A New FBRI Member Service:
FPS Inventory Program Review
FBRI is pleased to announce a new Enterprise Service — FPS Inventory Program Review — which is designed to critically evaluate your organization’s operational FPS database.1 This program review will cover key aspects of your forest inventory system including cruise design and measurement protocols, silvicultural regimes, growth & yield, and forest planning. The review will be customized to the client’s needs and will identify the strengths of your organization’s inventory while also recognizing any limitations that may be present. Following the conclusion of the review process FBRI will provide a summary report highlighting the findings and provide specific recommendations for moving forward. The target recipients for a summary report of this nature are vice presidents and senior level managers who have financial and budgetary responsibility for an FPS inventory system and desire a professional evaluation of its design, maintenance, and performance.
Dan Opalach and Brock Purvis will conduct the FPS program review. Dan has over 40 years of experience in all aspects of developing and using forest management software for western forest types. Brock Purvis is an expert FPS user with over 20 years of experience in managing timber cruising projects and forest inventory databases throughout the west. Together they will carefully review your documentation, procedures, and FPS databases and compare them to FBRI recommendations and industry standards. The objective is to not only recognize those facets of your inventory program that are noteworthy, but also to identify aspects of the program that may be markedly improved with reasonable changes in procedures or modest investments in people or technology.
We strongly encourage starting the FPS program review process with an in-person meeting at the member’s office. Such meetings are the best way to quickly identify key aspects of an inventory system and chart an appropriate course to complete the review within a specified time frame. The on-site visit provides an excellent opportunity for us to discuss current and past timber cruising procedures, inventory reports, and planning documents which FBRI will review to make sure we fully understand how your FPS inventory system is designed, maintained, and performs. The review and final report can be done in as little as one month but may take up to 90 days depending on workload and priorities.
The final report will be printed on FBRI letterhead and contain a summary of our findings with a fair assessment of the inventory’s positives and those areas needing improvement. This is a great opportunity for a company’s senior management team to get a concise, timely, and unbiased review of its FPS inventory and inventory procedures.
If you are interested in this new FBRI Enterprise Service, please contact Dan Opalach using the form below or (971) 940-2409 for more information on program details, costs, and availability. An organization must be an FBRI member to participate in this program.
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1 This new FBRI Enterprise Service—FPS Inventory Program Review—should not be confused with the Site Visits that FBRI has offered its members for decades. Site Visits are informal one- or two-day events where a company’s inventory staff meet with FBRI personnel to discuss and answer any questions regarding FPS. No reports are issued and FBRI staff do not evaluate or analyze FPS inventory databases. To be clear Site Visits are still available to FBRI members who want that service. However, FBRI members who need a rigorous evaluation of their FPS inventory database summarized in a written report should consider an FPS Inventory Program Review.