Present:

• Braemar Meeting Information Pages
• Action Points Summarised

Tuesday 29th April

Arrival of participants at MLURI.

Discussions about the Joensuu Conference to be held in August 1998 by Heli Peltola (Joensuu), Chris Quine (NRS) and Barry Gardiner (NRS).

Compilation of Participant WWW pages (CNIG and NRS) at MLURI followed by viewing and commenting on content, additions required and manner of presentation.

18.30: Group arrival at Invercauld Arms, Braemar.

Wednesday 30th April

8.35: Introduction and welcome by Andrew Cameron (AU).

8.40: Seppo Kellomaki welcomed the group and reviewed project progress by saying that most of the tasks are now finishing, and for the next period it was important to concentrate on integration, and the remaining Milestones which included assessing the reliability of the methods developed, the 30 month report to Brussels and addressing the requirements of the Final Reports (1. Progress, 2. Science and 3. Exploitation). The 30 month reporting involved the web pages, and a short summary which Joensuu would compile to send to Dr Arabatzis. Therefore it was necessary for Heli and he to know what progress had been made, and for participants to focus on the work to be finished within the last 6 months.

8.50: Heli Peltola detailed the requirements of the project (Milestones, Deliverables and Reports).

Participant presentations (for content, see WWW pages).

9.05: James McHale (Galway)

10.15: Roger Dunham (AU/Buckingham)

11.25: Erik Valinger (Umea)

14.20: Jose Uva (CNIG)

15.15: Heli Peltola (Joensuu)

16.15: Marianne Broadgate/David Miller (MLURI)

17.15: Barry Gardiner/Chris Quine (NRS)

Thursday 1st May

8.45: Juan Suarez (NRS)

10.15: Heli Peltola (Joensuu) Review of Project Deliverables by Task

11.25: Marianne Broadgate (MLURI) - Discussion on Task 6

15.30 - 17.00 Working Groups:

• Silvicultural Strategies

Friday 2nd May

08.45 - 10.35: Business Meeting (Chairman, Seppo Kellomaki)

• Cost sheets from Brussels distributed to each Participant, any changes to be sent to Joensuu and incorporated into the next return in 1998.
• Twenty-four month summary for Mid-June to Joensuu to comprise an edited version of the files on the Joensuu ftp site, by Participants. Set out updates to the report in a similar fashion to the WWW pages of Joensuu, using template from MLURI (see action points).
• Send update of any Deliverables and Outputs to Joensuu for passing on to Brussels (include text and references).
• Final Reports. Guide distributed by Joensuu. Each Participant to provide report materials according to the guide for the Final Report.
  • The structure of the reports were discussed. Task Leaders will write the Scientific Report for each Task, but the structure of each sub-Task will be set aside to ensure greater integration. Participants will provide text to Task Leaders (by Chapter headings as in the Guide). An outline of the Reports to be prepared by end-August.
• Discussion concerning when Project is officially complete. The conclusion was that end-January 1998 was the completion date. Final Report due in Brussels two months after completion (end March 1998).
• Discussion concerning meeting in Brussels which is identified in the Technical Annex to the Project. A range of opinions were expressed about the role of the meeting, including: an update on progress and meeting prior to writing the Final Reports, to a presentation to the EU of the completed project. Opinions were mixed on the importance of the meeting for each purpose. The date identified in the Annex was during the month of December. The conclusion was Action Point 16 (Joensuu to contact Dr Arabatzis and agree dates and purpose of meeting).
• The possibility of a meeting earlier in the autumn in preparation for any meeting in Brussels, the role of which was a final presentation and "evaluation" was discussed. Opinions were expressed that any final presentation should be professional but that too much time should not be spent preparing for a meeting that would compromise the time available to complete the Deliverables. The conclusions was to review the progress of each Deliverable in September and reconsider the position in light of the outcome of Action Point 16.
• Fifth Framework: a further proposal to will be considered when the Call is announced.
  Decisions on the content will await the Call. Willingness to submit a proposal was expressed by each group.
• Further discussion will be undertaken with Dr Arabatzis, by Joensuu, on the matter of funding workshops on the outputs of STORMS and the Joensuu Conference.
• An opportunity for the Fire aspects of STORMS to be the focus of a Conference session at GISPlanet in Lisbon in 1998 will be explored by CNIG.

11.00 - 12.30: Working Groups:

• Dynamic factor and Fatiguing of Root/Soil System
• Stand Variability

14.00 - 15.30

• Model Testing Description and discussion of definitions of testing and validation of data and models by each group

Saturday 3rd May

09.30 - 12.30:

Re-affirmation of Action Points;

Group discussions:

• MLURI and CNIG: fire modelling, preparation for intra-group exchange visit (Visit MLURI in August 1997 to work on neural network analysis of fire risk).
• MLURI and Umea: Modelling wind and snow damage in combined model; error and uncertainty issues; identification of materials to be provided for WWW pages.
• AU/Buckingham and Galway: discussion on future papers and exchange of data.

14.00: Visit to Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire. A tour of the estate, led by Mr John Dobson, Chief Forester.

17.00: End of Meeting

Action Points:

1. 1. Galway - Send data to NRS (check attributes) - 2/5/97
2. 2. NRS - Letter on tree pulling database to Eugene Hendrick (Via Galway) - 2/5/97
3. 3. Galway - Written report on work to date (To MLURI) - End May
4. 4. AU - Materials (Hamsterley and Blackhall Forest MOR & MOE, conclusions and silvicultural strategies to reduce damage) for WWW to MLURI (plus any additional conclusions) - End May
5. 5. Umea - Numerical models to NRS (and MLURI) - Mid May
6. 6. Umea - Materials (particularly the model paper and the model summaries) for WWW to MLURI - End May
7. 7. CNIG - Example of Delphi code to NRS for Task 6/Gales - End May
8. 8. CNIG - Test data for Sara to MLURI - 9/5/97
9. 9. CNIG/NRS - NRS to run airflow model for Portuguese site - 9/5/97
10. 10. NRS - NRS to run airflow model for Finnish site - 9/5/97
11. 11. NRS - Tree pulling and wind monitoring - June
12. 12. MLURI - Tree height data for Cwm Berwyn - End July
13. 13. Umea - Meta-model form - End June
14. 14. NRS - "DAMS" scores for Finnish site - End June
15. 15. MLURI - Distance from stand edges for Cowal - Mid May
16. 16. Joensuu - Agree date and purpose of EU presentations with Dr Arabatzis
17. 17. MLURI - MLB to propose framework adjustments and implement (Task 6, each participat has right of comment but not veto)
18. 18. All groups - Information on an example parameter and its sensitivity within the model to MLURI - End August
19. 19. MLURI - WWW template onto "ftp" site - Mid May
20. 20. MLURI - Summary of stand variability discussion - Mid May
21. 21. MLURI - Copy and circulate notes and minutues of meeting - Mid May
22. 22. NRS - Summary of silvicultural strategies discussion - End May
23. 23. NRS - Cwm Berwyn : run risk model with "alternative" version of soils data
24. 24. NRS - Cwm Berwyn : run risk model under different yield model options
25. 25. NRS - Copy of tree pulling database to Galway if contribution made from Galway
26. 26. Galway - Canopy area of 'swaying' study to AU - End May
27. 27. All groups - Exploitation report - document/list links to be made, or already made, with industry
28. 28. All - An outline of the Report structure to be prepared by end-August.
29. 29. All - Participants to provide text by Chapter headings to Task Leaders for Final Reports.
30. 30. CNIG An opportunity for the Fire aspects of STORMS to be the focus of a Conference session at GISPlanet in Lisbon in 1998 will be explored.
31. 31. All - Thirty month summary to Joensuu (Deadline: Mid-June) Participants to edit the version of the files on the Joensuu ftp site.

Additional Task Action Points and Notes

1. General "Cut-off" date for models and data for project - End June (note exceptions below)
2. Task 1 - MLURI - Update information - End June
3. Task 4.2 - MLURI - Complete stand variability - End August
4. Task 4.3 - CNIG - Complete - End August
5. Task 5.1 - MLURI - Complete - End June
6. Task 5.5 - CNIG - Complete - End Project
7. Task 5.6 - CNIG - Complete - End Project
8. Task 5.7 - CNIG - Complete - End Project
9. Task 5.8 - CNIG/NRS - Complete - End June
10. Task 6 - MLURI - End Project
11. Task 7 - (See working group notes)
12. Task 8 - All - Final reports

Task 6:

1. 1. Show what factors causing damage are important,
2. 2. Show why these factors are important,
   
3. 3. Show how the component models of STORMS can help,
   
4. 4. Show examples and selected limitations of the models
   • Identify pointers to component models
   • Identify who to contact and where they are
   • Identify what data is available and where and its appropriateness
   • Present options for silvicultural strategies /alternatives for minimising damage.

Sundry additional points:

Responsible demonstrations of the WWW pages were agreed upon, such that unpublished or confidential information (data, models, etc.) are not provided to outside parties.

A response to the 4th Call of the Fourth Framework will be dependent upon the actual details that are published and the starting point can be the project proposal that was halted in March 1997.