A review of the development of the multiple use forest management planning concept

A thorough assessment of various forest management planning initiatives and development of improvement strategies towards an ecosystem-based planning

Forest policy and decision-makers are challenged by the need to balance the increasing demand for multiple ecosystem services while addressing the impacts of natural disturbances (e.g., wildfires, droughts, wind, insect attacks) and global change scenarios (e.g., climate change) on its potential supply. This challenge motivates the development of a framework for incorporating concerns with a wide range of ecosystem services in multiple criteria management planning contexts. Thus, the paper focused on both the analysis of the current state-of-the art research in forest management planning and the development of a conceptual framework to accommodate various components in a forest management process. On the basis of a thorough recent classification of forest management planning problems and the state-of-the-art research, we defined the key dimensions of the framework and the process. The emphasis was on helping to identify how concerns with a wide range of ecosystem services may be analyzed and better understood by forest ecosystem management planning. This research discusses the potential of contemporary management planning approaches to address multiple forest ecosystem services. It highlights the need for a multi-level perspective and appropriate spatial resolution to integrate multiple ecosystem services. It discusses the importance of methods and tools that may help support stakeholders’ involvement and public participation in hierarchical planning processes. The research addresses the need of methods and tools that may encapsulate the ecological, economic, and social complexity of forest ecosystem management to provide an efficient plan, information about tradeoffs between ecosystem services, and the sensitivity of the plan to uncertain parameters (e.g., prices, climate change) on time.

Forest management planning focusing on sustainable supply of forest-based services such as wood and Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) is important for the sustainability of forest ecosystems over time. This study explores the development of a mushroom integrated decision support system (ETÇAPOptimization) for multiple use forest management planning and for the analysis of long-term effects of different forest management scenarios on the joint production of timber and mushroom. The Decision Support System (DSS) integrates both mushroom and timber production derived from the same forest ecosystem using empirical models for mushroom occurrence and yield as well as for tree growth. The DSS takes further into account the spatial distribution and productivity models of Lactarius deliciosus and Lactarius salmonicolor generated for the Kızılcasu Planning unit in Northwest Turkey. Six different forest management scenarios were considered, each with a different set of objectives, e.g., maximization of both the amount and the income from timber or mushroom production. Some scenarios include further timber even flow constraints (10% fluctuation). The Net Present Value (NPV) and the amount of timber and of mushroom production were used as performance indicators to discuss and elaborate on forest dynamics under different management scenarios. The results indicated that forest management planning strategies to address the maximization of NPV from mushroom production scenarios are characterized by substantial decreases in total income from the forest due mainly to the conservation of forest areas to favor mushroom production. On the other hand, the integration of regulatory constraints into forest management plans lead to a substantial decrease of both the economic profit and the amount of forest ecosystem services, e.g., timber and mushroom. The results showed that the NPV from mushroom production can be two to three times higher than the NPV from timber production based on carefully designed management objectives and constraints.

Facing an uncertain future, European forests are expected to fulfill a range of forest ecosystem services (FES), including timber supply, carbon storage or biodiversity. Using criteria and indicators forest managers can evaluate alternative management options and decision support systems (DSS) help them make decisions considering multiple objectives, trade-offs and complex interrelations of forest structure, management and FES. An important tool to support DSSs are modelling tools, that are capable of estimating future forest development under various climate scenarios and management practices and thus define possible development trajectories of European forests. Here we report on the simulation results in the project “OptFor-EU” using the hybrid forest model PICUS v1.5 for three case study areas in Austria, Italy and Romania. We use six different climate inputs (3 RCPs, 2 Regional climate models) and up to nine management alternatives in simulations until year 2099. The initial stand structure was derived using forest inventory data. Validating our results with remote sensing based primary production and leaf area index data, reveals general good agreement, if we consider differences in stand age and stand density. We derive selected indicators from a preliminary set of Essential Forest Mitigation Indicators (EFMI) to evaluate our simulations. Forest carbon, one of the most important regulatory FES, was more sensitive to forest management alternatives than to climate input. Deadwood volume, important not just as carbon storage and water retention, but also habitat to saproxylic organisms, increased under a “no harvesting” management alternative, which may become more frequent in the European Union under the new Nature Restoration law. Other indicators such as multi-layeredness, number of species and the Gini index show an opposite trend over the simulation period. The starting conditions (initial forest structure) overlay the effects of forest management and need prudent consideration, when incorporating simulation results into a DSS, as the outcomes of forest management varies depending on which development phase a forest of interest currently is. We conclude that current simulations using PICUS v1.5 in OptForEU are promising, but further model comparisons are needed to use model outputs for upscaling impacts of climate and management scenarios on a landscape scale. ReferencesLangner, A., Irauschek, F., Perez, S., Pardos, M., Zlatanov, T., Öhman, K., Nordström, E.-M., Lexer, M.J., 2017. Value-based ecosystem service trade-offs in multi-objective management in European mountain forests. Ecosystem Services 26, 245–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.03.001.Irauschek, F., Rammer, W., Lexer, M.J., 2017. Evaluating multifunctionality and adaptive capacity of mountain forest management alternatives under climate change in the Eastern Alps. Eur J Forest Res 136, 1051–1069. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-017-1051-6.

A simulation-based approach to assess forest policy options under biotic and abiotic climate change impacts: A case study on Scotland's National Forest Estate

A forest management plan, the core of forest management, has as its main object the country or forest farm. Implementation of what to factor into annual requirements with a focus on subcompartments is important for research on decision-making support systems of the forest management plan; however, data based on subcompartments is rarely reported. Thus, this study determined a method and technical route for plantation management by compiling subcompartment data to produce management plans. An intelligent selection method of subcompartments needed to establish a management plan was researched, and then a suitability evaluation method of subcompartments and a management plan reasoning method of subcompartments were selected. Next, a Forest Subcompartment Management Plan Assistant Decision-Making System was designed and implemented. The forest management plan was analyzed by forest management experts, and a knowledge base and inference engine of a decision support system were built. This system used production rules according to the state of the stand, site conditions, management objectives, and other conditions to determine management choices. From this an intelligent design and manually aided design were developed using Visual Studio 2008 and ArcGIS Engine 9.3 as developing tools, and Access as the database engine to complete construction of the system. The system could help users intelligently selected management subcompartments based on management assignment, then compiled subcompartments management plan by two ways, which were provided by the system. It could be used in forest farms, solved forest management with effective choices and management plan compilation assistance problems and effectively improved the digital level of forest management.

Forest ecosystems deliver ecosystem services (ESs) that are essential for the well-being of local communities. These services necessitate a clear understanding of their perception among community members in order to facilitate informed and sustainable forest management decisions. This study aimed to explore the relationship between forest ESs and local communities by identifying community preferences for key ESs and examining how socio-economic factors influence this perception. Data was collected through participatory methods, including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a household survey involving 453 respondents. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. We identified firewood, rainfall attraction, air quality, and wildlife habitat as the most acknowledged services in their respective ES categories. Land ownership, education level, Community Forest Association membership, and labor migration significantly influenced service recognition. These findings highlight critical areas for intervention, including livelihood enhancement, cultural heritage preservation, and improved community outreach programs. The outcomes of this research are expected to contribute to the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

Climate change is the most severe ecological challenge faced by the world today. Forests, the dominant component of terrestrial ecosystems, play a critical role in mitigating climate change due to their powerful carbon sequestration capabilities. Meanwhile, climate change has also become a major factor affecting the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is an emerging concept in sustainable forest management. By utilizing advanced technologies, such as information technology and artificial intelligence, CSF aims to develop innovative and proactive forest management methods and decision-making systems to address the challenges of climate change. CSF aims to enhance forest ecosystem resilience (i.e., maintain a condition where, even when the state of the ecosystem changes, the ecosystem functions do not deteriorate) through climate change adaptation, improve the mitigation capabilities of forest ecosystems to climate change, maintain high, stable, and sustainable forest productivity and ecosystem services, and ultimately achieve harmonious development between humans and nature. This concept paper: (1) discusses the emergence and development of CSF, which integrates Ecological Forestry, Carbon Forestry, and Smart Forestry, and proposes the concept of CSF; (2) analyzes the goals of CSF in improving forest ecosystem stability, enhancing forest ecosystem carbon sequestration capacity, and advocating the application and development of new technologies in CSF, including artificial intelligence, robotics, Light Detection and Ranging, and forest digital twin; (3) presents the latest practices of CSF based on prior research on forest structure and function using new generation information technologies at Qingyuan Forest, China. From these practices and reflections, we suggested the development direction of CSF, including the key research topics and technological advancement.

Management of ecosystem services in mountain forests: Review of indicators and value functions for model based multi-criteria decision analysis

Forest owner behavioral models, policy changes, and forest management. An agent-based framework for studying the provision of forest ecosystem goods and services at the landscape level

Wildfires impact the outcomes of forest management plans. Addressing that impact is thus critical for effective forest ecosystem management planning. This paper presents research on the use of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methods that integrate wildfire risk in planning contexts characterized by multiple objectives. Specifically, an a posteriori preference modeling approach is developed that adds wildfire criteria to a set of objectives representing ecosystem services supply values. Wildfire risk criteria are derived from stand-level wildfire occurrence and damage models as well as from the characteristics of neighboring stands that may impact wildfire probability and spread. A forested landscape classified into 1976 stands is used for testing purposes. The management planning criteria include the carbon stock, harvest volumes for three forest species, the volume of the ending inventory, and resistance to wildfire risk indicators. Results show the potential of multiple criteria decision making methods to provide information about trade-offs between wildfire risk and the supply of provisioning (timber) as well as regulatory (carbon) ecosystem services. This information may contribute to the effectiveness of forest ecosystem management planning.

SUMMARY The forest management system of any country manifests the philosophy, principles and direction to be followed in the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. The management system of Turkey, essentially initiated in 1960's by the help of European counterparts, focuses primarily on commodity production. With 21 million ha of forested land, the country has several distinct biogeographic regions, each having its own endemic species and natural ecosystems providing major flyways for millions of migratory birds and containing almost three quarters of the total plant species in Europe. As such its management is of crucial importance to the rest of the world. Various forest values such as recreation, water production, soil protection and biodiversity conservation were, however, not integrated into forest management using advanced information technologies. Establishing an effective multiple use forest management system based on participation is a great challenge for the Turkish Forestry sector. This p...

ASSESSMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES BASED ON MULTIPLE CRITERIA AND GROUP DECISION MAKING

The “German model” of integrative multifunctional forest management—Analysing the emergence and political evolution of a forest management concept

Afforestation in Israel began in the 1930s. During the first few decades it was characterized by dense, monospecific conifer plantations based mainly on the native Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.). The major objectives of this enterprise, in its early stages, were protecting public land, providing employment and improving the landscape to encourage settlement. Aiming to overcome major deficiencies that were identified along the way, modifications in forest management policy were adopted in 1990 as part of a new management policy (the 1990 policy). These changes included the following: using primarily native broad-leaved species instead of conifers for afforestation, increasing thinning intensities to avoid overstocking of conifer stands and promoting natural regeneration for the development of uneven-aged, mixed conifer-broadleaved forests. Since the 1990s, a gradual development of forestry concepts in Israel has led to the embracing of a new Forest Management Policy (IFMP–2014). The IFMP furnished a professional basis for managing Israel’s forests in a goal-oriented and sustainable fashion. It defined the relevant forestry goals in Israel, the various forest types, and the planning and management principles to be employed in them. The IFMP reflects conceptual changes in the approach of forest management in Israel with four major trends, which represent the essence of this change: (1) From forest establishment to forest management, (2) From forest condition to forest goals, (3) From trees to ecosystems, and (4) From maximal control to rational intervention. Following the embracement of the IFMP, a process of long-term forest planning was initiated. In this process, forestlands are divided into landscape units according to seven different land-use designations (valid for 25 years). Based on the land-use designation and current forest condition, management units are defined for which multi-year work plans are constructed (valid for 10 years). These plans define the desired vegetation formation (target forest structure), management principles and treatment priority for each unit. The IFMP provides a novel, real-world approach for the sustainable management of forests with the aim of providing a variety of ecosystem services. This is done by implementing a structured process bridging between holistic sets of goals defined for broad forest areas and specific work plans which are executed at the individual management-unit scale. We argue that this approach is relevant for a variety of forest types throughout the world.