Modeling Timber Transport Flows for Forest Quarter-Based Implementation of Logging Operations with Combined Reforestation

The article presents a model for the formation of timber transport flows during the forest quarter-based development of forest plots with combined reforestation. A distinctive feature of the research is the accounting for the need to transport coniferous undergrowth, which must be preserved and transplanted from clear-cutting areas to sites with insufficient natural regeneration. The model optimizes the transport and technological scheme for quarter development by minimizing the movement paths for both harvested timber and viable undergrowth. The methodology is based on the application of geographic information systems and algorithms that enable the rational routing of technological corridors, considering the spatial distribution of forest inventory units. A key feature is the solution of a modified transport problem that accounts for the dynamic role of plots as both sources and consumers of undergrowth. The modeling results make it possible to determine optimal volumes and directions of timber transport flows, reduce the average skidding and undergrowth transportation distances, while ensuring its preservation and survival rate.