Wg2 workplan

Working Group 2 - main objectives

WG 2 focuses both on the assessment of multi-functional forest models and on approaches to the integration of these and other pertinent models within the model base system of a DSS. It emphasizes the assessment and combination of models and methods to address multiple objectives and sustainability, multiple ownership, multiple temporal and spatial scales, risk and uncertainty and lack of information. Further, it addresses processes to manage and maintain the model base to improve the effectiveness of forest DSSs in direct linkage to the work of WG1.

Work Program 2009

Activities and Outputs

• WG2 established - 50 participants from 22 countries.
• Organization of the work on topic areas and (Classic optimization / Multi-criteria methods / Bayesian and Heuristic methods) and Forestry Domain (Spatial planning, species, forest type, classification systems / Operations planning, timing, method / Impact of operations on environment / Impact on communities and livelihoods).
• WG2 sessions at Riga meeting.
• A WG2 designated page on the wiki opened.

Work Program 2010

Activities and Outputs

• WG2 has increased its number of participants from 50 from 22 countries in 2009 to 53 from 23 countries.
• A spreadsheet categorizing DSS tools and methods established.
• The wiki has been amended with a list of methods and tolls for Methods-Based Management System (which could also serve as basis for classification of DSSs).
• Presentation at the EURO XXIV - 24th European Conference on Operational Research (July, 12-14, Lisbon, Portugal) of an analysis of operations research methods found in European forest DSSs based on the data in the wiki.
• Presentation at the EURO ForeStClim Mid-term Conference (September, 20-22 , Nancy, France) of an analysis of the applicability of existing forest DSSs for climate change analysis based on the data in the wiki.

Work Program 2011

Activities and Outputs

1. Adding content to the spreadsheet of DSS tools based on country reports and information on the wiki.
2. Additional reviews of new and innovative methods not currently applied in forest DSS development.
3. Continue the process of DSS meta-analysis together with other WGs:
   1. Develop evaluation criteria.
   2. Select case studies.
4. STSM’s (as proposed in the call text) are going to be hosted by the members of WG2.

Classification of approaches and models to describe topic groups

The work will be split into 4 main topic areas, each led by an expert with experience in the field.

No	Topic	Brief Description/Examples
1	Classic optimization	Time series analysis, GLM, Time series, probabilistic methods, spatial (agent-based , cellular automata), Data fusion, validation, curve and surface fitting, sensitivity, etc
2	Multi-criteria methods	Multi-objective approaches Multi-attribute approaches AHP
3	Bayesian and Heuristic methods	Networks, decision graphs, decision trees, Optimization and parameterization, uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulation

Each topic area could be further sub-divided to review the topic within the domain areas shown below

No	Forestry Domain
1.	Spatial planning, species, forest type, classification systems
2.	Operations planning, timing, method
3.	Impact of operations on environment and/or biodiversity
4.	Impact on communities and livelihoods

The review will examine methods and approaches, and where possible comment on the applicability of the approach in relation to a forestry context. However, it is expected that many methods will be from other disciplines, and in these cases opinion based on case studies from other domains will be very valuable.