Structuring a landscape by forestland classification and harvest scheduling spatial constraints

Landscape environmental features, such as disturbance susceptibility, biological diversity and aesthetics, depend on the forest spatial structure and on the characteristics of its component stands. Strategies for forestland classification are key for managing for spatial heterogeneity as they provide the setting for the layout of land use activities. The design of management units boundaries may further contribute to meet specific spatial conditions. In this paper, two alternative land-classification strategies are presented. They are applied to one test forest with about 12,000 ha. The forest management is constrained by the definition of an exclusion period - the minimum number of years between clearcuts of adjacent management units. Land transformation and fragmentation by harvest scheduling over a temporal horizon with eight ten-year periods is analyzed within the framework of each strategy. Landscape mosaics in each planning period are characterized by spatial statistics, such as the number of patches, average patch area, and the amount and type of edge and interior space. Results from three test computer runs are discussed. They show that land classification has a substantial impact on the spatial dynamics of the forested landscape. They further suggest that timber opportunity costs are not sensitive to the strategy used to classify the land as long as a scheduling model is used to help in management planning. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.