This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ValorMauls (talk | contribs) at 02:14, 5 July 2014 (←Created page with ''''FORPLAN''', short for '''FOR'''est '''PLAN'''ning, was a computer program developed by K. Norman Johnson and others that used a linear programming model t...'). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 02:14, 5 July 2014 by ValorMauls (talk | contribs) (←Created page with ''''FORPLAN''', short for '''FOR'''est '''PLAN'''ning, was a computer program developed by K. Norman Johnson and others that used a linear programming model t...')(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)FORPLAN, short for FORest PLANning, was a computer program developed by K. Norman Johnson and others that used a linear programming model to estimate land management resource outputs pursuant to the National Forest Management Act of 1976. FORPLAN was developed to bridge the gap between functional resource planning and integrated land-use planning. Its primary usefulness was for the heavily timbered forests in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeastern United States.
As part of its growing centralization, the United States Forest Service directed all forests to use FORPLAN rather than competing computer models. FORPLAN allowed planners to enter information about the forest into the computer and then inquire as to, e.g., the maximum amount of timber that could be cut or how much timber could be cut in a decade if the forest were managed to earn maximum profits. FORPLAN allowed planners to break forests up into different zones based on factors such as vegetation, age of timber, wildlife habitat, steepness of slope, or whether the zone had roads.
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