Application of Geoinformatics in Forest Planning and Management

Abstract

Rational forest planning and management is the key to a forest’s systematic construction. It is beneficial to many aspects, such as the cultivation and preservation of a forest’s ecological resources, sustainability, forest fire prevention, and others. In recent years, some effective strategies and tactics for the planning and management of forests’ systematic construction have been established. Among them, the application of geoinformatics in forest planning and management (AGFPM) is one of the most effective and promising strategies. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive summary and analysis of the current situation. AGFPM has effectively applied in logging operations, forest road development, forest material transport, and forest fire prevention. An analysis of the research results in the past 20 years showed that decision support tools are the most used solutions to problems related to forest planning and management, especially the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is the second most popular method. With the development of geoinformatics, it will play an increasingly important role in forest planning and management in the future.