Adult tree: A tree whose DBH is at least the minimum DBH for adulthood. See the trees topic for more.
Allometry: The relationships between various aspects of a tree's size and shape. See the allometry topic for more.
Basal area: The cross-sectional area of a tree trunk at 1.35 meters (DBH).
Batch: Grouping SORTIE runs together to automatically run consecutively. See the batch topic for more.
BC: British Columbia - Date Creek area, central BC. One of the primary SORTIE field sites. Submodels often contain a version whose simulations are based on field data from BC and are thus intended primarily to simulate BC conditions.
Behavior: A unit of work in the model which makes calculations and updates tree and grid data. A simulation consists of a chosen list of behaviors working in sequence. A behavior usually corresponds to a biological process. See the behaviors topic for more.
Canopy: The branches and leaves of a tree. Synonymous with crown.
Clear cut: A type of harvest.
Crown: The branches and leaves of a tree. Synonymous with canopy.
DBH: Diameter at Breast Height. The diameter of a tree's trunk at a height of 1.35 meters.
Deterministic: Not random; predictable.
Diameter at 10 cm: The diameter of a tree taken at a height of ten centimeters.
Fisheye photograph: A photograph taken with a fisheye lens, which captures a complete hemisphere in two dimensions. A fisheye photograph taken of the sky would see from horizon to horizon in all directions. See the light behaviors topic.
Gap: A small open area in a forest canopy.
Gap cut: A type of harvest.
GLI: Global Light Index. A measure of the amount of light that reaches a certain point in space, expressed as a percentage of full sun. See the light behaviors topic.
GMF: Great Mountain Forest, northwestern Connecticut. One of the primary SORTIE field sites. Submodels often contain a version whose simulations are based on field data from GMF and are thus intended primarily to simulate GMF conditions.
Grid: A way of storing data in SORTIE that varies over space. Grids are the same size as the plot and contain cells which can each contain several values. See the grids topic for more.
Grid cell: A single area in a grid object.
Harvest: Logging.
Julian day: A method for expressing dates. The days in the year are numbered consecutively from 1 to 365.
Juvenile tree: A seedling or sapling tree which has not yet reached adult status. See the trees topic for more.
Parameter file: A file with all of the settings and data needed to run SORTIE. See the parameter file topic for more.
Partial cut: A type of harvest.
Plot: SORTIE's underlying dimensions. See the plot topic for more.
Quadrat: A small grid cell.
Recruitment: The process by which seeds become seedlings.
Release: When a suppressed juvenile tree is exposed to higher light conditions, it is released. Release is characterized by a rapid increase in growth rate. See the growth behaviors topic for more.
Run: The process of the model receiving input and performing calculations for a specified number of timesteps. Synonymous with simulation.
Sapling: A tree at least 1.35 meters in height with a DBH less than the minimum adult DBH. See the trees topic for more.
Seedling: A tree less than 1.35 meters tall. See the trees topic for more.
Senescence: The slight increase in tree mortality seen among very old, very large trees. See the mortality behaviors topic for more.
Short output file: A type of output file which provides summary data for a run. Synonymous with summary output file. See the summary output file topic.
Silviculture: Forestry science. The management of tree harvesting and planting.
Simulation: The process of the model receiving input and performing calculations for a specified number of timesteps. Synonymous with run.
Stochastic: Chaotic, random. Stochastic processes in SORTIE generally make heavy use of the random number generator.
Submodel: In previous versions of the model, these were pieces of the SORTIE model designed to do a specific task in the simulation.
Subplot: A subarea of the plot chosen by the user. This subarea is tracked separately during data analysis.
Substrate: What seedlings germinate in - soil and the organic layers on top of it. See the substrate behaviors topic.
Summary output file: A type of output file which provides summary data for a run. Synonymous with short output file. See the summary output file topic.
Suppression: When juvenile trees are in persistently low light conditions, their growth slows considerably. This is suppression. Different species have different tolerances for suppression; some will die, while some can tolerate being suppressed for decades. See the growth behaviors topic for more.
Tab-delimited text file: An ASCII text file organized as a table, with columns separated by tabs and rows separated by returns.
Timestep: The basic unit of time in SORTIE. Timesteps are defined in years in the parameter file. The basic run cycle is repeated once per timestep. See the run setup and progression topic.
Torus: A donut shape. This is the shape of the forest in SORTIE. See the plot topic.