BIOPAK--Software and Equation Library for Plant Biomass

• To: forest@nic.funet.fi
• Subject: BIOPAK--Software and Equation Library for Plant Biomass
• From: meansj@ccmail.orst.edu
• Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 11:25:48 -0800 (PST)
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• Resent-Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 11:25:48 -0800 (PST)
• Resent-From: forest-owner@nic.funet.fi
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• Resent-To: mesinfo@pihta.metla.fi

      I heard BIOPAK was mentioned on this list and so am posting this brief 
      overview.  I am interested having my programmer work with people using 
      their data to gain more experience with the software and expose problems 
      soon.  The current equation library is for the Pacific Northwest of North 
      America but libraries can be built for other regions.
      
      Cheers,
      --Joe Means
      
From: Joseph E. Means                            Forestry Sciences Laboratory
      Internet: MEANS@FSL.ORST.EDU               3200 Jefferson Way
                                                 Corvallis, Oregon  97331
      Phone 503-750-7351  Fax 503-750-7329       U.S.A.


                                  BIOPAK

      A General Purpose Plant Biomass Computation Package  (10/18/94)

Joseph Means, Heather Hansen, Greg Koerper, Paul Alaback and Mark Klopsch


   BIOPAK is a software package for the PC that provides flexibility for linking
plant measurements to documented equations, that estimate plant components,
e.g. leaf mass, leaf area, stem wood mass, bark mass.  It is menu-driven and
includes on-line help.

   For a given species and plant component, the program can choose equations
from those contained in an equation library using built-in assumptions based
primarily on comparisons of plant dimensions, geographic area sampled and seral
stage sampled for input data and prediction equations.  Alternatively, a user 
can
direct the program to search a specific subset of the equation library or use a
particular equation for particular input data.  In this manner, equations from 
other
species may be used for species in the data for which equations are unavailable.

   BIOPAK produces reports formatted for people and machine-readable files for
use by other software such as graphics, statistics and database programs.  Other
reports document the design of a computation run and the equations used. 
BIOPAK includes a library of over 1100 prediction equations and an editor for
updating it.  Most of the equations in the library were developed in the Pcific
Northwest of North America, including Southeast Alaska, northern Rocky
Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The equation library editor can also
be used to build equation libraries for other biomes and regions using existing
equations.  The current library includes equations from biomes ranging from
temperate rainforest to desert.

CONTACT: Joseph E. Means, Research Forester, 503-750-7351,  Fax: 750-7329
Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service
Forestry Sciences Lab, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331
DG: S26LO5A   Internet: Means@fsl.orst.edu

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