Guidelines for the Country Report

FORSYS – this is our FOCUS

FORSYS aims at producing decision support guidelines for forest management planning problems, where a forest management planning problem involves …

• the definition of the timing and location of forest management options in a unit of forestland over a planning horizon,
• in order to approximate or optimize management objectives,
• that are single or multiple and relate to goods and services that are traded or non-traded, and
• subject to resource constraints.

Thus the output of a decision support tool as understood in FORSYS ideally includes …

• an efficient set of actions,
• tradeoffs between management goals, and
• impacts of changing and uncertain parameters.

Problem types

Guidelines will be created for a number of classes of forest management planning problems, or problem types. Each problem type shares a number of dimensions (see #Dimensions definitions). At present 10 different problem types are defined. They represent our minimal commitment; more problem types can be defined if needed.

Problem type definitions

Dimensions definitions

• Temporal scale
  • Long term (strategic) management planning. Planning horizon extending over more than 10 years. It may include planning periods of more than 10 years.
  • Medium term (tactical) management planning. Planning horizon extending from 2 to 10 years. It may include planning periods of more than one year.
  • Short term (operational ) management planning. Planning horizon extending over one year or less. Typically it will include planning periods of one month or less.
• Spatial context
  • Spatial with neighborhood interrelations. The interactions of decisions made in neighboring stands (or other areal units) are of importance, i.e. a decision made in one stand may 1) constrain decisions on neighboring stands or 2) influence the outcome of a decision made in its neighbors (e.g. some outcomes may not be measured in a per hectare basis) and . Examples are systems where there is a maximum harvest opening or where outcomes such as types (and amounts) of edge (borders between stands) are considered to address habitat quality or biodiversity concerns.
  • Spatial with no neighborhood interrelations. We are concerned with the location of forest operations and yet it is assumed that a decision made in one stand does not constrain decisions on neighboring stands and does not influence the outcome of a decision made in its neighbors (all outcomes may be measured in a per hectare basis).
  • Non spatial. Stands may be aggregated into strata or analysis units without consideration to their mutual location. There is no concern with locational specificity and with neighborhood interrelations.
• Spatial Scale
  • Stand level. Homogeneous unit according to ecological, physiographic and development features
  • Forest level. Forest landscape with several stands that belong together for a common purpose.
  • Regional/national level. A set of landscapes that may be managed each to address different objectives.
• Parties involved
  • A single decision maker makes the decision on his/her own, e.g. the forest owner.
  • One or more decision makers have the power to decide. In addition, there can be other parties with no formal decision-making power that are influenced or may influence the decision (stakeholders).
• Objectives dimension
  • Single. The management planning problem addresses one and just one objective
  • Multiple. The management planning problem addresses two or more objectives, any pairs of which could be conflicting, complementary or neutral with respect to their contributions
• Goods and services dimension
  • Market non wood products. The management planning problem addresses the supply of non wood products that are traded in the marked (fruits, cork,…)
  • Market wood products . The management planning problem addresses the supply of wood products that are traded in the marked (roundwood, pulpwood, biomass,…)
  • Market services. The management planning problem addresses the supply of services that may be traded in the market (recreation, hunting, fishing,…)
  • Non market services. The management planning problem addresses the supply of services that typically are not traded in the marked (public goods, aesthetics, water, biodiversity).

Notes based on the country reports presentations in the FORSYS 2010 Brussels meeting

• Interpret the problem types prevalent in the country according to the dimensions we have defined.
• Note that dimensions are used to define problem types – not the tools themselves - a tool may be used to address more than one problem type.
• Prevalent problems: correspond to the types of management planning problems – not to the general context (e.g. institutional) to forest management planning.
• May add problem types to the current list.
• Take advantage of the FORSYS wiki http://fp0804.emu.ee/wiki/ and feed info to it.
• Yet do not focus only on getting information about full DSS – any computerized system (e.g. excel sheet,…) is relevant as long as it is being used to address a problem type.
• No need to collect information about tools that are used to support problem types that are not considered – paper inconsistency.
• If no computerized tool is used to support the problem types prevalent in your country please state it and interpret it.
• Reach out and involve stakeholders.