Posts on Free State Drivers

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Remember that July 1 is the first day of the new year for The Forest Projection and Planning System (FPS). This means anything measured this year before today is assigned a year of last year for its measurement. Today ALL growth is considered to have happened and it is year end of the current calendar year.

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:08 -0600

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 00:00:12 -0600

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:00:16 -0600

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:00:20 -0600

Thneed Digest - 2021 - 24

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 14:18:41 -0600

Let’s talk about an FPS Yield Upgrade… DRAFT!!!

For the most current version see the source we are editing on GitHub here.

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 00:00:56 -0600

Thneed Digest – Week 2020 – 18

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:02:58 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Although this was an interesting email from FBRI that seems to make it clear they don’t fully understand the threat landscape and IT restrictions of many organizations. When FSD has finished reviewing the document, we will post a SECURE, manageable solution to this rarely encountered problem. We say rarely because FPS has many other limits that tend to be reached before database size are reached.

Thneed Digest – Week 2020 – 11

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:37:00 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2020 – 09

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:58:39 -0700

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2020 – 05

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 23:02:41 -0700

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2020 – 03.1

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 15:46:00 -0700

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2020 – 03

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 13:35:00 -0700

Just some more basic updates in communications.

2019 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. What did we hear...

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:00:00 -0700

That is a very good question. Their we even a point when the Office Penguins couldn’t believe the plans they suggested. Introductions (Jim McWhorter) Board members Staff James Arney (JDA) Dan Opalach (DO) Richard Zabel Melinda Olson WFCA Grad Students Participants Finances (Brian Sharer) Expecting 2020 - $200,000 in consulting fees Review and Status (JDA) College fellowship not working out as well as planned Biometrics activities and Projects 2019 (DO)

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 44

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 13:20:00 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 41.1

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 15:30:00 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 41

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 11:35:41 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 39

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 10:45:42 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 36

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 16:06:44 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 32

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 19:12:59 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 28

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:20:24 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:27 -0600

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 23

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 17:14:20 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications. Because dates are hard…

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 14

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 17:00:35 -0600

Just some more basic updates in communications.

Thneed Digest – Week 2019 – 10

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 14:08:41 -0700

Just some more basic updates in communications. More great updates after the Penguins in the Nest recover from the cold we all got.

2018 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. What did we hear...

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 14:25:14 -0700

Today was the day for the annual FBRI annual meeting where we are supposed to hear about all the great things that have been done with contributors money that is furthering the needs of forestry and improved FPS.

2018 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. What are we going to hear...

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:00:50 -0700

Today is the day for the annual FBRI annual meeting where we are supposed to hear about all the great things that have been done with contributors money that is furthering the needs of forestry and improved FPS.

Thneed Digest – Week 2018 – 46

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 11:33:36 -0700

Just some more basic updates in communications. Don’t forget the FBRI Annual meeting in portland this week. EVERYONE should go so we can find out when FPS will be fixes and when we will get more services.

Thneed Digest – Week 2018 – 29

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 11:30:27 -0600

Just some basic updates in communications.

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:58 -0600

Thneed Digest – Week 2018 – 18

Wed, 02 May 2018 12:46:15 -0600

We are not dead!!! Typically this would be meant as a joke however when we walk into a meeting and get looks of shock because people say “We heard you were dead!” It becomes something we have to remind people about.

Nelder Plots in Forestry

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 14:25:29 -0700

More and more the Penguins here at FSD are asked about the usefulness of Nelder plots and if they are worth it. So to answer the broader question this post will try to address this.

Bottom line… YES, Nelder plots are worth it.

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 52

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 00:00:14 -0700

Only an update. Did you get your new key for FPS????

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 50

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 12:42:26 -0700

It seems we have another fun-filled announcement from FBRI. Are we the only ones to see the underlying potential extortion part of the comments? “After all it would be a shame if that software you paid for stopped working…" While FPS has always had a 10-year expiration that was meant to be “in good faith” to prevent outdated science from being used when better biometrics could be employed with an update. This was then updated to a secret code to make the system work correctly otherwise bogus numbers would be created. Everyone implement that properly? Bet not. And now FPS will expire annually? That would be like starting up Word, and oh sorry you can’t do anything. Even Microsoft has a more graceful fall back than that. Who signed up for Biometrics as a Service? While we are not against the prospect of Biometrics as a Service that isn’t what the contract says. Only the wealthy can do scientifically backed forestry? Pretty sure this is to stem the current exodus of contributors, but everyone came on board knowing that your current version would work with or without FBRI. What happens when FBRI shutters its doors in a few years? As there is no data, transparency or documentation to the model once it expires at that point, it is done. Something to think about huh…

Did you get the latest FPS Update?? Does it work for you? We would love to hear your experiences so that they can be posted to the public bug log and wiki https://fps.wiki/.

2017 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. What we heard...

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 19:30:28 -0700

The much anticipated FBRI Annual meeting happened today. Did we learn anything?

New Software Screenshots

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 10:37:08 -0600

In cooperation with The Natural Biometrician, the penguins around the shop here have been working on redesigning the FPS database developed by The Forest Biometrics Research Institute. Many times the developers have made the announcement that the FPS database is just an example and users are expected to customize it to fit their needs. The FSD Office Penguins are well on the way to making that a reality with straightforward updates, navigation menus, and functions. Check out some of the initial screenshots at The Natural Biometrician and tell us what you think. Want to use the interface for something else. Go for it. It is flexible enough to handle just about any MS Access database type of model.

Oh ya, the downside is the cost. FREE!!!! Yes, that is right we are giving it away as we should. Currently settling on the license before releasing in mid-November 2017. To protect the USER, we are actively considering GPLv3. Open Source! That doesn’t mean we would turn down contributions if you feel that it is worth the development.

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 39

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:35:07 -0600

It has Been a busy summer for the penguins with office visits and PROGRAMMING!!!! There has even been a smattering of biometrics and mensuration. Hopefully, this fall FSD will be releasing a few new free products to assist in the day to day work of forest inventory. Some of the projects will help with field work too. But for now, let’s update you on FBRI communications. The office penguins were not able to make it to the latest training because of the late announcement by FBRI. But needless to say, we will be attending the annual meeting in November. You should be too. Sounds like a lot of changes on the horizon…

Did you get the latest FPS Update?? Does it work for you? We would love to hear your experiences so that they can be posted to the public bug log and wiki https://fps.wiki/. Some of the last versions bugs were um interesting.

Solar Eclipse 2017

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:00:56 -0600

Ok seriously you think that on a day where the entire United States will be able to see some form of eclipse the office penguins will be in the office. NEVER!!! Viva la penguins! The office is packed up and will be in the center line of totality. Where will you be? We will post after the event. If you are just seeing this it may be too late but for more information visit:

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 29

Mon, 17 Jul 2017 16:09:24 -0600

Another update between projects and office visits. What else do we know… Did anyone go to the last SiteGrid training?? We would like to hear from you.\

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:17 -0600

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 20

Sun, 21 May 2017 19:47:23 -0600

Just a quick update. Been pretty busy making a new Open Project for everyone to use freely. More on that in the coming weeks. Currently mixed reviews from my testers but it is extremely bare bones right now. What else do we know…\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 16

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 15:57:20 -0600

So today I was reminded that we should keep people up to date on the happenings around the Nest and our corner of forestry.\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 11.3

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 13:30:46 -0600

An official update from FBRI about the latest (7.5) software. A new link has been passed out to all? So we will be calling this FPS 7.5.0.1. No word on if this one was tested to properly work with windows machines. Check your email from FBRI for the link.\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 11.2

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 22:41:48 -0600

An official update from FBRI about the latest (7.5) software. However we tried to download the update from the link and the link is the original disabled software. Now there is no word on if this package was created with the same packaging software as the original 7.0 crash. However we are willing to bet it is. The big deal with this version was supposed to identify your system and only install what was needed for your combination of drivers. Now FPS should not require any real drivers if standard updated programming techniques were used. Is FBRI still releasing FPS with non standard features. Previous versions of FPS have used a depreciated video library. Perhaps time will tell us what is going on. Wondering if the upcoming workshop is still happening???\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 11.1

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:53:49 -0600

Just a heads up to all. The Penguins in the office got an email from FBRI (we think although the Board policy is that all messages come from the main mailing list not individuals) today that stated don’t install FPS 7.5 at all costs and uninstall it. Seems that in the process of adding more legitimacy to the software (the stated reason for adding the 12 digit secret code to be more like Microsoft and ESRI products) they have also added the ability to BORK your computer. AGAIN. Remember 7.0\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 11

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 12:23:49 -0600

Nothing major just another ad for the upcoming workshop that FBRI is holding but wanting to keep people up to date.\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 10

Sat, 11 Mar 2017 18:32:01 -0700

WOW a new release of FPS (7.50). While the version will not provide real answers until you get the top secret code to use it… Next week when the office penguins here get there top secret code from FBRI we will be testing it and hope to report back.\

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 09

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 11:37:34 -0700

Just a quick update so that people know that a last minute FBRI workshop is happening. Sounded like the release of the new software… But we have been expecting the new release next week for the past several years. If it is being released not a moment too soon based on the bugs that people have been telling us about the current version. While we have only recently started this take a look at the FPS Wiki. As bugs and other information surfaces we will try to keep you up to date. This Wiki/FAQ is not a priority for FSD so if you want to join and help out use the contact form at the end of this post to request an account.\

Upcoming Workshop Cancled

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 14:00:48 -0700

The planned workshop scheduled for February 8, Getting the Most Out of Your Inventory Data with FPS: Building a Wall-to-Wall Inventory, has been canceled. No real word on why from WFCA when asked. This is the second time FSD has attempted to run this workshop in cooperation with WFCA and the second time it has been canceled by powers not in the control of FSD and no real information on why.

Thneed Digest – Week 2017 – 04

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:00:20 -0700

Everyone got the new FPS updates right… Ya FSD didn’t either so you’re not alone. Looks like it will still be a few years off or maybe months. No one knows. After all we still get to watch the same power point presentations dated 2014 about all the results of the work we have not seen.

Having spoken with several contributors it was brought to my attention that none of us recall from the annual meeting any hint of training.

Finally the latest is the announcement for a biometrician position and grad student scholarship.\

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 47

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:34:17 -0700

Were you at the FBRI annual meeting? FSD was and here is what we learned.\

A word to the wise about ransomware

Sun, 20 Nov 2016 00:00:28 -0700

So as all good stories go “No kidding there I was….” The FSD Penguins had been scrambling all morning to try and get the internet up and running only to find out that Missoula had a near city wide internet outage. Then the call that any support person dreads. “What do you know about Bitcoins?” Here are some steps that worked out well in this case your mileage might vary.

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 43

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:18:58 -0600

An update on what FSD knows…

Well not much is new. I know that this may come as a shock to some but no updates were released at the previous workshop as it had been hinted. The latest is that “Sometime early next year” a new library will be distributed. This has been the response for the past several years. One more reason that Endowment Contributors shouldn’t change to Annual Contributors.

Speaking of the last workshop the Penguins from the office here attended the event. As you can see from the lack of post here it was not terribly remarkable. The agenda would be a good place to start talking about all that we learned but the office Penguins here don’t want to have to rewrite the agenda since the distributed one was barely addressed in its distributed form.

The FBRI Annual Meeting is on the horizon. YOU SHOULD ATTEND!! While another mock Board Meeting will happen this is your best opportunity to interact with other Contributing Organizations and the Board of Directors. This is the only time that anyone can publicly ask the “Hard questions”. FSD will be there will you or your organization? Shoot me a note at the bottom of this post if you think you will be there.

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 35

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 11:44:13 -0600

An update on what FSD knows…

Based on the latest FBRI email it looks as if the much awaited library updates are on the way. The only word on release is “mid-September”. No year was listed. However, if this is true that means that the analysis has passed the Best Biometrics Practices Review Committee. This is a required step for all library releases! While FSD did not hear a call for people to join the committee to review the analysis we are sure that it must have happened as the Board of Directors and the President have stated publicly that all libraries WILL be reviewed this way and that it doesn’t matter who did the analysis. Also no word on the numerous reported FPS bugs. Will they be patched at this time no one knows. Some scheme to “protect” the library was said to be implemented in the software so it seems that priority should have been given to fixing the bugs over spending excessive amounts of time “protecting” the libraries.\

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 28

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 15:39:02 -0600

An update on what FSD knows…

This is kind of important. Recently FBRI mailed out letters to all supporting organizations (because remember there are no members that has a different legal meaning). The focus of this letter was to promote Endowment Contributing Organizations to terminate in favor of yearly payments. Full disclosure Free State Drivers is an Endowment Contributing Organization and FSD will NOT be terminating the contract in favor of receiving the promised benefits when FSD paid its original fees. Why is FSD making this decision?

We entered into a contract and expect it to be fulfilled.
The yearly fee keeps going up but the benefit keeps going down
- No new library contrary to presentations dated 2012 and 2014 that say it is done. Plus this new library is password protected or some nonsense. How many hours did it take to implement this?
- No new software with meaningful fixes in years.
- No new documentation that hasn’t been put out in some other form in the past several years.
- Likely no TRS (calibration tools) to be provided
Most Endowment Organizations do NOT use the majority of the resources
As a consultant FPS is not my only choice for my clients. For the ones that we do use FPS for they are already annual contributors or are urged to become annual contributors.
A “carryover” of nearly 1/4 million USD for a 501c3 organization.
Finally what about building the endowment? Making the resources free as promoted when organizations joined. No one has seen the efforts taken in the past to reach the goal.

PLEASE if you are an Endowment Contributing Organization think long and hard before making this choice. Hold FBRI accountable for the agreement that they made with us all. I strongly urge people not to terminate the contracts. Perhaps a voluntary additional contribution is reasonable but don’t lose the benefits that many of you all signed up for and can never be resumed.

What are your thoughts? Read the rest and send us an email on your thoughts.\

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:00:45 -0600

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 26

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:10:41 -0600

An update on what FSD knows and where we have been…\

Fixing the WordPress Media Upload 'HTTP Error' Problem

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 10:13:16 -0600

After having spent many hours searching how to fix this problem of uploading an image (likely large) and only getting a message of HTTP Error the FSD Web Penguin finally figured it out. The solution was dead simple too. Mileage may vary based on your hosting service. All of the references pointed to some known ImageMagick issue with WP. Finally we looked in to our hosting provider after having tried all the .

Day 1 – FPS Localization by SiteGrid and CASH Card - Images

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 07:42:21 -0600

This post is large (MB) due to full resolution photos. Viewing is recommended on high speed non-metered internet connection. Site 2 Parking Area: Drag or scroll sideways to look around. Site 3 Panorama: Drag or scroll sideways to look around. Site 3 Photo Sphere:

Day 2 - FPS Localization by SiteGrid and CASH Card

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 19:54:06 -0600

Here is a quick summary of the first day of the FBRI hosted event and some of the things we learned. The day started off with a USB stick of documentation and taper software being distributed. I highly recommend ALL FBRI Contributors request this from the Portland FBRI Office. This seconds day was very much an observe the use of the software tool with most of the day spent watching the alternative software options being run.

Day 1 - FPS Localization by SiteGrid and CASH Card

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 18:36:33 -0600

Here is a quick summary of the first day of the FBRI hosted event and some of the things we learned. Parking at Oregon State University costs a fortune. in 1 month the new FPS libraries will be released with no software update. July was specifically mentioned several times. Perhaps we will see that promised library from several years ago. Participants will receive a USB stick with all materials from the class.

Will you be attending the upcoming FBRI Training...

Sat, 21 May 2016 20:50:21 -0600

Hello everyone. Just over a week ago FBRI announced the upcoming “FPS Localization by SiteGrid and CASH Card” to be held on June 7 - 8, 2016. FSD will be sending one of the office penguins to attend this workshop as many of you have had great questions about the 10 meter site and associated projects. In preparation for the upcoming workshop FSD has developed a quick calculator for Android.

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 19

Fri, 13 May 2016 20:51:38 -0600

An update on what FSD knows…

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 11

Sat, 26 Mar 2016 11:27:57 -0600

An update on what FSD knows…

Thneed Digest – Week 2016 – 04

Mon, 25 Jan 2016 15:16:25 -0700

An update on what FSD knows…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 52

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 12:19:59 -0700

An update on what FSD knows…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 47

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 16:49:52 -0700

An update on what FSD knows…

2015 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. What we heard... (Afternoon)

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 15:31:45 -0700

The much anticipated FBRI Annual meeting happened today. Did we learn anything? James Arney Report Measuring Density Stand Indices Tree Indices Growing Space Stand vs tree charts Diameter/(Height-4.5) ratios 10-m site “I have lots of data” FPS CASH Card Correct Age, Site, Height Non-Parametric Education tie-in looking for a school to teach the FPS way Conclusion Trees are the experimental unit Measure all heights Stem map Localize the 10-m site Non-parametric Nelder Plots

2015 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. What we heard... (Morning)

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 12:58:45 -0700

The much anticipated FBRI Annual meeting happened today. Did we learn anything? Board report from Dan Opalach Starting with a “Formal Board Meeting” Rob Taylor is leaving the FBRI Board The FBRI Mission The FBRI Board introductions Ken Borchert, BIA Jim McWhorter, Terra Verde Dan Opalach, Ph.D., Green Diamond Brian Sharer, GreenWood Resources (Starting Jan 1, 2016) Marc Vomocil, Starker Forests Officers

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 45.1

Thu, 05 Nov 2015 21:20:54 -0700

An update on what FSD knows…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 45

Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:25:14 -0700

An update on what FSD knows…

2015 Forest Biometrics Research Institute Annual Meeting. Why you should be there...

Tue, 03 Nov 2015 12:01:14 -0700

The next FBRI Annual meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2015 from 10am to 3pm at the Portland DoubleTree Lloyd Center. This year proves to be one of the most interesting annual meetings ever…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 44

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 14:00:34 -0600

An update on what FSD knows…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 39

Wed, 23 Sep 2015 14:45:19 -0600

An update on what FSD knows… More FPS news that FSD has been made aware of. Important read from FBRI. All contributing organizations must read the latest from FBRI!

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 38

Sun, 13 Sep 2015 12:42:47 -0600

Windows 10 and more. Lets put down some of this fear-mongering click-bait out of the way when it comes to Windows 10.

The office Penguins return to the nest!

Wed, 12 Aug 2015 23:59:20 -0600

While we appeared to have a day and a half of no power the amazing men and women of the power company came through today. So the penguins made a mad dash back to get the nest back up and running. Amazing how all the simple things on a network have to be started in a specific order and typically not able to be done remotely.

Had to abandon the nest...

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 22:16:27 -0600

Hello all. This has been a rocky week. Monday evening at about 7pm a severe storm with micro-bursts and hurricane force winds came blowing through the nest in Missoula. Initial estimates were that 18,000 people were without power. This ranged from Darby, MT to Polson, MT. That is 130 miles long. The office penguins waited for the storm to pass then grabbed the chainsaw to help the neighbors cut there way out.

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 29

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:24:07 -0600

An update on what FSD knows… More FPS news that FSD has been made aware of. Important read from FBRI. All contributing organizations must read the latest from FBRI!

Forest Projection and Planning System (FPS) Install Helper

Mon, 13 Jul 2015 18:23:22 -0600

An update to the last version of the installer.

Probably one of the most asked questions around the nest is “How do I install FPS?” Once upon a time the installer package did this all for you. No longer. Here is a quick bit to help…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 28

Mon, 06 Jul 2015 12:05:01 -0600

An update on what FSD knows… More FPS news that FSD has been made aware of.

Happy New Years - Well for FPS

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 00:00:45 -0600

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 27

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 13:05:50 -0600

The FSD Office Penguins get out of the office and go to the field… What were we up to in the blistering heat?

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 24.1

Sat, 13 Jun 2015 10:22:47 -0600

An update on what FSD knows… More FPS news that FSD has been made aware of. Keeping up with the FPS Compiler fixes is becoming difficult with the rate they are being released.

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 24

Sun, 07 Jun 2015 21:09:23 -0600

An update on what FSD knows… More FPS news that FSD has been made aware of.

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 22

Mon, 25 May 2015 11:29:11 -0600

An update on last weeks update… More FPS news that FSD has been made aware of.

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 21

Tue, 19 May 2015 11:15:59 -0600

Just a quick update on the happenings around the nest and any rumors that the FSD Penguins have heard including FPS updates (maybe??)

The Forest Projection and Planning System and Taper

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 11:59:52 -0600

As of late The FSD Tech Penguin has received many questions on the topic of taper and The Forest Projection and Planning system (FPS). This is not an insignificant topic as FPS is somewhat unique in how it determines taper. This post will serve as a quick discussion of what FSD understands about the taper system in FPS and may not be 100% accurate.

Forest Projection and Planning System (FPS) Install Helper

Wed, 18 Feb 2015 22:59:01 -0700

Probably one of the most asked questions around the nest is “How do I install FPS?” Once upon a time the installer package did this all for you. No longer. Here is a quick bit to help…

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 05

Wed, 28 Jan 2015 16:20:47 -0700

Those of here at FSD would like to thank you all for the great comments and well wishes that you have passed on to us. Again FSD isn’t out of the game it is just changing focus and direction.

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 04

Mon, 19 Jan 2015 14:06:49 -0700

Effective January 17, 2015 Free State Drivers will no longer be providing support services on behalf of the Forest Biometrics Research Institute. This is the date the FBRI Board of Directors asked FSD to discontinue all services based on the request by FSD to terminate the contract. FSD would like to apologize for the short notice. FSD proposed a 6 month transition period to alleviate any problems and was given only 5 business days (ending January 17, 2015) to transfer all databases, hardware, software and support services including phone to the Portland office.

Thneed Digest – Week 2015 – 01.02

Fri, 02 Jan 2015 16:01:48 -0700

More updates… What about FPS 6.x? According to The Forest Biometrics Research Institute (FBRI) The Forest Projection and Planning System (FPS) Version 6.99 and less has reached end of support / life. What does this mean? This means that FBRI will no longer be supporting any version of FPS 6 or before. This includes providing the software. How does that affect you?

Thneed Digest - Week 2015 - 01

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 12:37:31 -0700

Big changes around the nest in the coming year… WOW week 1 of 2015. OK that is a technicality since it is still 2014 but all the references the penguins here can find are that since 2015 starts this week that makes it 2015. The site has been quiet. I think the FSD Web Penguin took a vacation while the rest of the penguins around the office have been running around like mad.

Thneed Digest – Week 2014 – 46

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 20:40:42 -0700

The Forest Biometrics Research Institute (FBRI) Annual meeting. World Forestry Center - Cheatham Hall Portland, Oregon November 11, 2014 10am - 2:30pm What did we learn and what did we get and where is FBRI going… Full Disclosure… Free State Drivers is contracted with FBRI to perform technical support services as well as other tasks. However, this is just statement of facts discussed at the latest annual meeting.

I've Got FPS now what A dirt foresters guide to using, understanding, localizing and calibrating the Forest Projection and Planning System

Sun, 19 Oct 2014 14:32:03 -0600

Coming Soon… This is a brief book get people the information they need to operate the software. This book will actually come in several levels of complexity. This first book is the “Dirt Foresters” version. The boss asked question and you’re stuck answering it. Basically a trial by fire. The second version will be the “Inventory Foresters” version. The third version will be the “Biometrician” version.

FPS Wall-to-Wall 2014 Workshop Survey

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 13:07:20 -0600

Loading…

Thneed Digest - Week 2014 - 41

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 00:00:38 -0600

Thneed Digest???? What the… What have the FSD Penguins been doing and what happened to Thneed Weekly??? Plus some info on the upcoming workshop… You ask excellent questions. Well the Web Penguin is a little OCD about what he puts out and Thneed weekly just got farther behind every week and the need to make a complete post every week started to take more time than any of the penguins here had.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Inventory Data With FPS: Building A Wall-To-Wall Inventory

Mon, 15 Sep 2014 00:00:08 -0600

Come and see the upcoming workshop that the FSD Penguins are collaborating to put on in Portland Oregon on October 23, 2014.

Forest Projection and Planning System (FPS) on WINE

Wed, 03 Sep 2014 21:57:09 -0600

The time has come to try and branch out some. So we here at FSD chained out IT penguin to a computer this week with a few tasks to do. One of those tasks requires some serious computing power. So the work around was to leverage all the computer cores around the nest to crank out some numbers.the real problem was to do that would have meant a minimum of 16 virtual machines plus cranking up a few extra machines.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 32

Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00:36 -0600

EUREKA!!!! Thneed Weekly returns. Back in week 2014 – 28 of Thneed Weekly we covered briefly what a D-Tape was and how the units were multiplied out to be PI units to automatically provide the user with the diameter. This week we will derive the formula to calculate basal area of a tree. Basal area is a metric that foresters use to determine stocking of an area among other things.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 31

Mon, 25 Aug 2014 00:00:45 -0600

Please check back next week when Thneed Weekly Returns with an exciting demonstration of how to derive basal area. Stay Tuned!!!

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 30

Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:00:33 -0600

Due to higher than normal work load the next few weeks of the Thneed Weekly may not have any content. Please check back later. The next post with content will be an exciting demonstration of how to derive basal area.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 29

Mon, 11 Aug 2014 00:00:03 -0600

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 28

Mon, 04 Aug 2014 00:00:55 -0600

Welcome to another week of Thneed Weekly. The Penguin in charge of writing these has been super busy and is getting behind. So this week we are going simple.

Upgrading ownCloud 6 to 7

Tue, 29 Jul 2014 20:17:47 -0600

In this post, we will cover changing from SQLite3 to MySQL and updating files. So nothing good comes from surfing the web. The FSD Web Penguin was made aware of the latest version of ownCloud version 7. Here is the process that was finally developed to avoid a few pitfalls. Do this AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!! Lucked out here and had several servers and started on the test server not caring if it was destroyed.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 27

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 00:00:57 -0600

A short week for most here in the states it is the 4th of July. Independence Day. But there is no rest for the Penguins at FSD. This week there was a release of a minor fix to the FPS Harvest Scheduler. The fix was said to fix a syntax change in how ODBC uses SQL. But of course the penguins around here can’t leave well enough alone.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 26

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 00:00:37 -0600

Viva California!! “go to the California coast it is beautiful and sunny…" well much like a duck the posse of Penguins from FSD that went to California were met with rain which rolled nicely off of there backs. But it wasn’t a vacation anyway. Best of all the GPS only tried to kill us once. Definite wrong turn in Albuquerque. One project was to review inventory procedures for a stratified stand based inventory.

Android: 'Type the password for credential storage.'

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 15:07:12 -0600

The Android penguin in the office came across this the other day and did some research. This is what they found out… We have several Android devices around the office and the Penguins love them. They just work. It is always nice to have technology working for you instead of you working for technology. The Problem: We were off site and needed to access the secure Penguin Nest VPN.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 25

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:00:30 -0600

Two normal weeks in a row. Must be a record. So with that the topic for the week will be forest inventories.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 24

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:48 -0600

An entire glorious week in the office!!!That said all that happened was work. Terribly exciting. In the world of forestry a new release of the Forest Projection and Planning System was released by the Forest Biometrics Research Institute. The main fix was to do with missing configuration values for species. While testing this version the Penguins around here found an obscure “problem” when compiling forest cruise data.

Thneed Weekly – Week 2014 – 23

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:00:31 -0600

Nelder Plot Visit…. So you ask yourself what the heck is a Nelder plot. Well instead of jumping right in to what it is take a look at one. (this is not the one visited on this trip) And of course Google has updated there images so the representation isn’t as good. NELDER, J. A. (1962). New kinds of systematic designs for spacing experiments.

Thneed Weekly - Week 2014 - 22

Mon, 23 Jun 2014 00:00:14 -0600

Not much happening around the nest this week to report since it was a short holiday week. While the penguins around here worked most called it a holiday. So this is as good a time to follow up last week with some discussion on averaging as that is another big topic. Averaging Everyone knows how to average. We all learned it in grade school.

Thneed Weekly - Week 2014 - 21

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:00:04 -0600

Not much happening around the nest this week to report. Call volume was down some so this is as good a time as any to do some discussion on rounding as that is a big topic of work this week. Rounding What is the bid deal right? Well the big deal is this can significantly change your answers and there are different methods of rounding that may provide the user with unexpected results.

Thneed Weekly - Week 2014 - 20

Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:00:46 -0600

Thneed Weekly (Because everyone needs a thneed) will be a weekly comment on the goings on around the FSD Nest. FSD is involved in many projects and wants to develop many projects Thneed Weekly will be the way FSD does that. There will be a slight delay on the release of Thneed Weekly for the sake of ease of writing. This was a travel week for FSD hoping to get some projects done.

Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast

Tue, 13 May 2014 18:26:18 -0600

Source - http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/01/crock-pot-balsamic-pork-roast.html 5 Stars - Serves 4 10 points for 6 oz of pork + 7 for Minute jasmine rice Worked out great in the hotel room!!! Made 4 meals when Rice was added. Made a few modifications to fit with cooking in the room. Ingredients: 2 pound boneless pork roast 1/2 packet salt from breakfast bar, to taste 1/2 tsp garlic powder (sprinkled til well covered, look in to packets)) 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (sprinkled til well covered, look in to packets) 1/3 - 1/2 hotel cup size water 1 container Knorr homestyle stock concentrate chicken reduced sodium 1/3 - 1/2 hotel cup size balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (liberal application) 1 tablespoon honey (Coated surface of meat) Line crock pot Add pork Add Salt, Garlic Powder, Pepper Flakes Add water, stock concentrate, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce Drizzle with honey Put crock pot on low and go to meeting Shred in crock pot gently not to shred bag

Cleaning the Nest

Thu, 08 May 2014 00:39:57 -0600

The FSD Web Penguin is feverishly working to revamp the FSD website. The hope is to provide more content at a more regular basis. Please check back to see what is happening while we move the rocks around the nest.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 00:00:42 -0700

Source - http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/recipepage.aspx?recipeid=135321 5 Stars - Serves 6 10 points per serving Amazing! Was a big hit especially with the gluten free crowd. Made some substitutions to go gluten free. Worked out well with the kitchen at the Château will be difficult without prep of some items that need to be pre-cooked. Ingredients 1 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground beef 1 small uncooked onion(s), chopped 1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes 15 oz canned tomato sauce 1 tsp table salt 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste 1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese 1 1/2 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided 6 item(s) uncooked lasagna noodles, no-cook, Rice Lasagna Noodles from Walmart 1/2 cup(s) shredded parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano Brown beef with onions and garlic.

FSD-FS

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:42 -0600

(In development)An attempt at a universal natural resource format. This project may be replaced with THIS.

Midwest Region Joint Annual Fire and Forestry Meeting - Keshena, WI

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:40 -0700

Harvest Scheduling Harvest Scheduling (BW)

FSDBase

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:00:17 -0700

FSD Base is a set of functions that will automatically load other FSD Utils installed on your computer. This Utility comes with all the FSD Utils. FSD RecSets FSD DAO DB FSD Base

FSDMenu

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:00:57 -0700

Tired of updating menus in your database. Sometimes the easiest way is to take all your data and insert it in to the database with the proper menu. This is a practice of the past. With FSD Menus you can develop a set of menus and store the menu structure in a table. This format is flexible and expandable to any number of menu levels and many of the extra features that can be included in to menu bars.

FSDDBSync

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:00:46 -0700

Still in beta

FSDUpdate

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:00:12 -0700

still in beta

FSDFPTools

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:00:55 -0700

(In development) This is the suite of FSDUtils setup and tested to assist forest managers and other forestry workers in a more streamlined liter and easier use of FBRI’s FPS Software.

Topics covered in the FPS Training course offered by the Forest Biometrics Research Institute on 2007/10/26

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:14 -0600

FPS Harvest Scheduling - Constraints

Topics covered in the FPS Training course offered by the Forest Biometrics Research Institute on 2007/10/25

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:49 -0600

FPS Cruise Selection FPS Silviculture FPS Harvest Scheduling

Topics covered in the FPS Training course offered by the Forest Biometrics Research Institute on 2007/10/24

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:34 -0600

Basic FPS Table Structure FPS Menus FPS Cruise Compilation FPS Compiler Reports FPS Compiler Results FPS Merchandising FPS Harvest Table FPS Admin Table FPS Growth Model FPS Cruise Expansion FPS Class Table

Final - Vopicka - Masters Thesis

Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:55 -0600

Download HERE

Draft - Vopicka - Masters Thesis

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:52 -0600

Download HERE

Draft - Vopicka - Masters Defence Presentation

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:12 -0600

Download HERE

FPS (6.x) Wall to Wall Inventory

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:00:36 -0700

Pocket check-list to build a ‘Wall to Wall’ inventory

SVS Installation

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:00:29 -0700

Coming Soon…

FPS Installation

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:22 -0700

Animated step by step process Coming soon…