| Managing a very complex ecosystem such as a tropical forest sustainably is very challenging. The challenge has increased in the recent years in timber producing countries like Malaysia due to increased demands and environmental pressures that need forest managers to make crucial and quick decisions. At present, forest management not only deals with harvesting but also conservation and rehabilitation. These normally involve large volumes of data and analysis, which have been mostly carried out manually in most tropical countries. As a result, the efficiencies and effectiveness of the decisions implemented are limited. To overcome this difficulty, this study proposes the development of a GIS-based tool for timber harvesting planning for a tropical forest in Malaysia. Timber harvesting is chosen in this study because it is the most sensitive environmental activity in tropical forests. The GIS-based tool for timber harvesting planning presented in this thesis consists of three research components, 1) the determination of net production area and identification of the harvestable trees, 2) prediction of soil erosion and its flow direction, and 3) the optimisation of forest road network. The development of the timber harvesting plan by using GIS should improve forest management. |
