ECOLOGICAL RISK MITIGATION TOOL FOR FORESTRY OPERATIONS

VISIMO's tool will assess the current environmental condition of a region of interest, predict the immediate impact of land use decisions on the environment, and provide mitigation strategies to reduce degradation in real time. The solution will equip typically underserved users such as area foresters in public and small private organizations, as well as large private forestry management companies, with an intuitive, streamlined risk assessment tool that utilizes established scientific principles, ultimately reducing degradation and increasing forest productivity. VISIMO proposes to develop a risk mitigation software application which uses a combination of Machine Learning (ML) and Subject-Matter Expertise (SME) to reduce environmental degradation during forestry operations. VISIMO's tool will predict the impact of specific forestry operations on user-specified landscapes using environmental variables related to soil, water, and residual stand quality and predict the immediate impact of land use decisions on the environment, providing mitigation strategies to reduce degradation in real time.Success in creating the proposed solution, and developing beyond Phases I and II, will allow VISIMO to supply foresters (both private and public), land managers, extension agents, and other forestry stakeholders with an efficient, intuitive tool to support tactical and strategic planning in land use decision-making. This will reduce environmental degredation through an increased ability to accurately and quickly know whether forestry operations adhere to Forestry Best Management Practices.Objectives:Finalize Research and Development PlanImplement Forestry AnalysisImplemnent GIS ComponentFinalize Proof of Concept