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 and biodiversity as well as net carbon sequestration in a forest ecosystem under fire risk. The multi-objective optimization approach used here 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. This problem of forest management under risk is modelled as Markov Decision Processes (MDP), and evaluations of the different functions of the forest are simultaneously considered by building Pareto fronts. The MDP framework is applied to the management of a private forest located in southwestern France. We identify (i) ``optimal'' forest management practices for each objective separately and (ii) trade-off policies considering all objectives jointly.