Effects of forest roads and an assessment of their disturbance of the natural enviroment based on GIS spatial multi-criteria analysis: case study of the University Forest of Taxiarchis, Chalkidiki, Greece

Abstract

The forest road network contributes to all aspects of the management and protection of natural ecosystems, such as fire protection and access to settlements, infrastructure and forest recreation. This has led to a constant demand for new roads and increased road density in forest areas. However, due to the environmental impact of such roads, a tool that takes into account all the parameters that they affect and evaluates the spatial distribution of forest-road-induced disturbance is needed. The present research highlights a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), based on a spatial approach that utilizes geographical information systems (GIS), for estimating both the impact of the forest road network and the absorptiveness of the natural environment for that impact. The University Forest of Taxiarchis, Greece, was selected as it combines both timber production and recreation characteristics. Primary data were collected through the management plan for the area and the road network was categorized. A variety of factors regarding forestry, wood extraction methods and production, and social and topographical criteria were examined and scored based on their weighting factors. The results regarding the impact and the absorptiveness were analyzed in order to assess the spatial disturbance. The analysis showed that the spatial environmental impact of the forest roads is crucial and that MCE methods should be applied in environmental impact assessment (EIA) in order to support decision-making systems (DMS) for new road construction and to enhance environmental integration.

Conceptualizing Forest Operations Planning and Management Using Principles of Functional Complex Systems Science to Increase the Forest’s Ability to Withstand Climate Change

“…These have been encapsulated to explicitly incorporate the opportunities and changes in the climate into the planning and management of forest activities. These show a new framework (Figure 1) that modern forest operations should follow, one that improves and supports forest resilience to climate change while maintaining the entire forestry value chain and sustainable forest management [71,72]. We have included methods into the fifth category based on the ideas and objectives that go beyond the endorsement of certain management strategies.…”

Optimal Allocation of Water Reservoirs for Sustainable Wildfire Prevention Planning via AHP-TOPSIS and Forest Road Network Analysis

“…Finally, for the criterion of coverage area within the 5-min zone (ACC), the sum of the squares was 154,145,563,597,978, and its square root was 12,415,537. 19. The normalized values are presented in Appendix A, Table A1.…”

“…The proximity of a forest region to the road network is a critical factor shaping the dynamics of forest fires [19]. Whether roads are present or absent in forested areas significantly influences fire management strategies, firefighting efforts, and the overall vulnerability of ecosystems and communities.…”

Study of the Sustainability of a Forest Road Network Using GIS-MCE

“…The economic indicator system was constructed with primary reference to the literature [6,8,[38][39][40][41]. The environment indicator system was constructed with primary reference to the literature [2,15,20,30,42,43], while at the same time the classification was appropriately adjusted to actual situation, including the current major modes of transport in forest areas and their average speeds, the economic restructuring of forest areas under policy regulation, and the limitations of earlier forest road network planning concepts and techniques. The official data were obtained from the official website of the forest management department, and the file name is Forest Management Programme of Taohuajiang State Forest in Taohuajiang County (2021-2030) Publication Version.…”

“…Sustainable forest management is an approach aimed at protecting and maintaining forest ecosystems. The core principles of management include ecological balance and diversity, economic sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental protection [1][2][3]. A sustainable forest road network achieves the cooperation of social, economic, and environmental dimensions.…”