Conclusion
The project demonstrated the feasibility of planning routes from the productive forest sites to the mill. The least-cost path model was a useful tool in planning road extensions in the forests. The project also demonstrated that planning forest routes using the least-cost path model was a cost-effective GIS application. By assigning different weights and allocating different influence levels for input factors, the program can automatically generate a least-cost path. Additional input variables such as land use type could be added in, if there is any chance to obtain those datasets in the future.
The generated map could be distributed to field crews to check the feasibility of the forest routes on the ground. However, users should be cautious and assign reasonable weights for each input landscape factor. It is recommended that input variables be fully investigated to ensure that preliminary route planning is cost-effective, safe, and sustainable.
The generated map could be distributed to field crews to check the feasibility of the forest routes on the ground. However, users should be cautious and assign reasonable weights for each input landscape factor. It is recommended that input variables be fully investigated to ensure that preliminary route planning is cost-effective, safe, and sustainable.