Optimal Operation Planning for Integrated Forest Harvesting and Transport Operations from the Forest to the Mill

Forest harvesting systems vary from place to place. This paper concentrates on the study of one of the most complex systems, multistage timber production, which is very popular in vast forest regions of China and Russia. Based on case studies from the Heilongjiang Forest Region, in the northeast part of China, optimal operation planning for forest harvesting, and the impact of harvesting on the forest environment, economic benefit and working safety, is carried using a multi-objective optimization model. The results of the case studies, optimizing operation time schedules, show that the models are quite applicable and helpful to practical operations.