Decision making model in forest road network management

Forest resource exploitation and the achievement of full forest potential depend on the density and quality of the forest road network. The forest road network has to fulfill multiple functions; it thus has strategic importance in forest management. When planning the forest road network development, decision makers have to consider various technological, economic, social, and environmental factors. A comprehensive and functional approach is needed. A hybrid methodological framework for the formulation of guidelines, within which the strategy for the development of the state-owned forest road network should be defined, is presented in this paper. A fuzzy modification of the A WOT method is proposed. The model, named FDA WOT model, is based on an idea to provide a conceptual framework for strategic option selection by combining the fuzzy Delphi technique, the fuzzy SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The FDA WOT model overcomes the problems of a classical SWOT analysis related to the vagueness and uncertainties in assessment of the character, impact and relative importance of strategic factors. It is a frame for a multicriteria approach in decision making which allows analytical prioritization of alternative strategic options and selection of an optimal one. The proposed model is applied to a case study of the strategy selection for the forest road network development in the Republic of Serbia. The presented results have shown that the FDA WOT model can successfully create conditions for sustainable strategy formulation.