Fuzzy logic applied in the prospecting of suitable areas for the establishment of commercial forest plantations

Abstract

Finding suitable areas for the establishment of commercial forest plantations is a crucial step towards the technical and financial viability of forestry enterprises. Thus, this study aimed to propose an alternative methodology to define areas with greater potential for the establishment of commercial forest plantations through the application of fuzzy logic. Edaphoclimatic zoning of the main forest genetic materials used in the state, land use classes, road networks, terrain slopes, and environmental regulation of rural properties were included in the modeling. In addition, a network analysis was applied to delimit the optimal transport radius. The results referring to the optimal areas for forest planting, according to the model, obtained an average of 80.39% assertiveness in the validation test in relation to areas already consolidated with forest plantations in the study area, demonstrating the potential of fuzzy logic to find areas favorable for future plantations, with low cost involved in prospecting areas. Therefore, it is concluded that the proposed methodology has high accuracy and low processing cost, and can be used to improve planning. Its application can be expanded to other Brazilian regions as well as other countries.