Supporting policy decision makers in the establishment of forest plantations, using SWOT analysis and AHPs analysis. A case study in Tocantins (Brazil)

Following the increased extension of forest plantations in Brazil, new challenges for landowners, forest technicians and policy and decision makers have emerged in order to ensure the provision of the ecosystem goods and services. Nevertheless, fire represents one of the most important limited factors of forest plantation growth and production in Brazil, especially in the Cerrado biome. This work focuses on the evaluation of the priority of the variables that landowners take into account during forest plantation establishment. The combined use of SWOT analysis and Analytic Hierarchical Process facilitates the priority ranking, allowing the assessment of the variables regarding fire-related aspects. The study highlights that landowners recognize fire as a hindering factor for forest plantation production adopting some preventative actions, even though these are poorly organized and rather made by default. Improving the awareness of landowners, promoting the local market of forest productions, and reducing costs for plantation establishment represent the main challenges highlighted in this study. The combined methodology applied represents a helpful tool for decision makers, offering them the possibility to assess the current gaps in plantation establishment with a particular focus on fire-related aspects.