Current issue: 58(2)

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Articles containing the keyword 'knowledge'

Category : Article

article id 5425, category Article

Hannu Saarenmaa. (1990). Frame- and rule-based knowledge representation in an expert system for integrated management of bark beetles. Silva Fennica vol. 24 no. 2 article id 5425. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15579

Keywords: modeling; Scolytidae; expert systems; frame-based knowledge representation; integrated pest management

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Decision making in the forest protection involves diagnosing the pest, making predictions of the effects of the pest on forest, knowing the possible control tactics, and cost/benefit integration. To cope with all that, a generalist forest manager needs a tool like an expert system to support decisions.

This paper presents an expert system that approaches the goals of integrated pest management. With the systm, the user can make diagnosis and predictions of 12 North European bark beetles. Written in Common LISP and Flavors, the expert system has a combined frame- and rule-based knowledge representation. Frames are used to represent the hierarchy of insect taxonomy in diagnosis. Prediction is made with qualitative reasoning with rules. The interface engine applies both forward and backward chaining. The system has a graphical user interface that supports exploring the sensitivity of advice on input.

It is concluded that expert systems and artificial intelligence have high applicability everywhere in forestry where complicated decisions have to be made. Especially, an integrated pest management system in forestry is largely equivalent to a computerized decision-making aid.

The PDF includes an abstract in Finnish.

Saarenmaa, E-mail: hs@mm.unknown

article id 4773, category Article

Veli-Pekka Järveläinen, Totte Vadén. (1968). Ammattitietous ja sen leviäminen maatilametsätaloudessa. Silva Fennica vol. 2 no. 4 article id 4773. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a14558

English title: Professional insight and its diffusion within farm forestry.

Original keywords: metsänhoito; maatilametsätalous; metsänomistajat; ammatillinen tieto; metsäosaaminen; tiedonlähteet; metsäkoulutus

English keywords: forest professionals; forest owners; forest education; forestry skills; forestry knowledge; farm forestry; information source

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

The aim of the present study was to describe the diffusion of the professional insight in forestry taking place among forest owners and as factors attached thereto. The material is based on interviews of 289 forest owners in municipalities of Jämsä and Karstula in Central Finland in 1966. The forest owners were a random sample of all males in the municipalities, who were in the possession of at least 2 ha of cultivated land and 10 ha of forest.

Mass media (papers, radio and television) was an important source of information for the forest owners. Forest educational events are specially planned to spread information on forestry to forest owners, but 40% told that they had never participated any such event. Only 8% had got professional forest education. Knowledge concerning forests and forest management may also be inherited from the forest owner’s parents, or in discussions with professional forest officers or neighbours. About 73% of the forest owners had been in touch with professional foresters at least once during the last three years.

A third of the forest owners regarded professional insight their most important source of information on forestry, a little smaller group considered instruction in forestry questions the most important source. The third largest group had achieved their knowledge on forestry on own experience and inherited knowledge. Forest owners favouring mass media, own experience and inherited knowledge were often owners of a small forest holding.

The PDF includes a summary in English.

Järveläinen, E-mail: vj@mm.unknown
Vadén, E-mail: tv@mm.unknown

Category : Research article

article id 1214, category Research article

Katri Hamunen, Outi Virkkula, Teppo Hujala, Juha Hiedanpää, Mikko Kurttila. (2015). Enhancing informal interaction and knowledge co-construction among forest owners. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 1 article id 1214. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1214

Keywords: communities of practice; forest owner clubs; guidance; knowledge sharing; learning communities; peer learning; social network

Highlights: Forest owners’ own communities could complement the present expert-driven forestry extension; Enhancing informal interaction between forest owners calls for sufficiently homogeneous reference groups and also new communication contexts; New purposes of forest ownership and innovative forest management practices are suggested topics for novel owner communities; Forest professionals may initiate these communities, but the continuity depends on the owners themselves.

Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

It is a common concern that non-resident private forest owners are less able to make informed decisions regarding their forests. Moreover, the present guidance given by forest professionals is not reaching all owners. In this study, we suggest enhancing knowledge exchange among forest owners by increasing their mutual and informal interaction that could inspire them to co-construct new knowledge. The first objective is to identify present emerging activities that constitute knowledge exchange contexts (communities) for Finnish forest owners. The second objective is to discuss the challenges of current Finnish forest extension and their implications when introducing Communities of Practice as a complementary response to existing, yet insufficient, professional-led extension. Data consist of Finnish forest owners’ and forest professionals’ (n = 43) focus group interviews. The qualitative analysis was theoretically oriented followed by data-driven coding and grouping. According to the results, the role of expert-led encounters is strong in Finland and owners’ opportunities for good mutual communication are rare. Informal communities exist mainly in the countryside among neighbouring owners and within families. To enhance knowledge sharing among owners, one needs to identify innovative topics and activities that would inspire owners to commit to their forest property and perform active silviculture. These communities would operate as creative learning environments allowing participation of different levels. When cultivating forest owners’ communities it is important to consider actors’ roles. Forest owners themselves are responsible for the functions and continuity of these communities, although forest professionals could also initiate new and sufficiently homogenous reference groups for the owners.

Hamunen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), New Business Opportunities, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: katri.hamunen@luke.fi
Virkkula, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Kotkantie 1, FI-90250 Oulu, Finland E-mail: outi.virkkula@oamk.fi
Hujala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), New Business Opportunities, P.O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7905-7602 E-mail: teppo.hujala@luke.fi
Hiedanpää, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Economy and Society, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 3, FI-20520 Turku, Finland E-mail: juha.hiedanpaa@luke.fi
Kurttila, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), New Business Opportunities, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: mikko.kurttila@luke.fi

article id 922, category Research article

Malin Nilsson, Dianne Staal Westerlund, Olof Wahlberg, Ljusk Ola Eriksson. (2012). Forest planning in a Swedish company – a knowledge management analysis of forest information. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 5 article id 922. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.922

Keywords: forest planning; long-term planning; medium-term planning; knowledge management; knowledge; information

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Forest data and forest information are central to forest management planning. The knowledge a large forest-owning company possesses about its forests could potentially be a strategic capability. In this study, the forest-planning process of a large forest company is analyzed in terms of knowledge management (KM). The study was conducted as a case study of Sveaskog – the largest forest-owning company in Sweden. The study focuses on the long-term harvest strategy through medium-term planning until the stands are transferred to the tract bank and ready for operational planning. Interviews with key persons within the organization were conducted to assess how forest knowledge is used in this process. The results are presented for the four knowledge management processes: creation, storage-retrieving, transferring and applying. They show that the planning system relies to a great extent on codified knowledge realized by a push strategy.

Nilsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: malin.nilsson@slu.se
Staal Westerlund, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: dianne.wasterlund@slu.se
Wahlberg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: ow@nn.se
Eriksson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden E-mail: ljusk.ola.eriksson@slu.se

article id 606, category Research article

Pekka Leskinen, Jyrki Kangas. (2001). Modelling future timber price development by using expert judgments and time series analysis. Silva Fennica vol. 35 no. 1 article id 606. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.606

Keywords: forest planning; uncertainty; expert knowledge; forecasting; price peaks; price trend; price variation

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Timber prices belong to the most important variables affecting the optimality of forest management. On the other hand, forecasting of timber prices is very uncertain. One difficulty when using past time series data in forecasting future timber price development is the possibility of changes in the markets and in the society at large. Expert knowledge can be applied in forecasting of timber prices as information additional to that provided by time series modelling. This paper presents an approach utilising both time series data and expert judgments in modelling future timber prices. A time series model is used as the basis for the approach. Parameters describing future timber price trends, variation in future timber prices, and the probabilities of price peaks taking place in the future are estimated with expert judgments as the basis. A case study involving 12 experts was carried out in Finland, and models were estimated for all the six major timber assortments in the country. The model produced can be utilised in the optimisation calculations of forest planning.

Leskinen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Kannus Research Station, P.O. Box 44, FIN-69101 Kannus, Finland E-mail: pekka.leskinen@metla.fi
Kangas, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Kannus Research Station, P.O. Box 44, FIN-69101 Kannus, Finland E-mail: jk@nn.fi

article id 628, category Research article

Stefan Daume, Dave Robertson. (2000). A heuristic approach to modelling thinnings. Silva Fennica vol. 34 no. 3 article id 628. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.628

Keywords: thinning; heuristic model; rule-based; knowledge-based

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Thinnings play an important role in guiding forest development and are considered by many to be the most important influence on forests in Central Europe. Due to their importance, thinning models are a major part of any forest growth model for managed forests. Existing thinning model approaches have a number of problems associated with structure and model development that weaken their reliability and accuracy. To overcome some of these problems this paper proposes a heuristic approach to modelling thinnings, where the focus is on distance-dependent, single-tree models. This alternative approach tries to capture the information, strategies and deductive processes likely to be employed by a forester deciding on the removal of individual trees in a stand. Use of heuristics to represent thinning knowledge simplifies the construction and refinement of a thinning model and increases its plausibility. The representation of thinning heuristics in Prolog – a programming language based on formal logic – is a straightforward process without losing expressiveness of the original heuristics. Limited tests of the model implemented in Prolog indicate that the proposed model outperforms its competitors.

Daume, The University of Edinburgh, Institute for Representation and Reasoning, Division of Informatics, 80 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1HN, United Kingdom E-mail: stefand@dai.ed.ac.uk
Robertson, The University of Edinburgh, Institute for Representation and Reasoning, Division of Informatics, 80 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1HN, United Kingdom E-mail: dr@nn.uk

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