceptable level of realism while making simplifications in the choices on required data input requirements, required computer platforms, and computing time to be a management tool useful in collaborative planning processes. SIMPPLLE is designed to serve as a decision support system in collaborative efforts to help managers and resource specialists quantify and incorporate concepts that are often difficult to interpret for specific landscapes. Managers can use SIMPPLLE to help define and evaluate desired future conditions at landscape scales, to identify what parts of a landscape are more prone to disturbance processes over a given time frame, and to help design and evaluate different strategies for achieving desired future conditions. We explain data input requirements, the GIS tools to create the necessary input files, input values specific to geographic areas, directions for executing the system and generating model output, and GIS displays.

Citation

Chew, Jimmie D.; Moeller, Kirk; Stalling, Christine. 2012. SIMPPLLE, version 2.5 user's guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-268WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 363 p.