Seventh Symposium on Systems Analysis in Forest Resources

Since 1975, the Systems Analysis Working Group of the Society of American Foresters has sponsored seven symposia to highlight advancements in quantitative approaches to solve forest resource problems. Past symposia were held in Athens, GA (1975 and 1985), Asilomar, CA (1998 and 1994), Charleston, SC (1991), Valdavia, Chile (1993). This proceedings reports on the seventh symposium, held in Traverse City, MI, in 1997. The eighth conference will be held in Aspen, CO in 2000.

Seventy-one of the papers and posters offered at the 1997 Seventh Symposium on Systems Analysis in Forest Resources are contained in these proceedings. The conference setting, Shanty Creek Resort, provided a relaxed setting for the 125 participants from many countries. Captain Chuck Sipe, the plenary speaker from the U.S. Naval War College, presented a challenging view of decision-making in his talk "The Decision-Maker Analyst Nexus." Dinner speaker Professor Paul Nickel, from the Department of Resource Development at Michigan State University, chided the modeling community with his remarks on the "Care, Feeding and Destruction of Handsome Models." Symposia presentations covered an extraordinary range of topics offered by participants from more than a dozen countries. Topics included management objectives and operations, information systems, transportation models, optimization and simulation methods, decision support techniques, spatial analyses, timber supply, regional economics, disturbances, and management of landscapes, wildlife, and biodiversity.

Many organizations and individuals contributed to the success of this symposium. We greatly appreciate primary support from the primary organizational sponsors--the Society of American Foresters, Michigan State university, and the North Central Research Station of the USDA Forest Service.

The unending details associated with planning and organizing a major conference required considerable effort by many people; we gratefully salute their contributions. Gem Castillo, Brad Conway, Demetrios Gatziolis, and Barbara Anderson from the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University and Kathleen Tulley provided logistics and program support. Professor Keith Gilless from the University of California, pitched in on session scheduling and program production. Assistance in editing and preparing the proceedings was provided by Ariana Mikulski, Sara Panek, Barbara Winters, Mary Peterson, and Lucy Burde from the North Central Research Station. The conference and these proceedings would not have been possible without the substantial efforts of these people.

Manuscript authors are responsible for the accuracy of their papers. While not peer reviewed, the papers contained in this volume have been carefully reviewed and edited for completeness and consistent format. The mention of trade names within the papers does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any of the sponsors of this symposium. Thanks to all of the authors who contributed to this volume for their efforts and patience. We look forward to seeing you in Aspen in September 2000.

Jeremy Fried, Larry Leefers, and Mike Vasievich
Program Committee