| Abstract: | Abstract To be able to make the right decisions in forestry today, the long-term effect of these decisions has to be considered. Multi-objective forest landscape projection models are tools that can be used to illustrate the effect of different management alternatives in a landscape. An integrated approach facilitates multi-objective considerations and decisions. A number of modelling systems has been developed. A modelling system contains numerous sub-models, each one modelling a particular part of the forest ecosystem, the socio-economy or other aspects of interest. Models and data are intimately connected, and different methods for collecting data and their relevance for different models are examined. The sub-models interact with each other in such a way that the dynamics of a forest is simulated. This article examines different sub-models for tree growth, economy, biodiversity, forest recreation and soil, and various uses for multi-objective forest landscape projection models are suggested and some examples are presented. Almost every model is associated with variation, uncertainty, and underlying assumptions. Errors in data and models, their origin and propagation through models, are discussed. The future development of forest models and their employment in planning and decision making are considered. |
