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Sustainability in Forest Management Revisited Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques

Author

Listed:
  • Marta Ezquerro

    (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E.T.S. de Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Marta Pardos

    (Department of Forest Dynamics and Management, INIA-CIFOR, Ctra. La Coruña Km 7.5, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Luis Diaz-Balteiro

    (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E.T.S. de Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

Since its origins, the idea of sustainability has always been linked to forest management. However, nowadays, sustainable forest management has usually been approached by defining a set of criteria and indicators. This paper aims to address sustainability in forest management including a set of criteria encompassing the most common decisions: whether the stands are even or uneven-aged, and the optimal silviculture that should be applied in each stand. For this purpose, a lexicographic goal programming model with two priority levels has been defined, into which six different criteria are integrated. Each criterion corresponds to a particular pillar (economic, technical, or environmental). Furthermore, also incorporated into the model are the preferences of diverse stakeholders, both for the criteria considered in the analysis and for the most suitable silvicultural alternatives to be applied in each stand. This methodology has been applied to a case study in Spain, and the results show much more attractive solutions than the current forest management planning, allowing the obtainment of multi-aged systems that could be favourable for other ecosystem services.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta Ezquerro & Marta Pardos & Luis Diaz-Balteiro, 2019. "Sustainability in Forest Management Revisited Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-24, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:13:p:3645-:d:245110
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Luis Diaz-Balteiro & Jacinto González-Pachón & Carlos Romero, 2020. "Sustainability as a Multi-Criteria Concept: New Developments and Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-5, September.
    2. Luis Diaz-Balteiro & Carlos Iglesias-Merchan & Carlos Romero & Silvestre García de Jalón, 2020. "The Sustainable Management of Land and Fisheries Resources Using Multicriteria Techniques: A Meta-Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Itziar Barinaga-Rementeria & Iker Etxano, 2020. "Weak or Strong Sustainability in Rural Land Use Planning? Assessing Two Case Studies through Multi-Criteria Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.

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