Resource planning on National Forests has become a complex and time consuming process. On the
Jefferson National Forest (JNF), "Opportunity Area Analysis" (OAA) is used to implement the resource use
mandates of the JNF Land and Resource Management Plan. Timber sale planning is an important
component of the OAA process that requires the evaluation and analysis of large amounts of site-specific
data and complex spatial relationships. Since geographic information systems (GIS) can manage spatial
information efficiently, a prototype spatial decision support system (SDSS) was developed that integrates
the data, GIS analysis routines, graphical map and tabular displays, and user interface utilities to
interactively support the timber sale planning process.
The objectives of this research are: (1) to model the timber sale planning decision process, (2) develop the
SDSS model, (3) demonstrate the use of SDSS on a case study area in the JNF, and (4) compare the SDSS
approach to current manual methods for timber sale planning.
The SDSS model is structured to assist the planner in four areas: (1) identification of suitable stands for
timber sale planning in the opportunity area, (2) evaluation and analysis of environmental and social
objectives specific to each candidate stand, (3) economic analysis of the candidate stands, and (4)
development of timber sale alternatives for a short term planning period. When compared to the manual
methods currently used, the SDSS approach to timber sale planning provides faster access to current
resource information, helps define and structure the timber sale planning process,a1lows flexibility in plan
development, and assembles information for map production and report generation. Recommendations for
future SDSS research are also discussed.
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