Summary output files

The summary output file contains basic plotwide summary data for each timestep in the run. You choose what data you want SORTIE to save using "Edit-> Output options".

You can use the summary output file to save data for both live and dead trees. The dead tree data for a given timestep is only for trees that died in that timestep. The dead trees are coded by mortality reason. You choose which mortality reasons you want to see data for. Not all mortality reasons are available for every run. Check the documentation for your chosen disturbance behaviors and mortality behaviors for more information on which codes will apply to your run.

Your choices for what to save are:

• Adult tree relative basal area (Adult Rel BA)
• Adult tree absolute basal area (Adult Abs BA)
• Adult tree relative density (Adult Rel Den)
• Adult tree absolute density (Adult Abs Den)
• Sapling relative basal area (Sapl Rel BA)
• Sapling absolute basal area (Sapl Abs BA)
• Sapling relative density (Sapl Rel Den)
• Sapling absolute density (Sapl Abs Den)
• Seedling absolute density (Sdl Abs Den)
• Snag tree relative basal area (Snag Rel BA)
• Snag tree absolute basal area (Snag Abs BA)
• Snag tree relative density (Snag Rel Den)
• Snag tree absolute density (Snag Abs Den)

Basal area is in square meters per hectare, and density is in numbers per hectare. Relative values are in proportions. Each data type is calculated separately for each species, and absolute data types also include a total across species. For a definition of the different tree types, see the Tree life history stages topic.

You can define subplots within the plot to track separately.

Output files are saved as tab-delimited text files with a ".out" extension. You can open them in almost any spreadsheet or word processing program. There is a column for each species for each data type. Each timestep is one row. If you have defined subplots, there is a row for each subplot for each timestep.

You can view graphs of summary output files using SORTIE's data visualization functions. See the Loading and displaying data from an output file topic.