Abstract

Use of Knowledge Base Systems in Integrated Landscape Restoration
Track: Ecology and Conservation
Author(s): Mark Jensen, Keith Reynolds

The Northern Region of the USDA Forest Service is using the Ecosystem Management Decision Support System (www.institute.redlands.edu/emds) in its evaluation of sub watershed suitability for integrated landscape restoration. The decision model component of this knowledge base software (Criterium Decision Plus) uses an analytical hierarchy process whereby the user specifies the relative weight of multiple criteria in the evaluation of optimum sub watershed locations for treatment. Various scenarios are assessed in this model to reflect objectives from different natural resource perspectives such as wildlife and fish conservation, fire management, and vegetation management. This presentation will illustrate how this software (an ARCGIS tool extension) has been successfully used by the Northern Region of the USDA Forest Service in its identification of sub watersheds for landscape restoration treatment. Additionally, we will describe how the decision model component of EMDS can be linked to ecosystem assessment results generated from its knowledge base engine (NETWEAVER).

Mark Jensen
USDA - Forest Service, Northern Region
PO Box 8201
Missoula , Montana 59807
United States
Phone: 406-329-3047
E-mail: mjensen@fs.fed.us

Keith Reynolds
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Nortwest Research Station
Forestry Sciences Lab
Corvallis , Oregon 97331
United States
Phone: 541-750-7434
E-mail: kreynolds@fs.fed.us