Multi-objective forest management under risk by exploring Pareto frontier

This study focuses on developing an explicit multiple-objective forest management model to examine the interactions of timber production <br>and biodiversity as well as net carbon sequestration in a forest ecosystem under fire risk. The multi-objective optimization approach used here <br>is based on the concept of Pareto optimality, and on computing the Pareto frontier (the set of non-dominated solutions), instead of a single solution. <br>This problem of forest management under risk is modelled as Markov Decision Processes (MDP), and evaluations of the different functions of the forest are <br>simultaneously considered by building Pareto fronts. <br>The MDP framework is applied to the management of a private forest located in southwestern France. <br>We identify (i) ``optimal'' forest management practices for each objective separately and (ii) trade-off policies considering all objectives jointly.