A Hierarchical-GIS-Based Decision Model for Forest Management: The Systems Approach

We developed a decentralized decision support system for forest management with a central coordination mechanism. It consists of (1) an LP model, a forest estate simulation model, and a geographic information system linked in an iterative process, at the regional level, and (2) a provincewide central coordination mechanism using a system of charges and subsidies that reflect provincewide values in regional decisions. Each of the components of the decision support system can be used independently, but their linkages provide the facility to deal with the complex pattern of interactions between subsystems and the global system of the forest resource. To date, the simulation and the geographic information system have been implemented for use in a commercial forest neighboring Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks.