Development of a Multi-Criteria Decision Support Tool for Energy Wood Supply Management

The use of wood for heat and energy production has increased over the last two decades and there is still increasing demand. Harvesting energy wood can provide an extra source of income for the forest owners and generally affects the economics of forest operation positively, but impacts on environmental and social aspects, like the ecological balance of the forest, working conditions and rate of employment, need to be accounted as well. Individual stakeholders are faced with a number of options regarding energy wood harvest and supply systems though they often only have limited knowledge about their impacts. It is also important to understand that individual stakeholders often have different preferences regarding the balance between economic, ecological and social impacts. A computer-based decision support tool was developed in Microsoft Excel (R) using Visual Basic for Applications (R) to assist stakeholders in identifying the most suitable energy wood supply chain to meet their needs. The tool considers a number of criteria such as energy efficiency, nutrient balance, stability and vitality of the remaining stand and soil, contribution margin, supply guarantee, employment rate and working safety. Users can specify site, stand and environment data and technology parameters, and set their individual preferences for balance between the criteria. The overall utility of various treatment alternatives are calculated by an additive utility model and presented via on-screen graphs and tables. The tool is designed to convey knowledge gained in research through practical and understandable tool. In addition to presenting the decision support tool, this paper explores the influence of criteria weighting, terrain conditions, transport distance and moisture content on selecting the most suitable supply chain.