Forest Road Network Design based on Multipurpose Forestry Management in Hyrcanian Forest

Abstract

Traditionally, the main focus of forestry management has been based on wood production but more recently it is directed at multifunctional forest management. Multifunctional forestry management includes many considerations such as ecotourism, ecology, economic and social issues of forest dwellers as well as wood production. This study aims to design forest roads using GIS and satellite data of SPOT-HRG in the Darabkla forest based on Multipurpose Forestry. The study used the multi-criteria evaluation method based on fuzzy logic to assess the potential of land area for a road network. Opinions of experts and scholars were used to select four criteria and 18 sub-criteria for road design. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used for weighting factors. Layers were combined using a weighted linear combination (WLC) operator and the map of crossing the road potential was identified and zoned. The road was designed using the PEGGER program. Geographic Information System (GIS) and satellite data of SPOT-HRG were effective tools for improving outcomes. Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) Model for combination layers was used in this study and recommended the multi object operation (MOLA) in future studies.