BOREAL: A tactical planning system for forest ecosystem management

BOREAL is a tactical planning system designed to aid forest managers in developing site-specific management schedules consistent with planning objectives and environmental standards. The system projects outcomes of management alternatives in terms of future forest conditions and forest products and displays results in tabular, graphic, and map formats. The application of the system in a tactical management planning situation is demonstrated with an example of the interactions between timber production and moose (Alces alces L.) habitat for a 5,000 ha area in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. The system is flexible and can be adapted to a variety of forest planning scenarios such as integrated timber production and habitat management, conservation of old growth forests, and protection of significant forest ecosystems.