Scheduling spatial arrangement and harvest simultaneously

A method based on the Metropolis algorithm is developed for creating desirable spatial configurations on the landscape while simultaneously dealing with other objectives commonly associated with harvest scheduling. Spatial configurations are loosely specified and stochastically attained, which contrasts with other adjacency constraints based on specific block size limits. This method makes it possible to improve habitat and connectivity, and to create buffer zones as part of the scheduling process. It also works with a mapped set of polygons/forest stands and does not require a gridded system.