Simulation techniques in forest-range management

Abstract

Apollo 11, the first manned flight to the surface of the moon, was a spectacular feat. A major reason the flight was so successful was that Apollo 11 had already made the trip a great many times - theoretically in a computer. What a mess the first flights must have been! But, they were made without loss of astronauts, resources, or time. The technique used by NASA is available to, and being used by, managers and scientists in many fields. It has, however, had only limited use so far in land management. This valuable tool is the study of a system in a computer through simulation of changes in the system during some period of time (Chorafas 1965, Evans et al. 1967}. The system of interest here is a forest range made up of such components as soil precipitation, sunlight, vegetation, and livestock. The term "simulation" can be explained by describing the things a range manager could do to develop and use simulation as a land management tool.

Citation

Myers, Clifford A.; Currie, Pat O. 1970. Simulation techniques in forest-range management [Chapter 2]. In: Jameson, Donald A., ed. Modelling and systems analysis in range science. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, Range Science Department. p. 17-22.