Optimization of logistics processes in forest management

The article presents a mathematical model for the problem of timber harvesting and transport optimization. The criterion for selecting the appropriate decisions is the maximization of the value of harvested timber, minus the costs of constructing the necessary transport roads within the adopted planning horizon. 1. INTRODUCTION Forest management is an important industry in many countries. The term forest management should be understood as activities related to the care and protection of the forest, its utilization, maintenance, and the expansion of its resources. Management, beyond aspects typically related to the tree stand and its harvesting and renewal, is associated with forest game, forest undergrowth, medicinal plants, and the realization of non-productive functions of the forest, related to the protection of air, water, and soil. The primary field of economic use of the forest by humans is its maintenance, shaping, restoration, and improvement in order to maintain the production base. In Poland, the primary task of forestry is to increase forest area while striving to ensure the durability and high productivity of forests.2. TIMBER HARVESTING PLANNING PROBLEM
Forest harvesting planning is one of the fundamental logistics problems implemented within the framework of operational management of stand quantity and the transport of harvested timber. In the era of widespread computerization and technical progress, modern tools are beginning to be used in forest management. An important tool used in planning are mathematical models, which can be applied to problems related to timber harvesting and transport, as well as the shaping and restoration of tree stands. These models contain elements of mathematical location problems [2,4], the application of which aims at economically effective planning of the actions taken. They are problems with NP-hard computational complexity and require current spatial data regarding the tree stand, methods of its exploitation, and transport. In the timber harvesting planning problem, the area intended for harvesting is divided into units or blocks that are mutually adjacent to each other in groups.
Harvesting planning models are built in such a way that it is possible to choose the right strategy of action ensuring production over a long time horizon implemented over large areas. Their application is based on data related to the terrain, its spatial configuration, the type of tree stand, and other elements referring to (…)

Optimization of logistics processes in forest management – PDF file for download