APPLICATION OF A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM IN MANAGING TIMBER PRODUCTION IN NORTH OF IRAN

摘要

The application of a decision support system (DSS) for selecting the best silvicultural treatment option in Iranian northern forests is presented. The DSS developed by Harald Vacik and Manfred J. Lexer was used. The decision problem is factorized into decisions on the future species mixture (GSO) and on an appropriate regeneration method (RM). A priori defined sets of alternatives (five species mixtures, six regeneration methods) are evaluated with respect to a set of stand-specific partial management objectives (timber production, conservation of biodiversity, recreation, protection against rock fall and avalanches) by further decomposing the partial objectives into decision criteria. An additive multiple-attribute preference model is used to aggregate the preferences at different levels of the decision hierarchy. The combination of GSO and RM which simultaneously maximizes the expected utility and satisfies all constraints of the forest decision maker is selected as the overall best solution. Finally, a species mixture of Fagus orientalis., Acer insigne, Quercus castanefolia (GSO5) was considered to yield the highest utility with respect to a multiple-purpose management, with the main objective to secure the sustainable yield of timber production. With respect to the goal types, the most preferred regeneration systems were selection forest and strip-and-group selection.