Preliminary communication
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in Forest Operations – an Introductional Review
Boško Blagojević
orcid.org/0000-0001-5962-7332
; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology Skogsmarksgränd 12 901 83 Umeå SWEDEN
Rikard Jonsson
orcid.org/0000-0003-2390-2528
; The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden – Skogforsk Forest Operations Unit Dag Hammarskjölds väg 36 A 751 83 Uppsala SWEDEN
Rolf Björheden
; The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden – Skogforsk Forest Operations Unit Dag Hammarskjölds väg 36 A 751 83 Uppsala SWEDEN
Eva-Maria Nordström
orcid.org/0000-0002-9199-2230
; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Department of Forest Resource Management Skogsmarksgränd 12 901 83 Umeå SWEDEN
Ola Lindroos
orcid.org/0000-0002-7112-4460
; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology Skogsmarksgränd 12 901 83 Umeå SWEDEN
Abstract
Decision making in forestry is very complex and requires consideration of trade-offs among economic, environmental, and social criteria. Different multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods have been developed for structuring and exploring the decision-making process of such problems. Although MCDA methods are often used for forest management problems, they are rarely used for forest operation problems. This indicates that scholars and practitioners working with forest operations are either unaware of MCDA methods, or see no benefit in using these methods. Therefore, the prime objective of this review was to make MCDA methods more intelligible (compared with current level of understanding) to novice users within the field of forest operations. For that purpose, basic ideas as well as the strengths and limitations of selected MCDA methods are presented. The second objective was to review applications of MCDA methods in forest operations. The review showed that MCDA applications are suitable for forest operation problems on all three planning levels – strategic, tactical, and operational – but with least use on the operational level. This is attributed to: 1) limited availability of temporally relevant and correct data, 2) lack of time (execution of MCDA methods is time consuming), and 3) many operational planning problems are solved with regards to an economic criterion, with other criteria serving more as frames. However, with increased importance of environmental and social aspects, incorporating MCDA methods into the decision-making process on the operational planning horizon (e.g., by developing MCDAbased guidelines for forestry work) is essential.
Keywords
multi-criteria decision analysis; decision-making; forest operations
Hrčak ID:
217409
URI
Publication date:
14.1.2019.
Visits: 2.308 *