Prescribing optimal harvests in forests containing even-aged and uneven-aged stands

Research in optimizing forest management has focused on single-stand problems to derive optimal harvest sequences in terms of residual basal area or residual stand structure for uneven-aged stands, and timing of pre-defined thinning treatments and clearcut harvests for even-aged stands. Recent research results provide various means of numerically deriving optimal management prescriptions for single-stand problems, thus considering all feasible solutions as opposed to considering only pre-defined harvest alternatives. However, forest-level problems involving aggregates of stands with similar management constraints are usually solved by evaluating pre-defined harvest sequences. Forest-level management optimization problems in which individual stands may be assigned to either even-aged or uneven-aged silvicultural systems have not been modelled. A dynamic forest management model is describer: that prescribes silvicultural treatments for stands within a multi-stand management unit. Results of an application of this approach to an Appalachian hardwood forest, comparisons of individual stand and whole forest optimal solutions, and efficiency of the solution algorithm are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Forestry

Department dc:contributor.department

Forestry

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Miller, Gary W.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Sullivan, Jay

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Wilson, Harold W.
• Johnson, Thomas G.
• Smith, David William
• Koelling, C. Patrick

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-06062008-171206

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/38452