Spatially optimizing wildlife habitat edge effects in forest management linear and mixed-integer programs

Abstract

We present a spatial optimization model that accounts for wildlife edge effects through multiple habitat needs in a multistand forest management problem. Wildlife population dynamics are based on discrete reaction-diffusion processes combined with multiple limiting-factor constraint sets, one for nest site capacity and another for effective forage capacity. The model is shown to reasonably represent both negative and positive effects of forest edges on wildlife by varying the amount of forage production from harvested and unharvested forest areas in a static formulation. A dynamic model is also demonstrated, and scale effects are examined using mixed-integer programming.