%0 Research article
%T Evaluation of the multicriteria approval method for timber-harvesting group decision support
%A Laukkanen, Sanna
%A Palander, Teijo
%A Kangas, Jyrki
%A Kangas, Annika
%D 2005
%J Silva Fennica
%V 39
%N 2
%R doi:10.14214/sf.387
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/387
%X The decision support methods most often used in timber-harvesting  planning are based on a single criterion. In this study, a  voting-theory-based method called multicriteria approval (MA) is  introduced to the group decision support of timber-harvesting. The use  of voting methods alleviates the problems caused by the multitude of  decision objectives involved in forestry decision-making and by the poor  quality of information concerning both the preferences of  decision-makers and the evaluation of decision alternatives with respect  to the objectives often faced in practical timber-harvesting planning.  In the case study, the tactical forest management plan of a forest  holding jointly owned by three people was specified at the operative  timber-harvesting level. The task was to find the best actual operative  alternatives for the harvesting that had been proposed in the tactical  plan. These timber-harvesting alternatives were combinations of  treatment, timber-harvesting system and the timing of logging. Forest  owners established multiple criteria under which the alternatives were  evaluated. Two versions of MA were tested, one of them based on  individual decision analyses and other one based on a composite  analysis. The first was markedly modified from the original MA,  combining properties of MA and Borda count voting. The other was an  original MA with the order of importance for criteria estimated either  using Borda count or cumulative voting. The results of the tested MA  versions produced were very similar to each other. MA was found to be a  useful tool for the group decision support of timber-harvesting.