A decision support tool to improve forestry extension services for small private landowners in southern Austria

Forestry extension services in southern Austria currently provide forest resource management consultation for landowners. Given the complexity of analysis and selection of silvicultural treatment alternatives for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) karst.) stands in this region, consultants have a need for computer-based analytical support. DSD v1.1 (Decision Support Dobrova) was specifically designed to meet this need. In close cooperation with local forest authorities, a generic model of the consultation process was developed. DSD v1.1 supports a planning process which covers the phases of decision-making: (i) identification of current states regarding site and stand conditions, (ii) identification of owners expectations and preferences regarding a set of objectives, (iii) selection and evaluation of management alternatives. The core concept is that relevant information regarding the characterization of alternatives is prefabricated and stored in a database. Various stand treatment programs for representative stands were simulated with a distance-dependent individual tree growth model. The user can link sites, species and stand treatment programs, costs and timber prices, and evaluate these decision alternatives with regard to his own goal preferences by means of an additive utility model which is based on the analytic hierarchy process. Reporting facilities of the software tool include on-screen graphs and tables as well as printed reports. The software is implemented in C++ as a client/server architecture with Oracle® as relational database management system. The process itself is fully encapsulated in the server utilizing the PL/SQL capabilities from Oracle®. Initial feedback from end-users has been encouraging. The software tool is robust and functional. Limitations are the current format of reports and missing on-line help and documentation services. Through its modular concept the DSD-framework can easily be adapted to other geographic regions.