At the 2012 Mountain Pine Beetle Ecology Program workshop, hosted by the Foothills Research Institute, Willi Fast gave an overview of the development of an online DST for mountain pine beetle spread in Alberta. The presentation covers the context for its development, what kinds of knowledge was required to meets its objectives, and how it works.
Management decisions are being made at a landscape level, but those decisions require knowledge of the tree-level or stand-level MPB dynamics. The DST provides this information. Users input data for their area, and the tool provides a series of tables and graphs showing response variables for stand-level forecasts. The DST continues to evolve, with further development making it more robust, and incorporating ongoing research data.
Willi Fast is Manager of Biometrics with The Forestry Corp.
