Forest Management Problems Research Articles

Legal Problems and Directions of Public Administration Improvement in the Field of Forest Relations

The modern system of public administration in the field of forest relations requires reviewing the existing and developing new theoretical and legal provisions and conceptual approaches that facilitate the balance between economic and social benchmarks for the use of forests along with the preservation of ecological potential of forests. In the context of intensification of the forest use, management activities cover a complex set of social relations, including not only forest management, reproduction, protection and rehabilitation of forests, but also a forestry complex that includes forestry and timber processing industries. Accordingly, state management in the field of forest relations should be seen in connection with the management of the forest complex. In the same way we should deal with the understanding and legal substantiation of the state forest policy constituting the foundation of the state forest management. The sphere of the state forest policy should include, along with the use, respect, protection and reproduction of forests, the forest complex. This approach requires improved strategic planning documents and other legal and political documents that will provide representation of the state policy in the sphere of forest relations and the forest complex, interrelation and harmonization of the provisions contained therein. An institutional framework of the state forest policy requires a comprehensive approach for improving the management system in these areas. It is necessary to clarify the competence and powers of special authorized bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the field of forest relations and forest complex. Forest areas and forest parks that are the basic territorial units of management in the field of use, protection, and reproduction of forests are included into the key problems of the regional forest management. In the absence of the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, the concepts of "forest area" and "forest park" are assigned different legal statuses by the participants of legal relationships, including their legal form, structure, competence and authority. Along with defining the legal status of forest areas and forest parks, and determining the legal status of forest warderns, it is necessary to improve the implementation of the Federal State Forest Supervision Service (forest protection). Also, it is necessary to resolve the problems with regard to implementation of the functions of state management in the sphere of forest relations, such as forest management, development, approval and implementation of forest plans, information support of forest management, forest certification, etc. In order to increase investment attractiveness of the use of forest plots, it is necessary to improve the legal support of the multipurpose forest management. The state management efficiency in the field of forest relations and forest complex requires improving the forest and related (natural resources, environmental, tax, etc.) laws.

Organisation of procurement in wood supply chain: Improvement of possibilities in the South Morava Forest Area

The procurement process is of great importance for the business success of the company. The effectiveness of a business depends to a great extent on the ability to use the environment in the procurement of resources necessary for functioning. The aim of the research is to identify the main problems in forest management in the South Morava Forest Area (SMFA), in the production and sales of beech roundwood, as well as to determinate the characteristics of the companies and the organization of the raw materials procurement process. The data were collected in the period 2014- 2017, by surveying 13 representatives of small and medium enterprises and 1 large company and interviewing 5 employees of Forest Estate ?Vranje? (Public enterprise ?Srbijasume?). The current situation in the SMFA is characterized by an unfavourable structure of beech coppice forests, inadequate forest openness and low wood mobilization from private forests. Analyzed companies are, mostly, micro and small (79.0%), founded (64.3%) less than 10 years ago, and 50% of them are engaged in sawmill and wood processing. All companies purchase and use beech technical roundwood. Wood raw material is purchased from the public and private sectors. Transport of raw materials is carried out through intermediaries (92.9%) and on ?bad? and ?very bad? (71.0%) infrastructure. However, the majority (92.9%) of them are ?partially satisfied? and ?satisfied? with the quantity and quality of delivered raw materials. There is a significant presence (86.0%) of enterprises, which, in addition to technical roundwood, procure and use other wood products (fibreboards and other reproduction materials) from suppliers from other regions. Based on the analysis of all collected data, places for improvement of wood raw materials procurement and the weaknesses of existing supply chains have been defined, as well as the proposals for improving the organization of the procurement of wood raw materials at SMFA.

Forest Planning Heuristics—Current Recommendations and Research Opportunities for s-Metaheuristics

Adaptive forest management requires planning and implementation of activities designed to maintain or improve forest conditions, and in support of these endeavors knowledge of silviculture, economics, operations research, and other allied fields are necessary. With regard to forest planning, traditional (exact) mathematical techniques along with heuristics have been demonstrated as useful in developing alternative courses of action for forest managers to consider. In this discussion paper, we present six areas of future work with regard to investigations into the development of heuristics, along with several recommendations that are based on our experiences. These areas include process improvements, reversion strategies, destruction and reconstruction strategies, intelligent or dynamic parameterization approaches, intelligent termination or transitioning approaches, and seeding strategies. We chose the six areas based on our experiences in developing forest planning heuristics. These areas reflect our opinion of where future research might concentrate. All of these areas of work have the potential to enhance the capabilities and effectiveness of heuristic approaches when applied to adaptive forest management problems.

Recognizing Spatial Considerations in Forest Management Planning

The aim is to help identify how spatial facets of forest management can be analyzed and better understood in strategic forest management planning. Focus is on stand-level spatial interdependencies potentially related to a wide range of considerations including wildlife habitat, invasive species, forest management regulations, and cost of harvest operations. Spatial facets addressed include adjacency and harvest area limitations, habitat connectivity, edge impacts, proximity considerations, and management options for restructuring stand shapes and sizes. Emphasis is on recent studies with direct connections to both forest management planning and problem structures of operations research. Models related to explicit spatial facets of forest management are increasing in number, size, and complexity. Specialized approaches have been developed that are tailored to spatial facets of forestry problems. Improvements have also been made in ways of solving existing spatial models. Uncertainty is also being addressed in applications, and most recent studies tend to address multiple forest objectives. Spatial interrelationships between stands are important considerations in forest planning. Operation research models can help explore the complex combinatorial nature of the situation. The need to better integrate multiple objectives over large landscapes is commonly suggested. Tradeoff analyses are important for decision makers to better understand forest-wide opportunities. New technology including parallel processing will help increase the practicality of model applications.

第5報告 農山村における農地管理および林野管理問題の接点について（森林資源の今後の管理-担い手・農山村社会・政策と制度・木材需要との関連からの整理と提言- 2001年西日本林業経済研究会）

第5報告 農山村における農地管理および林野管理問題の接点について（森林資源の今後の管理-担い手・農山村社会・政策と制度・木材需要との関連からの整理と提言- 2001年西日本林業経済研究会）

Formation of Radiology of forest ecosystems in Ukraine

The accident at Chernobyl NPP led to a radical change in the radiation situation in forests of Ukraine and caused the need to develop scientific fundamentals of forestry and forest management in the territories contaminated with radionuclides. The study of the migration of radioactive elements in forest ecosystems and their redistribution between the components in time became the basis for solving the above noted problems. The study data helped researchers to develop conceptual schemes of 137Cs migration in forest ecosystems on the basis of forest typology. Years-long research allowed revealing and helped to characterize quantitatively the direction and speed of radionuclide migration in forest biogeocenosis, which in turn provided scientific justification of forest management in the contaminated territories. The obtained results not only enabled researchers to solve applied problems of forest management in conditions of radioactive contamination, but made a significant contribution to the knowledge of the migration of chemical elements in the biosphere.

Annual timber procurement planning with bucking decisions

The problem we consider is a practical multiple-period wood procurement planning problem in the Eastern Canadian context. This is a difficult forest management problem because it integrates two related problems: the forest bucking problem and the multi-facility supply planning problem. The choice of the sites to harvest in each period and how to harvest them affects the assortments provided to the mills. We must decide which sites to harvest in each period so that the demands of the various wood-processing facilities are satisfied. Moreover, we must indicate how to harvest the different sites according to the bucking priority list and the quantity of harvested logs to transport from each site to supply several mills. In this paper, we extend the procurement model presented by Dems et al. to more detailed multiple-period planning. We develop a mixed integer linear model, that we solve first using directly CPLEX. Then, we propose two heuristic approaches that quickly generate an initial feasible schedule of forest sites. This feasible schedule is then used to help CPLEX find a solution for the entire problem in less computation time. Computational results on data set from an Eastern Canadian forestry company are presented.

Finding feasible harvest zones in mountainous areas using integrated spatial multi-criteria decision analysis

Terrain conditions, stand structure attributes, and environmental factors are important elements that determine the success of timber harvests. Planning designs for timber harvesting projects must also be physically feasible, environmentally acceptable, and economically viable and address potentially competing objectives upfront in a multi-purpose planning effort. Under mountainous conditions involving highly variable and steep terrain, harvest planning is a particularly complex decision-making process. Here, quantitative (objective) information (e.g., stand volume) is jointly considered with qualitative (subjective) information (e.g., expert judgment of slope failure event and preference value of a certain stand) to arrive at a compromise plan that considers conflicting management objectives. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the existing terrain conditions of a large management area to find zones in which harvest operations can be conducted, assess which portions of the terrain can be harvested by different equipment that is available in the region, and locate landing sites for ground-based skidding operations. The criteria used in this study included quantitative and qualitative elements that were measured/evaluated across different scales. To address this complex decision-making process, we used an integrative approach that combined spatial analyses with multiple-criteria decision analysis (SMCDA). Existing geospatial data were combined with information obtained through pairwise evaluations of environmental, topographic, and stand structure elements to create maps in which the terrain was divided into zones of different suitability classes for timber harvests, placement of landing sites, and deployment of different harvesting systems. The results and assessment of this case study indicate that the methodology has great potential for a more integrated policy, in particular, where multiple spatial objectives explicitly need to be taken into consideration when solving complex forest-management problems in mountainous conditions. One key finding from this work that needs to be further explored involves efficient ways of incorporating this methodology into traditional harvest scheduling models to better support the operational and tactical phases of the timber harvesting.

Some problems of forest management of Georgia

Abstract Forests are the most important resource of our planet. The usefulness of forests is spread from commercial exploitation of them for timber and other products to maintenance of wildlife, ecological balance, prevention of soil erosion, etc. In achieving these goals the essential factor is the proper forest management. Forest management is a system of actions for supplying different products and services for society. In developed countries forest management tends to be elaborated and planned in order to achieve the objectives that are considered desirable for environment and economy. Forests are the most biologically diverse land ecosystems that can supply different products and services. The working of this system is influenced by the natural environment, climate, topography, soil, etc., and also by human action. Forests have been and are managed to obtain the traditional forest products: fire wood, fiber for paper, building timber etc. with little thinking for other products and services. Nevertheless, as a result from the development of ecology science and environmental awareness, management of forests for multiple use is becoming more common. Public concern regarding forest management have shifted from the extraction of timber for earning money for the economy, to the preservation of additional forest resources, including wildlife, soil and water conservation, recreation etc. Forests are the repositories of aesthetic, ethical cultural and religious values.

Theoretical Reserve Price in Forestry

This article uses the forest management problem under uncertainty to derive the optimal reservation price when a standing timber is to be auctioned. Theoretically, the resulting optimal reservation price that considers the harvesting decision is an extended version of Laffont and Maskin’s and Riley and Samuelson’s reservation price, which is suboptimal in the forestry context.

Аn example of different AHP structuring in a forest management problem

The paper investigates how different hierarchy structuring in analytic hierarchy process (AHP) may affect the final results in the decision-making process. This problem is analyzed in a case study of the Rila monastery forest stands in Bulgaria. There were three similar and mutually overlapped hierarchies defined. A decision maker evaluated all of them and after analyzing final results and consistency performance, he selected and revised the most appropriate hierarchy structure. Consistency check assisted in detecting the judgments which have strongly violated evaluation procedure. These mistakes are interpreted as a consequence of a large number of required pair-wise comparisons. The paper emphases the importance of properly defining hierarchy structure and recommends using consistency analysis as a guide and not as a directive for the revision of judgments.

人工林の価値向上に対する中小規模な木材の流通・販売システムの有用性

The purpose of this study is to verify utility of small/medium scale system of wood distribution and marketing on the value improvement of planted forests. The research results are following: In the central part of Hyogo pref., there are 2 cases picked up. In the case of “SHISONOMORINOKI” project, the system is collaboration among companies. The reason why this area is being largest concentrated place of wood buisinesses in Hyogo pref.. The information sharing between main constituents is managed at wood-processing plant of their associations, and the price of stumpage that had possibility to lead to sustainable forest resources management maintained. In the business scale, it was limited that influence to local forestry. In addition, it was substantially confirmed that substitution for advantage of the conventional wood distribution. In the another case of “SOUND WOOD(s)” project, the system is that the wood coordinator and forest owners play key role. The reason why this area is having high forest resource availability and high management will of the forest owners. Flow of information is managed by wood coordinator and the price of stumpage is fixed at a high price than that of “SHISONOMORINOKI”. Although the business scale is very small. In addition, it was substantially confirmed that substitution for advantage of the conventional wood distribution. As a result, problem solving and to substituting for advantage of conventional wood distribution were substantially confirmed with both examples, besides the business scale. And the utility as the wood distribution and marketing system which contribute to the value improvement of planted forest was confirmed. In both examples, those business scale is small. But they raise value of the wood resources by corresponding to tenderhearted consumer needs. I think it is one route to the value improvement of the local planted forest to build complemental relations between small/medium scale systems which raise value of the wood and large-scale systems which solve quantitative problem of forest resource management. Also, I think it is important that people who link the distribution from the upper part to the lower part for possibility of the system development in other areas. They have rich information about each stage of wood distribution and have technique to draw value of the wood.

On the Mitra–Wan forest management problem in continuous time

The paper provides a continuous-time version of the discrete-time Mitra–Wan model of optimal forest management, where trees are harvested to maximize the utility of timber flow over an infinite time horizon. The available trees and the other parameters of the problem vary continuously with respect to both time and age of the trees, so that the system is ruled by a partial differential equation. The behavior of optimal or maximal couples is classified in the cases of linear, concave or strictly concave utility, and positive or null discount rate. All sets of data share the common feature that optimal controls need to be more general than functions, i.e. positive measures. Formulas are provided for golden-rule configurations (uniform density functions with cutting at the ages that solve a Faustmann problem) and for Faustmann policies, and their optimality/maximality is discussed. The results do not always confirm the corresponding ones in discrete time.

Decision support systems in Slovak forestry planning: a review / Systémy na podporu rozhodovania v lesníckom plánovaní na Slovensku: prehľad

Abstract Project COST Action FP 0804 - FORSYS summarizes European experiences in developing and applying decision support systems for forest management. This paper introduces FORSYS methodology for the classification of current forest management problems and for the description of existing decision support systems. The paper identifies the general forestry planning problems that need to be solved in Slovakia, lists the DSS tools available in Slovakia and evaluate their ability for addressing the identified problems. Finally, the research needs and gaps in this field were identified. A comparison of the situation regarding decision support in Slovakia and both in Europe and neighbouring countries (Austria, Hungary) is introduced in order to justify the identified needs. The paper is focused on the overview of models, methods and knowledge management techniques which are available in Slovakia now. We found out that the Slovak decision support research follows the state in Europe with a significant time delay and a lack of adequate instruments for addressing the contemporary planning problems exists. Consequently, there is a strong need for the development and application of computer-based tools to support decision-making problems in forest management.

Forest Tenure and Sustainable Forest Management

We reviewed the principles and key literature related to forest tenure and sustainable forest management, and then examined the status of sustainable forestry and land ownership at the aggregate national level for major forested countries. The institutional design principles suggested by Ostrom are well accepted for applications to public, communal, and private lands. The analyses of countries as a whole suggest that problems of forest land loss and sustainable forest management are related to the amount of public lands owned, as well as the difference between developed and developing countries. Developed countries have largely achieved a stable level of land use and resource extraction after centuries of exploitation of forests and natural resources. Many developed countries do have greater amounts of private forest land than developing countries, which have occurred as the countries transfer lands to private owners in the course of development. Public lands and management approaches require diligence, but can be developed to meet the design criteria suggested by tenure rights theorists. Private or communal ownership is often considered superior, but also must meet the criteria suggested above in order to foster sustainable forest management in poor countries.

STAKEHOLDERS' PERCEPTIONS REGARDING EVALUATION CRITERIA OF FOREST ROAD OPTIONS IN ROMANIA

Abstract Transparent and participatory decision making in solving complex forest management problems are fostered by numerous forest policies. Thus, all relevant stakeholders should be involved in the process of evaluating forest road options from the early stages of planning. However, participatory tools are not yet used as a matter of course in the Romanian forest sector. This study aimed to stress the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in decision making in the forest sector. A survey (n=27) was conducted for prioritizing stakeholders’ preferences on criteria and sub-criteria used in the assessment of forest road options. ANOVA and post-hoc tests were performed for analysing the statistical significance of responses and possible patterns of stakeholders’ behaviour. Accessibility for performing forest works, protection of ecologically important areas and road construction costs were identified as the most relevant evaluation sub-criteria. The results showed stakeholders are aware of the environmental impacts of forest roads, while they show yet little concern for risks of accidents and other social factors. In respect to certain criteria, a tendency of homogenous clustering of expertise groups’ opinions was noted, the groups with forestry backgrounds behaving differently than those with environmental or tourism backgrounds. The outcomes of this study are useful for practitioners willing to approach complex decision problems like forest road network planning or selection of timber harvesting systems from a multidimensional perspective.

Using a Compromise Programming Framework to Integrating Spatially Specific Preference Information for Forest Management Problems

AbstractThe development of forest management plans is a multi‐criteria problem that usually involves multiple stakeholders. In forested recreational areas or natural parks, stakeholders could include government officials, forest companies and visitors to the area. With the progress of mobile phone technology, preference information (including aesthetic values) can be conveniently obtained from stakeholders while they are in the forest. This paper develops a methodological approach that incorporates place‐specific opinion preference into the development of alternative forest management plans. Through the use of a modified Compromise Programming approach, prospective alternatives are developed, which optimize the opinions of stakeholders and the quantity of timber over time depending on specified parameters. The analysis is based on a small simulated forest holding and place‐specific simulated opinion data. To allow for a comparison between potential stakeholder groups, the opinion data was generated by a method that produced three separate groups. The results indicate the practical use of place‐specific preferences and provide a means to incorporate the information to generate possible alternative plans. In addition, the analysis highlights that by segregating the preference information into groups, the planning of more specific courses of actions can be made. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Optimizing cable harvesting layout when using variable-length cable roads in central Europe

One of the classic operations problems in forest management is the layout of a harvesting system. This paper addresses the design of a harvesting system in areas characterized by steep slopes requiring cable-based harvesting. Layout optimization often involves numerous potential cable alignments and a small number of potential landings. In this paper we develop a model that addresses steep slope conditions found in central Europe that involve a large number of potential landings and cable alignments. In addition we extend existing work by considering variable-length alternatives for each feasible cable alignment. We construct three models, one for single-length cable options and two for variable-length alternatives and test their efficacy in solving 18 different harvesting area problems. We show that one of the variable-length alternative models can be solved in computer times that are competitive with the single-length option model. Overall, the savings that can be attributed to variable-length options are modest, but the alignments found by the variable-length options models are more realistic from forest engineers’ points of view, which will aid in its use and adoption.

Problems of Forest Management in Municipal Forests of the City of Poznań

The article presents some selected management problems in municipal forests occurring as a result of the increasing pressure on recreation and urbanization. The object of investigation was municipal forests of the city of Poznań. A thesis was formed that the consequences of the recreational pressure can be reduced through reasonable equipment of forest areas in appropriate recreational infrastructure. The second thesis put forward an assumption that an uncontrolled urban pressure posed a threat to the stability of ecosystems of municipal forests.

The problem of carbon forest management: Much or fast?

Can we improve the environmental situation on our planet? The authors’ answer is yes, we can if there are solutions to improve the environment (they do exist) and if they are integrated into the economic environment. Analyzing the effect of initial conditions on the possible reward for the absorption of atmospheric carbon by the so-called “Kyoto forest,” the authors reach a conclusion on the preferred approach to raising forests in Siberia’s conditions.