A heuristic optimization method for forest planning and decision-making

The presented planning method searches for an optimal combination of treatment schedules for forest compartments by maximizing, in an iterative manner, an additive utility function. The variables of the utility function can be selected from parameters that are associated to the whole forest area, such as: amount of removal, costs, income, or volume of the growing stock. Partial utility functions are developed for each objective variable the total utility being a weighted sum of the partial utilities. The weights of the objectives and the partial utility functions are estimated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Development and estimation of the utility function makes decision analysis an integral part of the planning process. The method was used with a non-industrial private forest, but the approach is also applicable to many other forest planning situations.