COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT ADDITIONAL TREATMENTS IN LOGGING OPERATIONS FOR CONTROLLING REPRODUCTION OF RIPARIAN TREES

Abstract

Riparian forests with high reproductive abilities cause problems for river management, such as flood control, in Japan. Several logging operations combined with different treatments have been evaluated quantitatively, but cost was not considered. It is important to consider both the effect and the cost, because budget is limited. In this study, we developed a methodology to support decision making for selecting logging operations based on the concept of total cost. As an example, we used the methodology to select operations for three dominant species: willow, black locust, and bamboo. The results showed that the methodology reduced the cost of riparian tree management without affecting reproduction control by selecting appropriate operations based on the total cost. The methodology would assist the cost-effective, efficient management.