A Decision-Making Case Study for Community Forest Management

Abstract

Abstract Community forest managers would benefit from a decision-making procedure that would help them weigh management alternatives and select one that best contributes to their goals. A matrix technique that uses a system of rating and weighing alternative impacts was applied to the decision-making process on the Rye Town Forest in Rye, NH. Using the results of a comprehensive multiple-use inventory of the forest and a survey of residents' preferences for uses of the forest, the matrix procedure aided in selecting a preferred management strategy. It encourages a systematic and objective comparison of preselected management alternatives and allows decision-makers to efficiently analyze and compare new alternatives. North. J. Appl. For. 5:254-258, December 1988.