190 “They didn’t want to move into a landscape that was already being harvested pretty heavily and put even more pressure on the resource,” said Christopher M. Oswalt, a research forester for US Forest Service. “They have a long-term vision. They’ve got to keep these white oaks growing if they want to continue to produce the product that they do.” Russell saw the spirits industry eventually gain better understanding of the multiple layers of data relevant to picking the right trees. But today, even with the help of the so-called bourbon barrel app that uses GIS to produce location intelligence and then plot those results on a map, the hunt for the perfect trees is still difficult. There are many reasons for that, including laws that say bourbon must be made in unused barrels. Later, after the bourbon is bottled, the barrels may be used to age other alcoholic beverages, such as Scotch whisky. But they cannot be reused for bourbon making. The law dictates that a fresh supply of white oak is needed, and it must keep pace with the popularity of bourbon and other spirits that use oak barrels. In response, company leaders can use GIS-based location intelligence to map and analyze key variables, such as the age of trees, numbers of trees, climate history and predictions, records of insect problems, invasive trees and plants that can crowd out white oak saplings, types and numbers of wildfires in the region, and the quality of staves made from wood in specific locales. Raves about Staves For the bourbon industry, staves are not simply the curved planks of a barrel. They have qualities that seem a bit mysterious to outsiders. The suitability analysis allows users to adjust variables and see results on the map. The Forest Inventory Analysis Program shows details of where white oak can be found.
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