Forestry decisions

Abstract

Viewing the forest as a system that self-organizes in response to a schedule of harvest and culture provides a new basis for making forestry decisions. Computer simulations of states of forest organization through time provide displays of tne production of forest benefits ranging from timber and water to wildlife and recreation. From these displays, the manager chooses a desired schedule. Graphs are used to evaluate suppositions about future events. The responsibilities of managers are not usurped by com-puters; people make the decisions.