VESTRA worked closely with Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) on a groundbreaking three-year project to implement an ecosystem-based sustainable management program for LP's Northern California timberlands. The assessment area for LP's 450,000-acre ownership was 1.3 million acres.

VESTRA developed a number of innovative modeling techniques to meet the analysis needs of the project. VESTRA staff used digital elevation models and GIS surface analysis techniques, combined with in-field sampling for model calibration and verification, to develop a stream network that would support assessment of fish and aquatic habitat and stream geomorphology.

In addition, VESTRA staff prepared digital elevation models to support modeled predictions of shallow landslide potential and used forest inventory field measurements and forest simulation models to make predictions of terrestrial wildlife habitats in the future.

GIS was integrated with linear programming analysis to develop a schedule of forest management activities that optimized sustainable harvest levels while achieving various resource goals and protection measures.