Establishment Management Information System (EMIS): delivering good practice advice on tree establishment in the uplands of Britain.

The Establishment Management Information System (EMIS) is a decision-support tool that integrates existing advice on tree establishment for upland restocking on a site-specific basis. It draws upon information from many technical and scientific publications to provide the user with 'walk through' systems delivering acceptable (site-constrained) tree establishment options for restock sites. Site information (user input) allows calculation of environmental variables that constrain species choice and identifies appropriate on-site management practices. EMIS currently provides advice encompassing the main commercial upland conifer species, plus birch. Whilst all potential system inputs and interactions have been investigated, primary drivers were identified to ensure that the system evolves, guided by operational requirement and existing knowledge. The web-based decision-support system integrates with another forest research tool (Ecological Site Classification, ESC) via shared components. The output of information from EMIS will be available as both html and pdf. EMIS will be a web-delivered tool, but the constituent models are also available as document-wrapped-style web services to allow integration with spatial data systems. This will enable delivery of spatially explicit guidance on good practice in the future.