Variable Selection Tab - Help

The following information applies to COLE and COLE Lite. Except variables are selected in COLE Lite simply by clicking on the variable. Select more than one variable with COLE Lite by holding down CTRL.

There are two groups of variables: quantitative (continuous) and qualitative (discrete).

Highlighted variables are moved between the "Available" (left side) to the "Selected" (right side) list with the appropriate arrows in the middle.

Example (continued): If you want to examine how the amount of carbon stored in live trees varies by forest type, you would:

1. Select "Carbon - Live Tree" (when selected, it is highlighted in violet) from the Available Quantitative Variables list
2. Click the GREEN right facing arrow button to move the variable from the Available list (left side) to the Selected list (right side)
3. Move "Forest Type" from Available Qualitative Variables to Selected Qualitative Variables

To remove a variable from the Selected list, highlight it and click the left facing arrow button.

Once you have selected both Quantitative and Qualitative variables, you may proceed to the Analysis or Mapping Tabs.

Variable Definitions:
Quantitative Variables:

• Total Aboveground Carbon :: all C above mineral soil. Includes forest floor, understory, coarse woody debris, bole and crown of aboveground standing dead trees, bole and crown of live trees.
• Total Belowground Carbon :: C in soil and roots. Includes soil organic carbon, roots of live and standing dead trees.
• Total Tree Carbon :: C in trees. Includes crown, bole and roots of live and standing dead trees.
• Total Forest Carbon :: all C in the forest. Includes Total Aboveground and Total BelowGround C as defined above.
• Carbon - Live Tree :: C in crown, bole, roots of live trees
• Carbon - AG Live Tree :: C in crown and bole of live trees
• Carbon - Standing Dead Tree :: C in crown, bole, roots of standing dead trees
• Carbon - AG Standing Dead Tree :: C in crown and bole of dead trees
• Carbon - Coarse Woody Debris :: C in dead, downed wood more than 3in diameter
• Carbon - Understory :: C in understory trees and shrubs. Diameter less than 1 inch
• Carbon - Soil Organic :: organic C in the surface 1 meter of mineral soil, excluding coarse roots
• Carbon - Forest Floor :: nonliving C mass less than 3in diameter above mineral soil
• Volume - Growing Stock Density :: per acre growing stock volume. m3/hectare

• State
• County
• Owner
• Ownership Group
• Forest Type
• Forest Type Group :: see FIADB manual
• Stand Size
• Productivity Class - Site productivity class indicates the inherent capacity to grow crops of industrial wood
• Stand Origin - Regeneration status (stand origin)
• Recent Human Disturbance - Disturbed by humans within the last 5 years for a new plot, or since the last measurement for a remeasured plot. This includes silvicultural treatments and any human disturbance that effects at least 25% of the trees.
• Land Clearing Status
• Measurement Year
• Stand Age Class
• Reservation Status

Ecological Subsections are contained within Ecological Sections. Look here for more information on ecological sections.

Variable Units:

• m²/hectare = cubic meters per hectare
• million ft³ = million cubic feet
• megatonnes/hectare = million metric tonnes per hectare