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Forests
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Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and...
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Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and Operations Research

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2022) | Viewed by 10134

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Howard M. Hoganson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Resources & North Central Research and Outreach Center, University of Minnesota, 1861 Highway 169 NE, Grand Rapids, MN 55744, USA
Interests: forest management; forest economics; landscape planning; operations research
Prof. Dr. Ljusk Ola Eriksson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, 90183 Umea, Sweden
Interests: forest management and planning; harvest scheduling; forest landscape planning; forest sector models; decision support systems
Dr. Eric B. Henderson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Regional Planning Analyst, USDA Forest Service Region, Missoula, MT, USA
Interests: forest planning; forest modeling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest managers are often overwhelmed by the near-infinite combination of ways that stands of a forest might be scheduled for treatment as part of a forest management plan. The economics of stand-level management and investments often depend heavily on how the stand fits within the broader forest-wide situation. Seldom is timber production the only forest-wide objective, yet timber harvesting is often the predominant cost-effective tool for managing forest conditions. Recognizing stand-level detail is often critical in forest-wide planning, with few simple rules as to how best to sequence stands for harvest. Long-term targets are difficult to set without first understanding production possibilities. Spatial arrangement of the forest often impacts multiple objectives and complicates stand interdependencies. Fortunately, tools from operations research can help planners to explore many possibilities to better understand trade-offs and consider management recourse opportunities in a changing world where the long-term nature of production makes potential mistakes a substantial concern.

Forest management planning synthesizes vast amounts of information from a wide range of natural resource specializations, each tied to overall forest condition and sustainability. With advances in remote sensing, the amount of information available to support forest planning continues to expand. New computer technologies allow us to apply larger models and potentially decompose them to utilize multiple co-processors now common on desktop computers. It is important to continue to ask: How can we better manage the forest today while helping to ensure a desirable future? Operations-research-based decision support systems for forest management are now common throughout the world. Society is also realizing the potential gains from collaborative management across forest ownerships. This Special Issue will provide insight into potential ways that tools from operations research can help to improve forest management decisions and investments. Papers involving either new methods or unique, detailed practical applications are encouraged.  

Prof. Howard M. Hoganson
Prof. Dr. Ljusk Ola Eriksson
Dr. Eric B. Henderson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest planning
  • forest management scheduling
  • landscape planning
  • collaborative planning
  • spatially explicit
  • wildlife habitat
  • ecosystem services
  • allowable cut effect
  • decomposition modeling, inventory scheduling
  • ecological objectives, linear programming
  • dynamic programming
  • heuristics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5725 KiB  
Article
Integrating Habitat Quality of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) in Forest Spatial Harvest Scheduling Problems
by Ying Chen, Lingbo Dong and Zhaogang Liu
Forests 2022, 13(4), 525; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13040525 - 29 Mar 2022
Viewed by 1563
Abstract
Biodiversity conservation has been broadly recognized in multi-objective forest management over the past decade. Nevertheless, habitat serves as one of the key influencing factors of biodiversity; while timber production and habitat quality are integrated into forest management operations, our knowledge about the trade-offs [...] Read more.
Biodiversity conservation has been broadly recognized in multi-objective forest management over the past decade. Nevertheless, habitat serves as one of the key influencing factors of biodiversity; while timber production and habitat quality are integrated into forest management operations, our knowledge about the trade-offs between the two is still limited. Thus, we formulated a habitat suitability index model for the great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and developed a forest planning model that integrated timber revenue and habitat quality for a forest landscape in northeast China. We created three alternative management strategies, which spanned from timber benefit maximization to various management strategies restricted to differing amounts of suitable habitat. The results show that when the amount of suitable habitat comprised 39% to 65% of the landscape, this generated a 40.7% to 74.4% reduction in the total net present value, in comparison with the timber benefit maximization base scenario. The restriction of suitable habitat amount demands significantly decreased the total timber benefit in spatial planning problems. Our planning model provides an efficient approach to learning more about the trade-offs between timber production and wildlife habitat. Furthermore, the consideration of optimal habitat protection rather than increased habitat amount could be helpful for balancing targeting strategies among ecological and economic factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and Operations Research)
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14 pages, 3144 KiB  
Article
The Value of Hybrid Aspen Coppice Investment under Different Discount Rate, Price and Management Scenarios: A Case Study of Estonia
by Heiki Hepner, Oliver Lukason, Reimo Lutter, Allar Padari, Arvo Tullus and Hardi Tullus
Forests 2021, 12(10), 1332; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12101332 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1733
Abstract
Hybrid aspen is one of the most promising tree species for short-rotation forestry in Northern Europe. After the clearcutting of hybrid aspen plantation, the next generation arises from root and stump sprouts. The economic feasibility of different management strategies of hybrid aspen coppice [...] Read more.
Hybrid aspen is one of the most promising tree species for short-rotation forestry in Northern Europe. After the clearcutting of hybrid aspen plantation, the next generation arises from root and stump sprouts. The economic feasibility of different management strategies of hybrid aspen coppice stands has not yet been comprehensively evaluated in Northern Europe. We compared the land expectation values (LEVs) of hybrid aspen coppice stands managed according to four scenarios: three early thinning methods (corridor, cross-corridor and single-tree) followed by conventional management and intensive bioenergy production (repeated harvests in 5-year rotations) over a 25-year period in hemiboreal Estonia. We considered the historic price volatility of aspen wood assortments under various discount rates (1–20%). We found that the 25-year rotation with different early thinning methods was more profitable than short bioenergy cycles in the case of low discount rates (<5%). The LEV of short coppice cycles for only bioenergy production became more profitable in comparison with those by thinning methods, when higher discount rates (>10%) were applied. Hybrid aspen coppice stands can be managed profitably, but more risks are taken when the management strategy focuses only on bioenergy production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and Operations Research)
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17 pages, 6245 KiB  
Article
Spatially Explicit Kirtland’s Warbler Habitat Management Scheduling in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
by Eric Henderson and Howard Hoganson
Forests 2021, 12(8), 1065; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12081065 - 10 Aug 2021
Viewed by 1563
Abstract
A spatially explicit management strategy is presented for Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) habitat on the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Hiawatha National Forest has a goal of continuously providing large patches of dense young jack pine for Kirtland’s [...] Read more.
A spatially explicit management strategy is presented for Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) habitat on the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Hiawatha National Forest has a goal of continuously providing large patches of dense young jack pine for Kirtland’s warbler breeding habitat. The problem is challenging as patches of suitable habitat are relatively short lived, forcing large shifts in the location of large patches in the future. In this study, alternative management strategies for providing habitat are described, explicitly mapped, and compared on a 70,600 ha landscape in the context of implementing many desired conditions of the forest’s land management plan. Strategies are developed by using two interacting scheduling models. Comparisons address overall habitat levels, habitat spatial arrangement through time, and financial trade-offs. The financial cost of managing habitat is high and there are further financial trade-offs associated with aggregating habitat into large patches. Furthermore, the marginal cost of habitat increases as more habitat is added to the management system. Managers may use information about the added costs of spatially explicit habitat management to help evaluate the added benefits to the species. It is often expensive to establish wildlife habitat and desirable ecological conditions, but results show that there are potential benefits from using detailed computer-aided management scheduling tools to support the decision-making process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and Operations Research)
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14 pages, 2022 KiB  
Article
Economic Analysis of Cedar Plantation Management and Mega-Solar Replacement
by Shizu Itaka
Forests 2021, 12(3), 361; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12030361 - 18 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2211
Abstract
Technology related to solar power as a renewable energy resource has increased in recent years. However, in Japan, forestland has been converted into mega-solar power plants with more than 1 MW photovoltaic capacity and such conversions raise significant concerns as they degrade forest [...] Read more.
Technology related to solar power as a renewable energy resource has increased in recent years. However, in Japan, forestland has been converted into mega-solar power plants with more than 1 MW photovoltaic capacity and such conversions raise significant concerns as they degrade forest ecosystem services. In this study, the profit and power supplies generated by a mega-solar power plant and a cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) plantation were evaluated. The profit for the cedar plantation was estimated from saw log and wood chip production, and its power supply was estimated from wood chip production alone. These figures were based on an optimal forest management strategy that was generated using a dynamic programming model. In this numerical simulation, it was found that the power supply from the mega-solar power plant was 50–150 times more than that from the cedar plantation. Regarding profit, it was found that the simulated mega-solar power plant provided NPV (net present value) of 8.5–90.6 MM JPY (Japanese Yen)/1–3 ha (0.1–3.0 MM JPY/ha/year), while the forest management simulation generated an NPV of 29,863 JPY/ha/year (for one timber rotation) and SEV (soil expectation value) of 3.6 MM JPY/ha at most. To avoid the conversion of forests into mega-solar power plants, this difference provides a basis for the cost of maintaining forests for ecosystem services and potential economic incentives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and Operations Research)
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21 pages, 3860 KiB  
Article
Suitability Evaluation and Dominant Function Model for Multifunctional Forest Management
by Zhiqiang Min, Baoguo Wu, Xiaohui Su, Yuling Chen and Yingze Tian
Forests 2020, 11(12), 1368; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11121368 - 21 Dec 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2027
Abstract
Multifunctional forest management is a common topic and hotspot of forestry research in recent years. Evaluating the suitability of forest land for multifunctional management is the first and most important step for realizing sustainable and multifunctional forest management. This research aims to explore [...] Read more.
Multifunctional forest management is a common topic and hotspot of forestry research in recent years. Evaluating the suitability of forest land for multifunctional management is the first and most important step for realizing sustainable and multifunctional forest management. This research aims to explore the suitability and forest dominant function evaluation model for multifunctional forestry management in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Using the model proposed in the paper, we expect to provide decision-making information for forest multifunctional management. The study incorporated the distance of the ridge lines extracted by the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data into the evaluation index, and established the ecological status index (IE) and the forest productivity index (IF). Moreover, a nonlinear multifunctional site quality evaluation model (MSQEM) was constructed to evaluate the suitability of multifunctional forest management. A multifunctional management dominant function orientation model (MDFOM) was constructed by Principal Component Analysis, and divided each subcompartment into one of the four resource subgroups, such as timber production function, water conservation function, water and soil conservation function, and other functions. The MDFOM model was used for Rongshui County’s forest resource by 11 factors, which were selected because of their easy availability. The factors contain slope, soil thickness, altitude, average age, etc. The results showed that the number of small classes with multifunctional site index larger than 0.5 was 20,841 (56.87%), and the multifunctional suitable area was in clustered distribution, which was consistent with the reality. The result of subcompartment dominant function evaluated by MDFOM was compared with the planning forest species, the overall accuracy was 61%, and the accuracy rate of timber production function was 94.2%. The number of subcompartments with good and above multifunctional management status was 9174 (44.20%), with an area of 48,963.41 hm2 (51.24%). The multifunctional management status of subcompartments in the study area is at the middle and lower level. Thus, it is urgent to further improve the multi-functional management level of each subcompartment in this area and formulate scientific reasonable and multifunctional forestation measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management and Economics: Integrating Objectives Using Harvest Scheduling and Operations Research)
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