205 much collaboration. With the reporting requirement, Starker decided to adopt Web GIS, with all foresters sharing data about the forest and their work. There are a ton of possible systems, but so much of what we do is tied back to on-the-ground geography that no matter what we use to collect, store, and manage our activities data, we were still going to be using GIS. —Rick Allen, reforestation forester at Starker Centralizing the Mapping Allen is one of several foresters at Starker Forests who are soon to retire, and the company was eager to make improvements to data collection systems. The idea had been to streamline the company’s recording system to capture the institutional knowledge of this cadre of professionals—who, during their careers, had achieved sustainability certification from the American Tree Farm System—before they left the company. Oregon’s new rules reinforced the need to evolve from a paper-based process, which the company had used for decades, to a faster mode of recordkeeping. “We wanted to automate the process and eliminate how paper tends to stack up,” Allen said. Allen made the shift to take on the IT challenge after spending a career in reforestation, which includes managing forest site preparation, tree planting, and herbicide applications. Herbicides are used in the first few years of a forest plantation to hold back invasive species and other vegetation that competes for sunlight and moisture with planted seedlings. “The company prioritizes the reforestation process as an investment for the future. Getting new trees in the ground within a year after harvest is the goal so that they’re off to the races,” Allen said. With the legislation, the Oregon Department of Forestry extended buffer zones to keep the spray further away from homes, schools, and streams. Forestry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the state. The extended buffer zones further protect people, drinking water, and fish habitat. Allen sees the value of better spraying documentation for Starker’s own purposes. This new system will allow any of the professional foresters to quickly locate and check the historical records for the herbicide applications . “We found that trying to go back in time over paper records to figure out what nursery stock was planted and from which nursery, weather conditions, what chemicals were applied, and the application rates could be tedious and hard to figure out,” Allen said. Sustainability Starker Forests uses clear-cutting on smaller areas than the industry average, noting its benefits for rodents, birds of prey, and elk and deer foraging. Image courtesy of Starker Forests.
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