Model Origins Development Strategy Development Team and Cooperators Support from Industry and Other Agencies Current and Future Development

Model Origins

The construction of TASS began in 1963 by Dr. Kenneth J. Mitchell as a research project of the Canadian Forest Service (Mitchell, 1969) with later support contributed by Yale University (Mitchell, 1975), University of Idaho (Goudie, 1980), British Columbia Ministry of Forests (Mitchell and Cameron, 1985), and other agencies.

Link to Release News

Link to Version History

Development Strategy

Development Team and Cooperators

Thanks to these people and organizations for their contribution to the development of TASS

Research Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests

Ken Mitchell, Ken Polsson, Albert Nussbaum, Jim Goudie, Mario Di Lucca, Catherine Bealle-Statland, and Gordon Nigh

Timber Supply Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests

Jeff Stone

J.S. Thrower and Associates

Jim Thrower and Ian Cameron

Ramsoft Systems Ltd.

Robert Macdonald

Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre

Rene Alfaro and Bill Bloomberg

Support from Industry and other Agencies

Industry:

MacMillan Bloedel Ltd.

Weldwood, Canada

Western Forest Products

Weyerhaeuser

International Paper

Rayonier Inc.

Crown Zellerbach

Agencies:

Forest Renewal BC

Canada-British Columbia Partnership Agreement on Forest Resource Development, FRDA II

The University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry

Alberta Forests Service

United States Forest Service, Department of Agriculture

University of Idaho, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences

Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Stand Management Cooperative, University of Washington

New Zealand Forest Research Institute

Current and Future Development

Current and future development plans for TASS include:

• the calibration of TRAYCI, the light interception model;
• a start-up routine to enter data from existing stands;
• a complex stands model for uneven-aged interior Douglas-fir stands in the IDF zone, and for even-aged mixed-species stands in the ICH zone;
• red alder calibration;
• internet on-line access to TASS with the support of the TASS Input Editor program (TASSIE);
• wildlife attributes and environmental indicators (e.g., pileated woodpecker, grizzly bear habitat, cougar, coarse woody debris and "old-growth" dependent values). See publication by Greenough and Kurz (1996);
• link with VISTAS, an interactive stand visualization and complex thinning program;
• a mistletoe model for western hemlock; and
• further model calibration as data become available.

Perhaps one of the most important upgrades relates to the light and moisture components needed to simulate the development of complex stands. Light is necessary to model the variable crown structure found in mixed-species and uneven-aged stands. The dynamics of moisture within a complex stand is uncertain and is currently under investigation.

Link to What's New