2003 Volume 9 Issue 1 Pages 25-34
A dynamic, deterministic process for aggregating individual forest management units into larger harvest blocks was developed to allow a simulation of management behavior in support of the development of reasonable portrayals of forest policies in western Oregon, USA. The method described here dynamically aggregates individual management units into harvest blocks (a tactical goal), and the blocks are then fit to a variable (user-defined) clearcut size distribution (a strategic goal). One important objective with this work is that management behavior (the method for aggregation and the size distribution of recent clearcuts) is modeled or simulated, not optimized, for policy analysis purposes. Management units are selected for clearcut harvest and included in harvest blocks based on a valuation of the timber resource, and a determination of whether the size of the block is consistent with a clearcut size distribution. A close representation of management behavior facilitates a process whereby policy makers and landowners can evaluate alternatives to current policies, and begin to "think through" forest polices prior to implementing them.
