A Comparison of Mixed Integer Programming and a Heuristic Approach for Harvest Blocking in Australia

Abstract

The goal of harvest scheduling is to produce a practical operations schedule that can be implemented in the field by operational foresters and maximizes all values. The resulting harvest units need to represent a close approximation to what will be done operationally and while emulating natural disturbance regimes and topographic boundaries. using flow direction surfaces. Two methods of meeting spatially acceptable harvest units through a heuristic algorithm and a mixed integer programming method. A factor analysis was conducted on both to determine the statistical significance between 3 forest characterizations and mean financial and shape index indicators. Mixed integer programming had higher cash flows and net present values per hectare and the heuristic method had higher net present value per cubic meter at the 95% level of significance.