Method of designing forest road construction scenario with GIS-based calibration using sustainable forestry model

In Japan, where planted forest resources have matured, the growing demand for harvesting work has necessitated road network expansion. To address this challenge, a model grounded in graph theory was developed to design a road network aligned with Japan's environmental and social conditions. This model integrates the road network with a forest management plan to ensure that timber collection aligns with each year's business scenarios. The slope parameters in the model were fine-tuned using road network data from sustainable forestry locations and simulations were conducted in forests near Tokyo. The designed working road boasts an average slope of 13–14 %, and the final road network density, including primary roads, surpassed the city's development target of 85.08 m ha−1. An evaluation using the Hausdorff distance indicated that the road network layout was generally appropriate for actual data. These findings are expected to contribute significantly to the effective forest resource utilization. [Display omitted] •A road network design is required to cope with the increase in harvesting in Japan.•We developed a road network layout decision model.•The model can be linked to GIS and can generate roads.•The model incorporates the knowledge of engineers via parameter optimization.•The number of road networks aligned with policy goals and the layout was appropriate.