A forest management gaming model of the nitrogen cycle in appalachian upland oak forests

• Published in: Ecological modelling 1983-01, Vol.20 (2), p.175-199
• Main Authors: Rauscher, H.Michael, Smith, David Wm, Sharik, Terry L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; ecology; forest management; forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; highlands; mathematical models; Mineral components. Ionic and exchange properties; mountains; nitrogen; nitrogen cycle; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; simulation; Soil science; South Eastern States (USA)
• ISSN: 0304-3800; 1872-7026
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3800(83)90006-6

A forest management gaming model of the nitrogen cycle, NITCOMP, was developed to simulate changes in gross site nitrogen capital resulting from intensive harvesting on sites of different quality. Version 2.1 of this model provides a user-friendly simulation model of the nitrogen cycle in Appalachian upland oak forest ecosystems. The model incorporates current hypotheses concerning nitrogen cycling in forest ecosystems into a system of 16 differential equations, defined by 47 flow equations with 41 parameters. By design, any of the equations and parameter values which implement current hypotheses may be readily changed to reflect new knowledge or user preferences. Yield table data, which synthesize the effects of climate, soil, and competition, are a major external driving function of the model. The use of yield table data allows the user to account for differences in site quality. The model may be used to portray a single site for which site-specific data are available, or an idealized “average” site when only off-site data are available. NITCOMP allows forest managers to estimate, through a gaming strategy, the harvesting intensity a given site can support without depleting the gross nitrogen capital. The more site-specific information available, the better the forest manager can estimate non-depleting harvesting intensity.