Decision Support Systems (DSS) for Forestry

Forest managers can use DSS to analyze, communicate and visualize complex forestry problems. A DSS is a model-based software system that has four components: (1) a language system (LS) that allows users to operate the DSS; (2) a presentation system (PS) for displaying results; (3) a knowledge system (KS) for storing input data; and (4) a problem processing system (PPS). (See Figure 1) The knowledge system of the DSS has three components: (1) data (e.g. particular forest data); (2) models (e.g. models for predicting growth and yield); and (3) methods (e.g. for calculating key statistics or for optimization). The problem processing system (PPS) solves the problem the user has specified by taking information from the LS, integrating data models and methods, and then communicating results to the PS. The integrative part of the DSS is the problem processing system (PPS). (Burstein and Holsapple 2008; http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783540487128)

Many DSS models for the forestry sector exist, and can assist with such problems as National Forest Plans, ecosystem management, and biodiversity planning. Table 1 shows the types of problem dimensions typically included in the forest DSS. Some DSS are specific to a particular country, region, or forest, while others can be used more broadly. A comprehensive inventory and assessment of all forest-related DSS has not been completed, but some reports have reviewed a small number of models. The Forest Management Decision Support System (FORSYS) project describes 69 forest DSS models, mostly from Europe: http://www.forestdss.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:DSS.

Source: Borjes et al, “Computer-based tools for supporting forest management. The experience and the expertise world-wide.” Report of Cost Action FP 0804 Forest Management Decision Support Systems (FORSYS), 2014.

The AFFOREST project, developed under the European Research Programme and involving scientists from Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, sought to build knowledge and capacity to support decisions regarding afforestation on former arable land. The project ended in 2004. The AFFOREST project includes both a mechanistic metamodel (METAFORE: The Afforest Deposition-Soil-Water-Vegetation Metamodel) and a spatial Decision Support System (AFFORST-sDSS), which is used for scenario analysis and environmental impact assessment. AFFOREST-sDSS assesses the environmental performance of afforestation on agricultural lands in northwestern Europe according to three parameters: (1) carbon sequestration, (2) groundwater recharge, and (3) nitrate leaching. The raster-based geographical database allows the user to answer fourteen types of questions on where, how, and how long to afforest in order to achieve a desired EP or change in EP from afforesting formerly agricultural land. For example;

WHAT: Which environmental performance can be expected when a given afforestation strategy is applied on one or more initial systems for a given number of years? WHERE: Which initial systems (and where are they located?) should be afforested with a given afforestation strategy and for a given number of years to end up with a desired environmental performance? HOW: Which afforestation strategy should be applied to a given initial system for a given number of years to yield a desired environmental performance? HOW LONG: How long should an afforestation strategy be continued on a given initial system to yield a desired environmental performance?

Information about the model, outputs of the project, and the model itself are downloadable from the following website: http://ign.ku.dk/english/research/forest-nature-biomass/biogeochemistry/afforest/output/.

AFFOREST-sDSS evaluates the environmental impact of the afforestation process by comparing the environmental performance (EP) of the initial land use (agricultural land) to the EP of the same land post-afforestation. The system considers 36 potential afforestation management practices; as well as combinations of tree species choices, including pine, spruce, oak, and beech; and site preparation and thinning details. The AFFOREST-sDSS is run on the Spatial Analyst extension of ArcView GIS 3.2 and includes three different modules (a metamodel, a spatial database, and a decision module) as well as a graphical user interface. The independent modules communicate via the programming language Avenue. The AFFOREST-sDSS system is useful for forest owners associations, public land managers at various levels, national forest administrations, local communities, and local administrators.

AFFOREST-sDSS

AFFOREST-sDSS deals with environmental performance (carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, and nitrate leaching) of afforestation on agricultural land in northwestern Europe. The AFFOREST-sDSS is implemented in the Spatial Analyst extension of ArcView GIS 3.2.

Agflor

Agflor assesses impacts of agricultural policy and changes in agricultural and forestry activities on regional land use patterns in Southern Portugal, for an area over 2 million hectares in size.

Capsis

The Capsis software platform assesses forestry growth and yield and has dynamics models. Capsis can run various silvicultural scenarios by combining a given growth model with silvicultural treatments.

DSD

Decision Support Dobrova (DSD) was developed to assess treatment of secondary Scots pine forests of the Dobrova region in Carinthia, Austria. DSD supports two main silvicultural decision-making problems for individual stands: (1) for the establishment of new stands DSD assesses which species are suitable for particular locations within the project area, and incorporates climate change considerations; and (2) given certain management objectives, assesses stand treatments scheduling, given a particular set of management objectives aiming at a future species-mixture stand type.

EFIMOD

EFIMOD is a tool to forecast carbon and nitrogen flows in forest ecosystems with strong feedback mechanism between soil and stand. It allows for description and spatial analysis of mixed stand dynamics in boreal and temperate forests at different management and external impacts.

HARVES

HARVEST was designed as a strategic research and planning tool, allowing assessment of the spatial pattern consequences of broad timber management strategies.

LANDIS

The purpose of LANDIS is to predict forest landscape change over long time periods. LANDIS was developed because previous forest simulation models were not suited for larger areas.

MAPSS

A landscape- to global-scale vegetation distribution model that was developed to simulate the potential biosphere impacts and biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks from climatic change.

NED

NED is a set of computer-based tools for forest ecosystem management designed to allow the analysis of the trade-offs required when managing for multiple benefits. NED was originally an acronym for the northeast decision model; however, since 1995 when development was expanded to include other regions of North America, the reference to the northeastern United States was dropped, and the name is now simply NED.

GISCAME

The application area of GISCAME is to assess the impact of land cover and land use change scenarios on planning objectives, which can be expressed by ecosystem services or other, to a higher or lower degree aggregated target figures, such as land use functions or sustainability criteria. As a result, alternative land-use scenarios can be visualized and the platform provides a visual feed-back on their impact on the balance of the selected target figures. Currently, the system is applicable for regions up to 10,000 km², which can be divided into so called “working windows” (standard: 100 km²; other dimensions can be defined individually) to support the visualization of land-use pattern and infrastructural details at mesoscale.

SILVAH

SILVAH (short for Silviculture of Allegheny Hardwoods) is a computer tool for making silvicultural decisions in hardwood stands of the mid-Atlantic and upper Appalachian region. It is an "expert system" in that it recommends appropriate treatments based upon user objectives and overstory, understory, and site data provided by the user. SILVAH also contains a wildlife attributes report, forest stand growth simulator, provides the ability to test alternative cuts, enables development of a forest-wide inventory database, and facilitates other forest management planning functions

VDDT

VDDT is a Windows-based program allows users to easily create and test descriptions of vegetation dynamics, simulating them non-spatially at the landscape level. Probably the most important contribution of VDDT is that it provides a common platform for specialists from different disciplines - e.g., entomology, pathology, fire ecology, silviculture, wildlife biology and ecology - to collectively define the roles of various processes and agents of disturbance on landscape-level vegetation dynamics. Moreover, the development tool allows for rapid gaming and testing of the sensitivity of the ecosystem to alternative assumptions. It thus provides a tool for learning and communication.