Solving Multi-Objective Problems for Multifunctional and Sustainable Management in Maritime Pine Forest Landscapes

Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez,Luís Nunes,João Azevedo

doi:10.3390/cli6040081

Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez, Luís Nunes + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/cli6040081

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Journal: Climate	Publication Date: Oct 15, 2018
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Polytechnic Institute of Bragança

Abstract

Forest management based on sustainability and multifunctionality requires reliable and user-friendly tools to address several objectives simultaneously. In this work we present FlorNExT Pro®, a multiple-criteria landscape-scale forest planning and management computer tool, and apply it in a region in the north of Portugal to find optimized management solutions according to objectives such as maximization of net present value (NPV), volume growth, and carbon storage, and minimization of losses due to fire. Comparisons made among single- and multi-objective solutions were made to explore the range of possible indicators provided by the tool such as carbon sequestered, volume growth, probability of fire occurrence, volume of wood extracted, and evenness of harvesting in the management period. Results show that FlorNExT Pro® is a reliable, flexible, and useful tool to incorporate multiple criteria and objectives into spatially explicit complex management problems and to prepare sustainable and multifunctional forest management plans at the landscape level. FlorNExT Pro® is also suited to guiding and adapting forest management for uncertainty scenarios for the assessment of ecosystem services and fire risk, therefore playing an important role in the maintenance of sustainable landscapes in the south of Europe.

Highlights

Forests support many ecological functions that contribute to the supply of diverse high-value ecosystem services (ESs), directly and indirectly benefiting human societies [1]
The application of FlorNExT Pro® in a subset of maritime pine stands in the Lomba ZIF area for for individual or combinations of management objectives and weights scenarios (Table 1) resulted individual or combinations of management objectives and weights scenarios (Table 1) resulted in in very variable forest management plans
The same holds for Scenario 5, targeting maximization of net present value (NPV)

Summary

Introduction

Forests support many ecological functions that contribute to the supply of diverse high-value ecosystem services (ESs), directly and indirectly benefiting human societies [1]. Many of these ecosystem services are synergic and they can be supplied and used simultaneously. The integration of tradeoffs and synergies of ESs into forest decision support systems is a response to that need and is a growing research topic [5,6,7]. Observed advances in this field are foreseen as fundamental to supporting sound decision making at the site and landscape levels as well as to allow the integration of stakeholders with interests related to particular forest ESs in the areas of game, fisheries, tourism, timber, or water, in decision making processes

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Conclusion