The Essentials of Timber and Tree Marking Symbols

The Essentials of Timber and Tree Marking Symbols Timber marking symbols using paint and other tree scribing methods are not universally accepted in North American forests. There is no national code that mandates the use of painted slashes, dots, circles and Xs. There is no color used as a code that is more than a regional preference and usually accepted only locally. Even the United States Forest Service uses different marks and colors depending on the national forest and/or national forest region. However, there are many reasons to mark trees and forest timber. Trees may be marked to indicate a tree to be cut or left as per the forest management plan. Trees on forest boundary lines can be marked to indicate property ownership. Trees inside large forests can be permanently marked as part of a forest inventory system. Forest Tree Marking Meanings There are no national tree marking standards even if many of them are similar. Forestry organizations have tried for years to set a few guidelines for tree and timber marks. But foresters are an independent breed and many see their tree marking designs and system as their personal or company imprint or brand. Circles, number of slashes and other quick paint spurts, including stump marks, usually signifies cutting status along with the quality or grade of the tree marked. Boundary line colors often designate land belonging to a particular owner and usually painted over some removed bark (scars) to last longer. Marks Used in Selecting a Tree to Cut Selecting trees to cut is the most common mark made, often done using paint. Unmarked trees that are left usually have the best potential to make the most productive future second crop. The paint color is usually blue on trees to be cut and the trees intended product is identified by different paint slashes and symbols. Again, you are actually selecting the best trees with potential value by not marking them. There is a system described in the Wisconsin DNR Silviculture Handbook on trees to be marked that ensure the production of high-quality sawtimber products. The selection of trees to cut should apply the following order of removal to achieve the desired residual stand composition and structure. Nel-spot Paint Company manufactures the most popular paints used by the forest industry and their very popular blue is the most often used paint used to denote a tree to be used. 6 Reasons to Mark a Tree for Removal High risk of mortality or failure (unless retained as a wildlife tree)Poor stem form and qualityLess desirable speciesRelease of future crop treesLow crown vigorImprove spacing This order of removal will vary with landowner goals, the stand management plan, and silvicultural treatment. Examples would be a shelterwood seed cut that would open the forest floor to tree regeneration or the permanent removal of exotic invasive species. Removal of undesirable species would preserve the quality of an expected new stand. Marks Used for Boundary Lines Maintaining forest boundary lines is one major duty of the forest manager and tree marking is a part of that. Most forest landowners generally know where their boundary lines are and have accurately surveyed maps and photography but very few have their lines marked clearly on the ground. A clearly marked boundary is the best evidence that you know where your landlines are. Marked boundaries minimize the risk of problems, such as timber trespass, caused by others making inaccurate assumptions about your boundaries. They also help you avoid trespassing on your neighbors’ land when you cut trees or build roads and trails. Colored plastic ribbon or â€Å"flagging† is often used as a temporary location of boundary lines but should be followed by more permanent blazing and/or painting trees along and near the line. Make sure you are using the latest recorded survey. 5 Steps to Mark Your Forest Boundary Contacting your boundary neighbor is courtesy at its best as new line claims can cause disagreements.An axed blaze 5-6† long and 3-4† wide at 4 to 5 feet above the ground should be made. Limit the cut to just enough bark and outer wood to make it visible.  Avoid blazing over old blazes as they become supporting evidence of the original location of the line.Paint both the blazed surface including 1-2† of bark (to over-paint forming callous tissue).  Use a bright (fluorescent blue, red, or orange seem to work best) durable brush-on paint. Nel-spot makes great boundary paint.Many timber company forest owners blaze side trees on the line side it faces. This exactness can be helpful but takes a recent survey line for exactness.Mark trees close enough so that from any mark you can see the next mark in either direction.

JavaFX Controls and ComboBox

JavaFX Controls and ComboBox The ComboBox class creates a control that allows the user to select an option from a drop-down list of options. The drop-down list appears when the user clicks on the ComboBox control. When the number of options exceeds the size of the drop-down window, the user can scroll down to further options. This differs from the ChoiceBox which is primarily used when the number of choices is a relatively small set. Import Statement javafx.scene.control.ComboBox Constructors The ComboBox class has two constructors depending on whether you want to create an empty ComboBox object or one populated with items. To Create an Empty ComboBoxComboBox fruit new ComboBox(); To create a ComboBox object and populate it with String items from an ObservableList ObservableList fruits FXCollections.observableArrayList( Apple, Banana, Pear, Strawberry, Peach, Orange, Plum);ComboBox fruit new ComboBox(fruits); Useful Methods If you create an empty ComboBox object you can use the setItems method. Passing an ObservableList of objects will set the items in the Combobox. ObservableList fruits FXCollections.observableArrayList( Apple, Banana, Pear, Strawberry, Peach, Orange, Plum);fruit.setItems(fruits); If you want to add items to the ComboBox list later on you can use the  addAll method of the getItems method. This will append the items to the end of the options list: fruit.getItems().addAll(Melon, Cherry, Blackberry); To add an option to a particular place in the ComboBox option list use the add method of the getItems method. This method takes an index value and the value you wish to add: fruit.getItems().add(1, Lemon); Note: The index values of the ComboBox start at 0. For example, the above value of Lemon above will be inserted into the ComboBox option list at position 2 as the index passed is 1. To pre-select an option in the ComboBox options list, use the setValue method: fruit.setValue(Cherry); If the value passed to the setValue method is not on the list, then the value will still be selected. However, it does not mean this value has been added to the list. If the user subsequently picks another value then the initial value will no longer be in the list to be selected. To get the value of the currently selected item in the ComboBox, use the getItems method: String selected fruit.getValue().toString(); Usage Tips The number of options normally presented by the ComboBox dropdown list is ten (unless there are less than ten items in which case it defaults to the number of items). This number can be changed by using the setVisibleRowCount method: fruit.setVisibleRowCount(25); Again, if the number of items in the list is less than the value set in the setVisibleRowCount method the ComboBox will default to displaying the number of items in the ComboBox dropdown. Handling Events To track the selection of items on a ComboBox object you can use the addListener method of the selectedItemProperty method of the SelectionModel to create a ChangeListener It will pick up the change events for the ComboBox: final Label selectionLabel new Label();fruit.getSelectionModel().selectedItemProperty().addListener( new ChangeListener() { public void changed(ObservableValue ov, String old_val, String new_val) { selectionLabel.setText(new_val); }});