Introduction

MOTTI is a stand-level analysis tool and decision support system for forest management. It facilitates assessing the effects of alternative forest management practices on stand development and the profitability of forest management.

The core of MOTTI is a stand-level simulator, which includes growth and yield models for e.g. natural regeneration, growth and mortality. It is designed to simulate stand development under alternative management regimes and growth conditions in Finland (Hynynen et al. 2002, Salminen et al. 2005).

MOTTI produces predicted development for the user-defined initial forest stand until the end of the rotation. The user can define various management schedules including management practices, such as precommercial and commercial thinnings, fertilization, and ditch network maintenance in peatland forests. The user can adjust parameters such as thinning intensity and proportions of tree species, and define the timing of thinnings and final cutting. If no user-defined treatments are entered, Motti creates a default management program for the forest stand based on forest management recommendations.

For the economical analysis, the user can enter stumpage prices by tree species and timber assortments, silvicultural costs (e.g. costs of first commercial thinnings, fertilisation and ditch network maintainance) and interest rate. The analysis results will be presented in the form tables and graphs, and when requested, a summary of the results can be printed.