August 2010 Article: Forest Road Erosion Control Using Multiobjective Optimization, by Matthew Thompson, John Sessions, Kevin Boston, Arne Skaugset, and David Tomberlin.
Efficient frontier (Figure 3 from article.)
Controlling road-related erosion remains an important issue for forest stewardship. This article uses mathematical programming techniques to identify the efficient frontier between sediment reduction and treatment costs. Information on the nature of the tradeoffs between conflicting objectives can give the decision maker more insight into the problem, and help in reaching a suitable compromise solution.
Optimization methods involve algorithms that make some folks’ eyes glaze over, but to me they are really cool stuff with lots of practical use. What this paper looks at is how to get any degree of sediment reduction for the least amount of cost. Those dots on the right in the example are all inefficient solutions. Move left to the line and you’ll always find a better deal for sediment reduction.
[Please note: I have quoted and paraphrased freely from the article, but the interpretation is my own!]
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Tags: forest hydrology, optimization