with data storage. The lidar sensor is a

laser emitting and receiving scanning

unit. The laser scanner sends between

10,000 to 200,000 (depending on reso-

lution) pulses of light per second to the

surface below. The sensor records how

long it takes each light pulse to return

back to the unit. These times are used

to calculate the distance based on the

constant speed of light and the time it

takes a given light pulse to return. The

sensors are able to records multiple

returns for a given pulse, which allows

lidar systems to differentiate from the

forest canopy (first return) and the bare

In the fall of 2012 Green Diamond

Resources Company donated a lidar

data set covering the L.W. Schatz

Demonstration Tree Farm. Lidar or

“Light Detection and Ranging”, is an

active remote sensing technology.

Similar to radar technology, lidar

works by transmitting pulses of laser

light towards the surface and measur-

ing the amount of time it takes for a

given pulse to return. Lidar can pro-

duce high resolution digital elevation

maps which provide detailed imagery

and measurements of topographic fea-

tures. Lidar also has many important

applications for forestry and resource

management; including providing

measurements of canopy heights, leaf

area and biomass estimations.

While lidar technology has been

around for over forty years, there has

been significant increase in the use of

lidar in the last 10 years. This is due

to the decrease in costs associated with

lidar collection and an increase in

computing power and resolution.

Most lidar acquisitions are done using

an aircraft equipped with a lidar sen-

sor, GPS unit, inertial measurement

unit (IMU) and an onboard computer

L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm Receives Donation of LIDAR data from Green Diamond Resources Company

2012 Annual Report

L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm

2012 Annual Report

Inside this report:

Cover Story

1

Research and

other projects in

2012

2

Summer

operations &

maintenance in

2012

3

Summer

operations &

maintenance

planned for 2013

3

Research

projects planned

for 2013

4

Other projects

planned for 2013

5

The above diagram is a graphical representa-

tion of how lidar is collected

Research projects in 2012

Page 2 L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm

Carbon storage

Dr. Pascal Berrill and graduate student Brandon Namm compelted their study

on “Below-ground carbon storage in tanoak” at the Tree Farm. The primary

goals of this research are to 1) quantify how belowground carbon levels in

tanoak are connected to aboveground variables, such as diameter at breast

height and basal area, which are easily measured; 2) explore how the allome-

tric relationship between aboveground and belowground biomass and carbon

content in tanoak is influenced by canopy position and competition for light

and other resources; and 3) use variables that impact this above- and below-

ground relationship to generate predictive models.

Bio-energy pilot study

Dr. Pascal Berrill continued work on the “Tree Farm bio-energy pilot study:

Planting five tree species in a replicated test plot.”, Students from the Forest

Restoration class and The Forest Environment class maintained and moni-

tored the plots planted in 2009. Maintenance primarily consisted of weed

control as there was considerable competition from weeds on the dry site.

Other projects in 2012

Tree Farm as Educational Tool

In addition to the faculty and graduate research the Tree Farm is a hands-on

learning environment for many forestry courses. Introduction to Forest and

The Environment (FOR 116), Forest Health & Protection (FOR 222), Forest

Mensuration & Growth (FOR 311), Forest Management (FOR 315), Forest

Restoration (FOR 431) and Silviculture (FOR 432) all made field trips to the

L.W. Schatz Tree Farm as part of the course.

In the spring 2012, Dr. Pascal Berrill’s Forest Restoration (FOR431)

class made trips to the L.W. Schatz Tree Farm for their applied restora-

tion project at the L.W.Schatz Tree Farm. The student in FOR 431 made

multiple visits to the Schatz Tree Farm over the course of the spring se-

mester. FOR 116 and FOR 431 students have performed maintenance

(primarily weed control) and monitoring during field trips to the Tree

Farm.

As in past summers, significant

maintenance and improvement

projects were done over the Sum-

mer in 2012. Derek Weatherbee

and Mike Vogele comprised the

2013 summer maintenance crew,

along with Gordon Schatz, Tree

Farm Manage. Projects complet-

ed include:

Tree Farm building

Mowed lawns and outer areas

to reduce fire hazard.

Cleaned shop, bathrooms and

interior of the building.

Cleaned walkway and gutters

around the building.

Saws and other power equip-

ment brought into town for an-

nual maintenance.

Cleaned equipment shed and

contents.

Resupplied gas and oil for ma-

chines.

All Terrain Vehicles were ser-

viced and received new tires.

General landscaping, including

weeding, cleanup and mulching.

Tree Farm acreage

Cleared storm debris and

downed trees from roads, trails

and culverts.

Mowed roads, and turnouts as

well as brush cut trails.

Mowed and brush cut trails (on-

going).

Worked on pond trail improve-

ments.

Removed brush and pruned

trees along roadsides to im-

prove visibility.

Potholes filled on roads with

gravel.

Located and cleared culvert in-

lets and areas around them.

Cleaned up duck blind at the

pond.

Shaded fuel break enhancement

and pruning along roads and

trails.

Summer operations and maintenance in 2012

Page 3 2012 Annual Report

Scenes from the Tree Farm.

Digitize historical documents and maps from the L.W. Schatz

Demonstration Tree Farm

Summer operations and maintenance planned for 2013

Page 4 L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm

LIDAR Story (continued from page 1)

earth (last return). The ability to distinguish and visualize both the ground

and canopy structure offers many advantages for forestry research. A wide

range of information can be obtained from lidar, including topographic

models, forest structure, density, canopy heights,, and biomass estimates.

The lidar data will offer an excellent, real-world learning tool for forestry

students. The lidar acquisition will also provide valuable data for research

at the Tree Farm.

Response to Mortality and Anthropogenic Disturbances in Mixed

Evergreen Conifer Forests: Changes in Stand Structure, Growth, and

Branching

In 2013 Dr. Pascal Berrill and his graduate student will begin work on their

study on “Response to Mortality and Anthropogenic Disturbances in Mixed

Evergreen Conifer Forests: Changes in Stand Structure, Growth, and

Branching.” Coastal mixed evergreen conifer forests are changing in

response to disease and harvest disturbances., in particular Sudden oak

death (SOD) caused by the pathogen Phytopthora ramorum is killing

millions of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) throughout California.

The project aims to address three main topics; I) The response of coast

redwood and Douglas-fir to partial harvesting and associated composition

control in irregular uneven-aged stands; 2) Stand density and branching in

pure and mixed even-aged and multiaged coastal redwood and Douglas-fir;

and 3) Regeneration and growth of residual stand during conversion of

mixed even-aged stands to conifer-dominated uneven-aged stands.

The pilot study of this project will take place at the L.W. Schatz Tree Farm

to test field sampling method. This will include Redwood and Douglas-fir

tree growth and branch sampling at the Tree Farm and dendrochronological

analysis in the laboratory at Humboldt State University.

Satellite aerial image of the

research station at the L.W.

Schatz Demonstration Tree

Farm (Top) and 3-D Point

cloud representation of the

same area modeled with

Fusion software (Bottom)

Research projects anticipated for 2013

Page 5 2012 Annual Report

L.W. Schatz Demonstration

Tree Farm

Department of Forestry &

Wildland Resources

Humboldt State University

1 Harpst St.

Arcata, CA 95521

Phone: 707.826.3935

Fax: 707.826.3534 E-mail: fwr@humboldt.edu

Web site:

www.humboldt.edu/

schatztreefarm

Contact Information

Tree Farm Advisory

Committee Ken Fulgham, Chair,

Department of Forestry and Wildland

Resources Steve Smith, Dean, College of

Natural Resources and

Sciences Pascal Berrill, Assistant

Professor, Department of Forestry and Wildland

Resources

Tree Farm staff Gordon Schatz, Tree Farm

Manager

George Pease, Technician

Sara Hanna, Research

Associate and Coordinator

Derek Weatherbee, Summer

crew

Mike Vogele, Summer crew

Deparment of Forestry &

Wildland Resources

faculty members

Pascal Berrill

Ken Fulgham

Han-Sup Han

Jeff Kane

Erin Kelly

Susan Marshall

Mahesh Rao

Stephen Sillett

John Stuart

Andy Stubblefield

L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm The L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm’s mission is to provide a demonstra-

tion tree farm operation for the benefit of the instructional and research needs of

the students and faculty of Humboldt State University and as an example for own-

ers of small timberland parcels. The Tree Farm enables experimentation and re-

search regarding the growing, harvesting, and replacement of trees on timberland.

The Tree Farm aims to utilize as many square feet as practical for production of

commercial wood crops. The Tree Farm serves as an outdoor classroom for educa-

tional purposes and also enables public educational assistance to landowners

through publications, photos, lectures, symposia, and tours.

Research and Other projects planned for 2013

Bio-energy pilot study Dr. Pascal Berrill will continue work on the “Tree Farm bio-energy pilot study: Planting five tree species in a replicated test plot.” Dr. Berrill along with students from his Siliviculture (FOR 432) and Forest Restoration (FOR 431) class will con-tinue to monitor and maintain the plots through hand weeding. Tree Farm as outdoor classroom As in previous year, the Tree Farm will continue to be used for many forestry clas-ses, there are many field trips already planned for 2013 Forest and The Environment (FOR 116): Students in the Forest and The Envi-ronment class will visit the Tree Farm. Forest Health and Protection (FOR 222): Students in the Forest Health and Pro-tection class will visit the Tree Farm. Forest Restoration (FOR 431): Dr. Pascal Berrill and his Forest Restoration stu-dents will continue to maintain and monitor restoration sites at the Tree Farm. Nonindustrial Timber Management Plan (NTMP) Establish an NTMP for the Tree Farm by putting out a statewide call for bids to write a plan. Geographic Information System Continue improvements on the Tree Farm GIS database, including mapping and obtaining additional data. Digitize historical documents and maps from the L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm