There is a need to ensure an even flow of timber with commercial potential to make forest management viable on small farms; however, this need is not always met, due to the fact that compartments are small and especially due to the irregular distribution of the species of interest in the native forest because of the heterogeneous ecosystems and forest typologies that form a complex mosaic. The main purpose of this work was to develop a mathematical model to help with the planning and distribution of stands in a small tropical forest farm. The mathematical model resulted in a new concept of stand. Based on the pre-exploratory forest inventory, the compartments were divided into sub compartments with their different values being calculated according to market timber prices. Since the annual logging rate allowed had already been defined based on local and regional studies, the goal was to guarantee that this rate, transformed in monetary value can really be reached annually. The mathematical model GP (Goal programming) was utilized in the selection of the sub compartments by grouping them into a final compartment with size similar to that of the original annual compartment. The proposed stand model was compared with the type of stand normally used in tropical forests and was proved rather superior to the conventional one, thus guaranteeing small farmers a balanced annual income.
Forest management; heterogeneous ecosystems; mathematical model; goal programming; sub compartments
