Decision support models for solid waste management: Review and game-theoretic approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karmperis, Athanasios C.; Aravossis, Konstantinos; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias P.; Sotirchos, Anastasios

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The mainly used decision support frameworks for solid waste management are reviewed. ► The LCA, CBA and MCDM models are presented and their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and possible combinations are analyzed. ► The game-theoretic approach in a solid waste management context is presented. ► The waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework. ► Cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches to decision support for solid waste management are discussed. - Abstract: This paper surveys decision support models that are commonly used in the solid waste management area. Most models are mainly developed within three decision support frameworks, which are the life-cycle assessment, the cost–benefit analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making. These frameworks are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses as well as their critical issues are analyzed, while their possible combinations and extensions are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper presents how cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches can be used for the purpose of modeling and analyzing decision-making in situations with multiple stakeholders. Specifically, since a waste management model is sustainable when considering not only environmental and economic but also social aspects, the waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework in which future models can be developed

Decision support models for solid waste management: Review and game-theoretic approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karmperis, Athanasios C., E-mail: athkarmp@mail.ntua.gr [Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens (Greece); Army Corps of Engineers, Hellenic Army General Staff, Ministry of Defence (Greece); Aravossis, Konstantinos; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias P.; Sotirchos, Anastasios [Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens (Greece)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► The mainly used decision support frameworks for solid waste management are reviewed. ► The LCA, CBA and MCDM models are presented and their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and possible combinations are analyzed. ► The game-theoretic approach in a solid waste management context is presented. ► The waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework. ► Cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches to decision support for solid waste management are discussed. - Abstract: This paper surveys decision support models that are commonly used in the solid waste management area. Most models are mainly developed within three decision support frameworks, which are the life-cycle assessment, the cost–benefit analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making. These frameworks are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses as well as their critical issues are analyzed, while their possible combinations and extensions are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper presents how cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches can be used for the purpose of modeling and analyzing decision-making in situations with multiple stakeholders. Specifically, since a waste management model is sustainable when considering not only environmental and economic but also social aspects, the waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework in which future models can be developed.

A decision support system for a multi stakeholder’s decision process in a Portuguese National Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Garcia-Gonzalo

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Aim of study: In this paper, we present a decision support system (DSS to support decision making where different stakeholders have to generate landscape and forest level strategic plans. We further present an interactive approach that may take advantage of a posteriori preference modelling (i.e. Pareto frontier technique to facilitate the specification of the levels of achievement of various objectives.Area of study: The approach was applied to one planning cycle of a real world study case, the Leiria National Forest in Portugal. The Leiria National Forest, a managed area of approximately eleven thousand hectares in which 8,679 hectares are even aged stands of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait aimed at the production of wood.Material and methods: The interactive approach, at first, tries to generate Pareto efficient frontiers for different objectives. Then, multiple decision makers are involved in the process to seek an agreement towards the definition of a consensual strategic plan.Main results: The system developed in this article integrates an information management subsystem, a module to generate alternative management regimes, growth model routines and a decision module that generates and solves mathematical formulations. It also provides a module to display reports and view the resulting solutions (management plans. We also build the Pareto frontier for different criteria. The results show that the proposed DSS can help solve strategic planning problems subject to sustainable management constraints where people organize themselves and participate jointly to manage their natural resources.Research highlights: The interactive approach facilitates the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the decision making process.Keywords: decision support system; participatory planning; linear programming; mixed integer goal programming; sustainable forest management.

Capturing Old-Growth Values for Use in Forest Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, Rochelle J.; Duinker, Peter N.; Beckley, Thomas M.

2009-02-01

Old-growth forests have declined significantly across the world. Decisions related to old growth are often mired in challenges of value diversity, conflict, data gaps, and resource pressures. This article describes old-growth values of citizens and groups in Nova Scotia, Canada, for integration in sustainable forest management (SFM) decision-making. The study is based on data from 76 research subjects who participated in nine field trips to forest stands. Research subjects were drawn from Aboriginal groups, environmental organizations, forestry professionals, and rural and urban publics. Diaries, group discussions, and rating sheets were used to elicit information during the field trips. Findings show that different elicitation techniques can influence the articulation of intensity with which some values are held. In addition, certain values are more often associated with old-growth than with other forest-age classes. Some values associated with old-growth are considered more important than others, and some silvicultural treatments are perceived to compromise old-growth values more than others. Demographic characteristics, such as constituency group, gender, and age, are shown to influence value priorities. Ideas on how to incorporate old-growth values into SFM decision-making are highlighted.

Non-market forest ecosystem services and decision support in Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filyushkina, Anna; Strange, Niels; Löf, Magnus

2016-01-01

The need to integrate non-market ecosystem services into decision-making is widely acknowledged. Despite the exponentially growing body of literature, trade-offs between services are still poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of published literature in the Nordic countries (Denmark......, Norway, Sweden and Finland) on the integration of non-market forest ecosystem services into decision-making. The aim of the review was two-fold: (1) to provide an overview of coverage of biophysical and socio-economic assessments of non-market ecosystem services in relation to forest management; (2......) to determine the extent of the integration of biophysical and socio-economic models of these services into decision support models. Our findings reveal the need for wider coverage of non-market ecosystem services and evidence-based modelling of how forest management regimes affect ecosystem services...

Nuclear Waste Management Decision-Making Support with MCDA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Schwenk-Ferrero

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper proposes a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA framework for a comparative evaluation of nuclear waste management strategies taking into account different local perspectives (expert and stakeholder opinions. Of note, a novel approach is taken using a multiple-criteria formulation that is methodologically adapted to tackle various conflicting criteria and a large number of expert/stakeholder groups involved in the decision-making process. The purpose is to develop a framework and to show its application to qualitative comparison and ranking of options in a hypothetical case of three waste management alternatives: interim storage at and/or away from the reactor site for the next 100 years, interim decay storage followed in midterm by disposal in a national repository, and disposal in a multinational repository. Additionally, major aspects of a decision-making aid are identified and discussed in separate paper sections dedicated to application context, decision supporting process, in particular problem structuring, objective hierarchy, performance evaluation modeling, sensitivity/robustness analyses, and interpretation of results (practical impact. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the application of the MCDA framework developed to a generic hypothetical case and indicate how MCDA could support a decision on nuclear waste management policies in a “small” newcomer country embarking on nuclear technology in the future.

Impact assessment of the forest fires on Oarai Research and Development Center Waste Treatment Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimomura, Yusuke; Kitamura, Ryoichi; Hanari, Akira; Sato, Isamu

2016-03-01

In response to new standards for regulating waste treatment facility ('new regulatory standards'; December 18, 2013 enforcement), it was carried out impact assessment of forest fires on the Waste Treatment Facility existed in Oarai Research and Development Center of Japan Atomic Energy Agency. At first, a fire spread scenario of forest fires was assumed. The intensity of forest fires was evaluated from field surveys, forest fire evaluation models and so on. As models of forest fire intensity evaluation, Rothermel Model and Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System were used. Impact assessment of radiant heat to the facility was carried out, and temperature change of outer walls for the assumed forest fires was estimated. The outer wall temperature of facility was estimated around 160degC at the maximum, it was revealed that it doesn't reach allowable temperature limit. Consequently, it doesn't influence the strength of concrete. In addition, a probability of fire breach was estimated to be about 20%. This report illustrates an example of evaluation of forest fires for the new regulatory standards through impact assessment of the forest fires on the Waste Treatment Facility. (author)

A risk-based decision-aiding tool for waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiner, R.F.; Reiser, A.S.; Elcock, C.G.; Nevins, S.

1997-01-01

N-CART (the National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program Cost Analysis and Risk Tool) is being developed to aid in low-risk, cost-effective, timely management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and can therefore be used in management of mixed waste. N-CART provides evaluation of multiple alternatives and presents the consequences of proposed waste management activities in a clear and concise format. N-CART's decision-aiding analyses include comparisons and sensitivity analyses of multiple alternatives and allows the user to perform quick turn-around open-quotes what ifclose quotes studies to investigate various scenarios. Uncertainties in data (such as cost and schedule of various activities) are represented as distributions. N-CART centralizes documentation of the bases of program alternatives and program decisions, thereby supporting responses to stakeholders concerns. The initial N-CART design considers regulatory requirements, costs, and schedules for alternative courses of action. The final design will include risks (public health, occupational, economic, scheduling), economic benefits, and the impacts of secondary waste generation. An optimization tool is being incorporated that allows the user to specify the relative importance of cost, time risks, and other bases for decisions. The N-CART prototype can be used to compare the costs and schedules of disposal alternatives for mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW) and greater-than-Class-C (GTCC) waste, as well as spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and related scrap material

Optimization of protection as a decision-making tool for radioactive waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragg, K.

1988-03-01

This paper discusses whether optimization of radiation protection is a workable or helpful concept or tool with respect to decisions in the field of long-term radioactive waste management. Examples of three waste types (high-level, low-level and uranium mine tailings) are used to illustrate that actual decisions are made taking account of more complex factors and that optimization of protection plays a relatively minor role. It is thus concluded that it is not a useful general tool for waste management decision-making. Discussion of the nature of the differences between technical and non-technical factors is also presented along with suggestions to help facilitate future decision-making

A multi-criteria decision analysis assessment of waste paper management options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanan, Deirdre [Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA (United Kingdom); Burnley, Stephen, E-mail: s.j.burnley@open.ac.uk [Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA (United Kingdom); Cooke, David [Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA (United Kingdom)

2013-03-15

Highlights: ► Isolated communities have particular problems in terms of waste management. ► An MCDA tool allowed a group of non-experts to evaluate waste management options. ► The group preferred local waste management solutions to export to the mainland. ► Gasification of paper was the preferred option followed by recycling. ► The group concluded that they could be involved in the decision making process. - Abstract: The use of Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was investigated in an exercise using a panel of local residents and stakeholders to assess the options for managing waste paper on the Isle of Wight. Seven recycling, recovery and disposal options were considered by the panel who evaluated each option against seven environmental, financial and social criteria. The panel preferred options where the waste was managed on the island with gasification and recycling achieving the highest scores. Exporting the waste to the English mainland for incineration or landfill proved to be the least preferred options. This research has demonstrated that MCDA is an effective way of involving community groups in waste management decision making.

A multi-criteria decision analysis assessment of waste paper management options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanan, Deirdre; Burnley, Stephen; Cooke, David

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Isolated communities have particular problems in terms of waste management. ► An MCDA tool allowed a group of non-experts to evaluate waste management options. ► The group preferred local waste management solutions to export to the mainland. ► Gasification of paper was the preferred option followed by recycling. ► The group concluded that they could be involved in the decision making process. - Abstract: The use of Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was investigated in an exercise using a panel of local residents and stakeholders to assess the options for managing waste paper on the Isle of Wight. Seven recycling, recovery and disposal options were considered by the panel who evaluated each option against seven environmental, financial and social criteria. The panel preferred options where the waste was managed on the island with gasification and recycling achieving the highest scores. Exporting the waste to the English mainland for incineration or landfill proved to be the least preferred options. This research has demonstrated that MCDA is an effective way of involving community groups in waste management decision making

Multi-criteria decision analysis for waste management in Saharawi refugee camps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garfi, M.; Tondelli, S.; Bonoli, A.

2009-01-01

The aim of this paper is to compare different waste management solutions in Saharawi refugee camps (Algeria) and to test the feasibility of a decision-making method developed to be applied in particular conditions in which environmental and social aspects must be considered. It is based on multi criteria analysis, and in particular on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a mathematical technique for multi-criteria decision making (Saaty, T.L., 1980. The Analytic Hierarchy Process. McGraw-Hill, New York, USA; Saaty, T.L., 1990. How to Make a Decision: The Analytic Hierarchy Process. European Journal of Operational Research; Saaty, T.L., 1994. Decision Making for Leaders: The Analytic Hierarchy Process in a Complex World. RWS Publications, Pittsburgh, PA), and on participatory approach, focusing on local community's concerns. The research compares four different waste collection and management alternatives: waste collection by using three tipper trucks, disposal and burning in an open area; waste collection by using seven dumpers and disposal in a landfill; waste collection by using seven dumpers and three tipper trucks and disposal in a landfill; waste collection by using three tipper trucks and disposal in a landfill. The results show that the second and the third solutions provide better scenarios for waste management. Furthermore, the discussion of the results points out the multidisciplinarity of the approach, and the equilibrium between social, environmental and technical impacts. This is a very important aspect in a humanitarian and environmental project, confirming the appropriateness of the chosen method.

A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis of Waste Treatment Options for Food and Biodegradable Waste Management in Japan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Micky A. Babalola

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Dealing with large-scale Food and Biodegradable Waste (FBW often results in many logistical problems and environmental impacts to be considered. These can become great hindrances when the integration of solid waste management is concerned. Extra care is needed to plan such waste disposal or treatment services and facilities, especially with respect to the ecological impact. Decision-making with regards to the sustainable use of these facilities also involves tradeoffs between a number of conflicting objectives, since increasing one benefit may decrease the others. In this study a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA is presented to evaluate different waste management options and their applicability in Japan. The analytical process aims at selecting the most suitable waste treatment option, using pairwise comparisons conducted within a decision hierarchy that was developed through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP. The results of this study show that anaerobic digestion should be chosen as the best FBW treatment option with regards to resource recovery. The study also presents some conditions and recommendations that can enhance the suitability of other options like incineration and composting.

Waste Management Decision-Making Process During a Homeland Security Incident Response

Science.gov (United States)

A step-by-step guide on how to make waste management-related decisions including how waste can be minimized, collected and treated, as well as where waste can be sent for staging, storage and final disposal.

EVALUATING OF FOREST HARVESTING AND ROAD PLANS ON PROCESS OF DECISION IN FORESTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Hulusi Acar

2001-04-01

Full Text Available The plans of the forest harvesting and road are main subject of well arranged forest practices. This plans can answer the questions; When?, How?, Why?, Where are to be made the forest operations. Forest practices are three phase as a strategic, tactical and operational plans. Forest harvesting and road plans should be decided to carry out main purpose by evaluate according to technical changing on every steps of decisions process.

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF CAMEROON FORESTS RESOURCES: PROVIDING TIMBER WASTE TO THE POOR POPULATIONS AS ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF ENERGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serge Benjamin Noumo Foko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cameroon is covered by about 20 million hectares of forests. Timber exploitation is the second source of external income after petroleum. Besides, Cameroon’s forest has several other functions. Yet the threat to the very existence and survival of this forest is rapidly increasing due to overexploitation by logging companies and for firewood. Despite its usefulness, a substantial volume of the wood felled by timber exploiters is abandoned as waste to rot. This waste can be used as firewood by households even for building and making of furniture by small-scale users like carpenters if they had access to it. This paper encourages the use of timber waste as an alternative to kerosene, which has become very expensive and unaffordable due to the general rise in the price of petroleum products in recent years. The overexploitation of forests can therefore be limited by putting the waste timber into use. It will go along to reduce freshly cut wood which is usually cut illegally and uncontrollably and which is a major source of depletion of forest resources. This project, once achieved will forever last because it will always generate revenue to the groups involve in the collection and the distribution of forest waste which will make money from sales even if they were to sell cheaper since the major cost is transportation and the waste wood is also cheap to obtain from the logging companies or even costless since they have less interest in it.

Public involvement in radioactive waste management decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

Current repository siting efforts focus on Yucca Mountain, Nevada, where DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is conducting exploratory studies to determine if the site is suitable. The state of Nevada has resisted these efforts: it has denied permits, brought suit against DOE, and publicly denounced the federal government's decision to study Yucca Mountain. The state's opposition reflects public opinion in Nevada, and has considerably slowed DOE's progress in studying the site. The Yucca Mountain controversy demonstrates the importance of understanding public attitudes and their potential influence as DOE develops a program to manage radioactive waste. The strength and nature of Nevada's opposition -- its ability to thwart if not outright derail DOE's activities -- indicate a need to develop alternative methods for making decisions that affect the public. This report analyzes public participation as a key component of this openness, one that provides a means of garnering acceptance of, or reducing public opposition to, DOE's radioactive waste management activities, including facility siting and transportation. The first section, Public Perceptions: Attitudes, Trust, and Theory, reviews the risk-perception literature to identify how the public perceives the risks associated with radioactivity. DOE and the Public discusses DOE's low level of credibility among the general public as the product, in part, of the department's past actions. This section looks at the three components of the radioactive waste management program -- disposal, storage, and transportation -- and the different ways DOE has approached the problem of public confidence in each case. Midwestern Radioactive Waste Management Histories focuses on selected Midwestern facility-siting and transportation activities involving radioactive materials

Studies on Interpretive Structural Model for Forest Ecosystem Management Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Suqing; Gao, Xiumei; Zen, Qunying; Zhou, Yuanman; Huang, Yuequn; Han, Weidong; Li, Linfeng; Li, Jiping; Pu, Yingshan

Characterized by their openness, complexity and large scale, forest ecosystems interweave themselves with social system, economic system and other natural ecosystems, thus complicating both their researches and management decision-making. According to the theories of sustainable development, hierarchy-competence levels, cybernetics and feedback, 25 factors have been chosen from human society, economy and nature that affect forest ecosystem management so that they are systematically analyzed via developing an interpretive structural model (ISM) to reveal their relationships and positions in the forest ecosystem management. The ISM consists of 7 layers with the 3 objectives for ecosystem management being the top layer (the seventh layer). The ratio between agricultural production value and industrial production value as the bases of management decision-making in forest ecosystems becomes the first layer at the bottom because it has great impacts on the values of society and the development trends of forestry, while the factors of climatic environments, intensive management extent, management measures, input-output ratio as well as landscape and productivity are arranged from the second to sixth layers respectively.

Modelling of adaptation to climate change and decision-makers behaviours for the Veluwe forest area in the Netherlands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yousefpour, Rasoul; Didion, Markus; Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl

2015-01-01

We apply Bayesian updating theory to model how decision-makers may gradually learn about climate change and make use of this information in making adaptive forest management decisions. We develop modelling steps to i) simulate observation of a multi-dimensional climate system, ii) apply updating...... production as a measure of management performance. The results illustrate the benefits of updating beliefs to eventually utilize the positive effects and limit negative impacts of climate change on forest biomass production. We find that adaptive decision-making results in switching decisions over time...... rules for beliefs about climate trends, iii) evaluate the performance of adaptive strategies, and iv) apply (i)–(iii) at the local and forest landscape scale to find and compare individual versus joint adaptive decisions. We search for optimal forest management decisions maximizing total biomass...

Learning in data-limited multimodal scenarios: Scandent decision forests and tree-based features.

Science.gov (United States)

Hor, Soheil; Moradi, Mehdi

2016-12-01

Incomplete and inconsistent datasets often pose difficulties in multimodal studies. We introduce the concept of scandent decision trees to tackle these difficulties. Scandent trees are decision trees that optimally mimic the partitioning of the data determined by another decision tree, and crucially, use only a subset of the feature set. We show how scandent trees can be used to enhance the performance of decision forests trained on a small number of multimodal samples when we have access to larger datasets with vastly incomplete feature sets. Additionally, we introduce the concept of tree-based feature transforms in the decision forest paradigm. When combined with scandent trees, the tree-based feature transforms enable us to train a classifier on a rich multimodal dataset, and use it to classify samples with only a subset of features of the training data. Using this methodology, we build a model trained on MRI and PET images of the ADNI dataset, and then test it on cases with only MRI data. We show that this is significantly more effective in staging of cognitive impairments compared to a similar decision forest model trained and tested on MRI only, or one that uses other kinds of feature transform applied to the MRI data. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

System for decision analysis support on complex waste management issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shropshire, D.E.

1997-01-01

A software system called the Waste Flow Analysis has been developed and applied to complex environmental management processes for the United States Department of Energy (US DOE). The system can evaluate proposed methods of waste retrieval, treatment, storage, transportation, and disposal. Analysts can evaluate various scenarios to see the impacts to waste slows and schedules, costs, and health and safety risks. Decision analysis capabilities have been integrated into the system to help identify preferred alternatives based on a specific objectives may be to maximize the waste moved to final disposition during a given time period, minimize health risks, minimize costs, or combinations of objectives. The decision analysis capabilities can support evaluation of large and complex problems rapidly, and under conditions of variable uncertainty. The system is being used to evaluate environmental management strategies to safely disposition wastes in the next ten years and reduce the environmental legacy resulting from nuclear material production over the past forty years

Decision Assessment of Clearance Level on Radioactive Waste Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zainus Salimin; Gunandjar

2007-01-01

Radioactive waste on the safe level activity containing very small radioactive material gives small radiology influence to the human, it is not necessary to control by regulatory body. The radioactive waste on the safe level activity is safe to release as the common waste. For exemption of the control, it is required the safe activity level limits in which the value of clearance level is fulfilled by regulatory body, however until now it is not decided yet. The exemption decision is obtained if its activity is lower than or same with clearance level based on the annual effective dose receiving by public on the value is lower than or same with 0,01 mSv. The exposure pathways of radioactive waste to the human have important role for determination of clearance level. The decision assessment of clearance level on the radioactive waste management has been done by analysis of radioactive exposure pathways to the human for activities of the disposal and the recycle of solid wastes, also the release of liquid and gas effluent. For solid waste disposal, the exposure pathway was evaluated since the transportation of packed waste from the treatment facility to the disposal facility and during its operation. Exposure pathways for solid waste recycle consist of the pathways for handling and transportation of cleared material to the recycling facility, the fabrication and the utilization of its product. Exposure pathways for liquid and gas releases occur since its releases to the environment up to the human (public) by specific traffic lane. (author)

Risk decisions and nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansson, S.O.

1987-11-01

The risk concept is multidimensional, and much of its contents is lost in the conventional reduction to a unidimensional and quantifiable term. Eight major dimensions of the risk concept are discussed, among them the time factor and the lack-of-knowledge factor. The requirements of a rational discourse are discussed, in general and in relation to risk issues. It is concluded that no single method for the comparison and assessment of risks can be seen as the only rational method. Different methods can all be rational, although based on different values. Risk evaluations cannot be performed as expert assessments, divorced from the political decision process. Instead, risk evaluation must be seen as an essentially political process. Public participation is necessary in democratic decision-making on risks as well as on other issues. Important conclusions can be drawn for the management of nuclear waste, concerning specifications for the technical solution, the need for research on risk concepts, and the decision-making process. (orig.)

Public involvement in radioactive waste management decisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-04-01

Current repository siting efforts focus on Yucca Mountain, Nevada, where DOE`s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is conducting exploratory studies to determine if the site is suitable. The state of Nevada has resisted these efforts: it has denied permits, brought suit against DOE, and publicly denounced the federal government`s decision to study Yucca Mountain. The state`s opposition reflects public opinion in Nevada, and has considerably slowed DOE`s progress in studying the site. The Yucca Mountain controversy demonstrates the importance of understanding public attitudes and their potential influence as DOE develops a program to manage radioactive waste. The strength and nature of Nevada`s opposition -- its ability to thwart if not outright derail DOE`s activities -- indicate a need to develop alternative methods for making decisions that affect the public. This report analyzes public participation as a key component of this openness, one that provides a means of garnering acceptance of, or reducing public opposition to, DOE`s radioactive waste management activities, including facility siting and transportation. The first section, Public Perceptions: Attitudes, Trust, and Theory, reviews the risk-perception literature to identify how the public perceives the risks associated with radioactivity. DOE and the Public discusses DOE`s low level of credibility among the general public as the product, in part, of the department`s past actions. This section looks at the three components of the radioactive waste management program -- disposal, storage, and transportation -- and the different ways DOE has approached the problem of public confidence in each case. Midwestern Radioactive Waste Management Histories focuses on selected Midwestern facility-siting and transportation activities involving radioactive materials.

A multi-criteria decision analysis assessment of waste paper management options.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanan, Deirdre; Burnley, Stephen; Cooke, David

2013-03-01

The use of Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was investigated in an exercise using a panel of local residents and stakeholders to assess the options for managing waste paper on the Isle of Wight. Seven recycling, recovery and disposal options were considered by the panel who evaluated each option against seven environmental, financial and social criteria. The panel preferred options where the waste was managed on the island with gasification and recycling achieving the highest scores. Exporting the waste to the English mainland for incineration or landfill proved to be the least preferred options. This research has demonstrated that MCDA is an effective way of involving community groups in waste management decision making. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intelligent Model Management in a Forest Ecosystem Management Decision Support System

Science.gov (United States)

Donald Nute; Walter D. Potter; Frederick Maier; Jin Wang; Mark Twery; H. Michael Rauscher; Peter Knopp; Scott Thomasma; Mayukh Dass; Hajime Uchiyama

2002-01-01

Decision making for forest ecosystem management can include the use of a wide variety of modeling tools. These tools include vegetation growth models, wildlife models, silvicultural models, GIS, and visualization tools. NED-2 is a robust, intelligent, goal-driven decision support system that integrates tools in each of these categories. NED-2 uses a blackboard...

Biological waste by-production costs in forest management and possibilities for their reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiří Kadlec

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Biological wastes in forestry were observed from view of their by-production in silvicultural and logging operations. There were identified points where biological waste was produced in this paper, waste costs ratio for silvicultural and logging operations and were made suggestions for reduction of these costs. Biological waste costs give 34.4% of total costs of silvicultural operations and 30% of total costs of logging operations. Natural regeneration and minor forest produce operations are opportunities for reduction of these costs.

The roles of a decision support system in applying forest ecosystem management in Northeast China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

DAI; Limin; ZHENG; Bofu; Guofan; Shao; ZHOU; Li

2006-01-01

Forest ecosystems provide a variety of services and forest ecosystem management (FEM) is an effective approach to maximize the services. Because of the complexity of forest ecosystems, the applications of FEM can be facilitated with decision support systems (DSS) that recognize and incorporate ecological and socio-economic variables. With the rapid development of computation and information technologies, DSS have been advanced in many ways. Traditional forest management within a forestry unit in China is planned on a yearly basis. The planning itself remains primarily a verbal concept as there are no quantitative decision-support tools available to translate the concept into forest management actions. For the purposes of FEM at the management level, a forest management DFF, FORESTAR(R), has been developed under a framework of geographic information system (GIS) and forest models. The paper explained the intelligent modeling mechanisms and demonstrated how the applications of FEM can be strengthened with the applications of FORESTAR(R).

WIND-STORM: A Decision Support System for the Strategic Management of Windthrow Crises by the Forest Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Riguelle

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Storms are one of the most damaging agents for European forests and can cause huge and long-term economic impacts on the forest sector. Recent events and research haves contributed to a better understanding and management of destructive storms, but public authorities still lack appropriate decision-support tools for evaluating their strategic decisions in the aftermath of a storm. This paper presents a decision support system (DSS that compares changes in the dynamics of the regional forest-based sector after storm events under various crisis management options. First, the development and implementation of a regional forest model is addressed; then, the potential application of the model-based DSS WIND-STORM is illustrated. The results of simulated scenarios reveal that this DSS type is useful for designing a cost-effective regional strategy for storm-damage management in the context of scarce public resources and that public strategies must encompass the whole forest-based sector to be efficient. Additional benefits of such a DSS is to bring together decision-makers and forest stakeholders for a common objective and therefore to enhance participatory approaches to crisis management.

Effects of stochastic interest rates in decision making under risk: A Markov decision process model for forest management

Science.gov (United States)

Mo Zhou; Joseph Buongiorno

2011-01-01

Most economic studies of forest decision making under risk assume a fixed interest rate. This paper investigated some implications of this stochastic nature of interest rates. Markov decision process (MDP) models, used previously to integrate stochastic stand growth and prices, can be extended to include variable interest rates as well. This method was applied to...

Multi-criteria decision making to support waste management: A critical review of current practices and methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Goulart Coelho, Lineker M; Lange, Liséte C; Coelho, Hosmanny Mg

2017-01-01

Solid waste management is a complex domain involving the interaction of several dimensions; thus, its analysis and control impose continuous challenges for decision makers. In this context, multi-criteria decision-making models have become important and convenient supporting tools for solid waste management because they can handle problems involving multiple dimensions and conflicting criteria. However, the selection of the multi-criteria decision-making method is a hard task since there are several multi-criteria decision-making approaches, each one with a large number of variants whose applicability depends on information availability and the aim of the study. Therefore, to support researchers and decision makers, the objectives of this article are to present a literature review of multi-criteria decision-making applications used in solid waste management, offer a critical assessment of the current practices, and provide suggestions for future works. A brief review of fundamental concepts on this topic is first provided, followed by the analysis of 260 articles related to the application of multi-criteria decision making in solid waste management. These studies were investigated in terms of the methodology, including specific steps such as normalisation, weighting, and sensitivity analysis. In addition, information related to waste type, the study objective, and aspects considered was recorded. From the articles analysed it is noted that studies using multi-criteria decision making in solid waste management are predominantly addressed to problems related to municipal solid waste involving facility location or management strategy.

Prediction of the compression ratio for municipal solid waste using decision tree.

Science.gov (United States)

Heshmati R, Ali Akbar; Mokhtari, Maryam; Shakiba Rad, Saeed

2014-01-01

The compression ratio of municipal solid waste (MSW) is an essential parameter for evaluation of waste settlement and landfill design. However, no appropriate model has been proposed to estimate the waste compression ratio so far. In this study, a decision tree method was utilized to predict the waste compression ratio (C'c). The tree was constructed using Quinlan's M5 algorithm. A reliable database retrieved from the literature was used to develop a practical model that relates C'c to waste composition and properties, including dry density, dry weight water content, and percentage of biodegradable organic waste using the decision tree method. The performance of the developed model was examined in terms of different statistical criteria, including correlation coefficient, root mean squared error, mean absolute error and mean bias error, recommended by researchers. The obtained results demonstrate that the suggested model is able to evaluate the compression ratio of MSW effectively.

Towards an ecologically sustainable energy production based on forest biomass - Forest fertilisation with nutrient rich organic waste matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roegaard, Pia-Maria; Aakerback, Nina; Sahlen, Kenneth; Sundell, Markus [Swedish Polytechnic, Vasa (Finland)

2006-07-15

The project is a collaboration between Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences in Umeaa, Swedish Polytechnic, Finland in Vaasa and the Finnish Forest Research Institute in Kannus. Today there are pronounced goals within the EU that lead towards an ecologically sustainable community and there is also a global goal to decrease net carbon dioxide emissions. These goals involve among other things efforts to increase the use of renewable biofuel as energy source. This will result in an enlarged demand for biomass for energy production. Therefore, the forest resources in the Nordic countries will be required for energy production to a far greater extent in the future. One way to meet this increased tree biomass demand is to increase forest tree growth through supply of nutrients, of which nitrogen is the most important. Organic nutrient rich waste matter from the society, such as sewage sludge and mink and fox manure compost from fur farms might be used as forest fertilizer. This would result in increased supply of renewable tree biomass, decreased net carbon dioxide emissions, increased forest ecosystem carbon sequestration, decreased methane emissions from sewage sludge landfill and decreased society costs for sludge landfill or incineration. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to develop methods for forest fertilisation with nutrient rich organic waste matter from municipal wastewater, sludge and manure from mink and fox farms. The project may be divided into three main parts. The first part is the chemical composition of the fertiliser with the objective to increase the nitrogen content in sludge-based fertilisers and in compost of mink and fox manure. The second part involves the technique and logistics for forest fertilisation i.e., to develop application equipment that may be integrated in existing forest technical systems. The third part consists of field fertilisation investigations and an environmental impact assessment

Municipal solid waste management system: decision support through systems analysis

OpenAIRE

Pires, Ana Lúcia Lourenço

2010-01-01

Thesis submitted to the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering The present study intends to show the development of systems analysis model applied to solid waste management system, applied into AMARSUL, a solid waste management system responsible for the management of municipal solid waste produced in Setúbal peninsula, Portugal. The model developed intended to promote sustainable decision making, ...

Radioactive Waste Management System: Draft Project Decision Schedule. Revision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-07-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-425) requires that the Secretary of Energy prepare, in cooperation with affected Federal agencies, a Project Decision Schedule that portrays the optimum way to attain the operation of geologic repositories. The Draft Project Decision Schedule portrays the major milestones of the Radioactive Waste Management System. It also depicts the set of activities for which Federal agencies have responsibility and the deadlines for taking the required action that are associated with the activities. The NWPA also requires that Federal agencies having determined that they: (1) cannot comply with a deadline for taking a required action; or (2) fail to comply with a deadline contained in the Project Decision Schedule; submit a comprehensive report to the Secretary of Energy and Congress to explain their failure or expected failure. The Secretary, in turn, is required to submit to Congress a response to the agency's report. 7 figs., 13 tabs

Decision-Making Risks Concerning the Construction of the Goiania Waste Repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paschoa, A.S.; Rozental, J.J.; Tranjan Filho, A.

2001-01-01

As it is well known, an accident with a teletherapy source made of 137 CsCl with an initial activity of 59 TBq occurred in Goiania, in September of 1987. This paper will discuss the decision-making process, and the struggle that followed the decision to build the final repository for the remnants of the Goiania accident. The Goiania final repository was built as planned. The two subsurface structures under the grassy artificial hills hold the overall volume of the remnants of the Goiania accident. The near hill holds 5x10 3 m3 of stabilized wastes without radioactivity, or with very low radioactivity. The far hill holds the remaining 6.5x10 3 m 3 of stabilized wastes with low and medium radioactivity. The central part of each subsurface hill has been shielded by wastes with less and less radioactivity. The overall fenced area occupies 1.85x10 5 m 2 . The external radiation levels are similar to the surrounding background, and much lower than those found in the Brazilian areas of high natural radioactivity. The site is permanently monitored by independent institutions, including Brazilian universities, and national and international organizations. As it was mentioned earlier, the final repository was build to last for at least 400 years. Although the initial decision to adopt a too conservative decontamination criterion in the case of the Goiania accident was bound to produce excessive amount of waste; such decision proved, retrospectively, not to be bad because the excess low radioactive waste produced was used as extra shielding material in final repository. The technical decision-maker should not abandon risk estimates, but should be aware that credibility is the main basis to achieve acceptability of a decision by the general public. Risk perception should be regarded as only a first step towards what may be called knowledge, or comprehension of risk estimates, but risk perception by the general public is still an open issue. The problem of a fixed, or near

Two hypothetical problems in radioactive waste management: a comparison of cost/benefit analysis and decision analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, S.R.; Hayward, G.M.

1982-03-01

In our interim report we gave a general review of the characteristics of three formal methods for aiding decision making in relation to the general problems posed in radioactive waste management. In this report we go on to consider examples of the sort of proposals that the Environment Departments may be asked to review, and to discuss how two of the formal decision aids (cost-benefit analysis and decision analysis) could be used to assist these tasks. The example decisions we have chosen are the siting of an underground repository for intermediate-level wastes and the choice of a waste management procedure for an intermediate-level waste stream. (U.K.)

Two hypothetical problems in radioactive waste management: a comparison of cost/benefit analysis and decision analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watson, S R; Hayward, G M

1982-01-01

In our interim report a general review was given of the characteristics of three formal methods for aiding decision making in relation to the general problems posed in radioactive waste management. In this report, consideration is given to examples of the sort of proposals that the Environment Departments may be asked to review, and two of the formal decision aids (cost-benefit analysis and decision analysis) which could be used to assist these tasks are discussed. The example decisions chosen are the siting of an underground repository for intermediate-level wastes and the choice of a waste management procedure for an intermediate-level waste stream.

A novel sustainable decision making model for municipal solid waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, M.-L.; Ma Hwongwen; Yang, W.-F.

2007-01-01

This paper reviews several models developed to support decision making in municipal solid waste management (MSWM). The concepts underlying sustainable MSWM models can be divided into two categories: one incorporates social factors into decision making methods, and the other includes public participation in the decision-making process. The public is only apprised or takes part in discussion, and has little effect on decision making in most research efforts. Few studies have considered public participation in the decision-making process, and the methods have sought to strike a compromise between concerned criteria, not between stakeholders. However, the source of the conflict arises from the stakeholders' complex web of value. Such conflict affects the feasibility of implementing any decision. The purpose of this study is to develop a sustainable decision making model for MSWM to overcome these shortcomings. The proposed model combines multicriteria decision making (MCDM) and a consensus analysis model (CAM). The CAM is built up to aid in decision-making when MCDM methods are utilized and, subsequently, a novel sustainable decision making model for MSWM is developed. The main feature of CAM is the assessment of the degree of consensus between stakeholders for particular alternatives. A case study for food waste management in Taiwan is presented to demonstrate the practicality of this model

Modelling renewable supply chain for electricity generation with forest, fossil, and wood-waste fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palander, Teijo

2011-01-01

In this paper, a multiple objective model to large-scale and long-term industrial energy supply chain scheduling problems is considered. The problems include the allocation of a number of fossil, peat, and wood-waste fuel procurement chains to an energy plant during different periods. This decision environment is further complicated by sequence-dependent procurement chains for forest fuels. A dynamic linear programming model can be efficiently used for modelling energy flows in fuel procurement planning. However, due to the complex nature of the problem, the resulting model cannot be directly used to solve the combined heat and electricity production problem in a manner that is relevant to the energy industry. Therefore, this approach was used with a multiple objective programming model to better describe the combinatorial complexity of the scheduling task. The properties of this methodology are discussed and four examples of how the model works based on real-world data and optional peat fuel tax, feed-in tariff of electricity and energy efficiency constraints are presented. The energy industry as a whole is subject to policy decisions regarding renewable energy production and energy efficiency regulation. These decisions should be made on the basis of comprehensive techno-economic analysis using local energy supply chain models. -- Highlights: → The energy policy decisions are made using comprehensive techno-economic analysis. → Peat tax, feed-in tariff and energy efficiency increases renewable energy production. → The potential of peat procurement deviates from the current assumptions of managers. → The dynamic MOLP model could easily be adapted to a changing decision environment.

A conceptual framework for negotiating public involvement in municipal waste management decision-making in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Garnett, Kenisha; Cooper, Tim; Longhurst, Philip; Jude, Simon; Tyrrel, Sean

2017-08-01

The technical expertise that politicians relied on in the past to produce cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions no longer provides sufficient justification to approve waste facilities. Local authorities need to find more effective ways to involve stakeholders and communities in decision-making since public acceptance of municipal waste facilities is integral to delivering effective waste strategies. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored attitudes towards greater levels of public involvement in UK waste management decision-making. The study addressed questions of perception, interests, the decision context, the means of engagement and the necessary resources and capacity for adopting a participatory decision process. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the research produced an empirical framework for negotiating the mode and level of public involvement in waste management decision-making. The framework captures and builds on theories of public involvement and the experiences of practitioners, and offers guidance for integrating analysis and deliberation with public groups in different waste management decision contexts. Principles in the framework operate on the premise that the decision about 'more' and 'better' forms of public involvement can be negotiated, based on the nature of the waste problem and wider social context of decision-making. The collection of opinions from the wide range of stakeholders involved in the study has produced new insights for the design of public engagement processes that are context-dependent and 'fit-for-purpose'; these suggest a need for greater inclusivity in the case of contentious technologies and high levels of uncertainty regarding decision outcomes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A framework for modeling adaptive forest management and decision making under climate change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasoul Yousefpour

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Adapting the management of forest resources to climate change involves addressing several crucial aspects to provide a valid basis for decision making. These include the knowledge and belief of decision makers, the mapping of management options for the current as well as anticipated future bioclimatic and socioeconomic conditions, and the ways decisions are evaluated and made. We investigate the adaptive management process and develop a framework including these three aspects, thus providing a structured way to analyze the challenges and opportunities of managing forests in the face of climate change. We apply the framework for a range of case studies that differ in the way climate and its impacts are projected to change, the available management options, and how decision makers develop, update, and use their beliefs about climate change scenarios to select among adaptation options, each being optimal for a certain climate change scenario. We describe four stylized types of decision-making processes that differ in how they (1 take into account uncertainty and new information on the state and development of the climate and (2 evaluate alternative management decisions: the "no-change," the "reactive," the "trend-adaptive," and the "forward-looking adaptive" decision-making types. Accordingly, we evaluate the experiences with alternative management strategies and recent publications on using Bayesian optimization methods that account for different simulated learning schemes based on varying knowledge, belief, and information. Finally, our proposed framework for identifying adaptation strategies provides solutions for enhancing forest structure and diversity, biomass and timber production, and reducing climate change-induced damages. They are spatially heterogeneous, reflecting the diversity in growing conditions and socioeconomic settings within Europe.

Optimization of protection as a decision-making tool, for radioactive waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragg, K.

1988-01-01

Politically-based considerations and processes including public perception and confidence appear to be the basis for real decisions affecting waste management activities such as siting, construction, operation and monitoring. Optimization of radiation protection is not a useful general tool for waste disposal decision making. Optimization of radiation protection is essentially a technical tool which can, under appropriate circumstances, provide a clear preference among major management options. The level of discrimination will be case-specific but, in general, only fairly coarse differences can be discriminated. The preferences determined by optimization of protection tend not to be related to the final choices made for disposal of radioactive wastes. Tools such as multi-attribute analysis are very useful as they provide a convenient means to rationalize the real decisions and give them some air of technical respectability. They do not, however, provide the primary basis for the decisions. Technical experts must develop an awareness of the non-technical approach to decision making an attempt to adjust their method of analyses and their presentation of information to encourage dialogue rather than confrontation. Simple expressions of technical information will be needed and the use of analogues should prove helpful

Climate effects of electricity production fuelled by coal, forest slash and municipal solid waste with and without carbon capture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathre, Roger; Gustavsson, Leif; Truong, Nguyen Le

2017-01-01

We analyse the climate implications of producing electricity in large-scale conversion plants using coal, forest slash and municipal solid waste with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS). We calculate the primary energy, carbon dioxide (CO_2) and methane (CH_4) emission profiles, and the cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) of different systems that produce the same amount of electricity. We find that using slash or waste for electricity production instead of coal somewhat increases the instantaneous CO_2 emission from the power plant, but avoids significant subsequent emissions from decaying slash in forests or waste in landfills. For slash used instead of coal, we find robust near- and long-term reductions in total emissions and CRF. Climate effects of using waste instead of coal are more ambiguous: CRF is reduced when CCS is used, but without CCS there is little or no climate benefits of using waste directly for energy, assuming that landfill gas is recovered and used for electricity production. The application of CCS requires more fuel, but strongly reduces the CO_2 emissions. The use of slash or waste together with CCS results in negative net emissions and CRF, i.e. global cooling. - Highlights: • Using slash or waste for energy emits CO_2 from power plants, but avoids CO_2 and CH_4 emissions from forests or landfills. • Using forest slash for energy instead of coal gives robust short- and long-term climate benefits. • Using waste instead of coal gives questionable climate benefits, if the waste would otherwise be landfilled properly.

Improving societal acceptance of rad waste management policy decisions: an approach based on complex intelligence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, Suman

2008-01-01

In today's context elaborate public participation exercises are conducted around the world to elicit and incorporate societal risk perceptions into nuclear policy Decision-Making. However, on many occasions, such as in the case of rad waste management, the society remains unconvinced about these decisions. This naturally leads to the questions: are techniques for incorporating societal risk perceptions into the rad waste policy decision making processes sufficiently mature? How could societal risk perceptions and legal normative principles be better integrated in order to render the decisions more equitable and convincing to society? Based on guidance from socio-psychological research this paper postulates that a critical factor for gaining/improving societal acceptance is the quality and adequacy of criteria for option evaluation that are used in the policy decision making. After surveying three rad waste public participation cases, the paper identifies key lacunae in criteria abstraction processes as currently practiced. A new policy decision support model CIRDA: Complex Intelligent Risk Discourse Abstraction model that is based on the heuristic of Risk-Risk Analysis is proposed to overcome these lacunae. CIRDA's functionality of rad waste policy decision making is modelled as a policy decision-making Abstract Intelligent Agent and the agent program/abstraction mappings are presented. CIRDA is then applied to a live (U.K.) rad waste management case and the advantages of this method as compared to the Value Tree Method as practiced in the GB case are demonstrated. (author)

A framework for modeling adaptive forest management and decision making under climate change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yousefpour, Rasoul; Temperli, Christian; Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark; Meilby, Henrik; Lexer, Manfred J.; Lindner, Marcus; Bugmann, Harald; Borges, Jose G.; Palma, João H.N.; Ray, Duncan; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Delzon, Sylvain; Kremer, Antoine; Kramer, Koen; Reyer, Christopher P.O.; Lasch-Born, Petra; Garcia-Gonzalo, Jordi; Hanewinkel, Marc

2017-01-01

Adapting the management of forest resources to climate change involves addressing several crucial aspects to provide a valid basis for decision making. These include the knowledge and belief of decision makers, the mapping of management options for the current as well as anticipated future

Using structured decision making with landowners to address private forest management and parcelization: balancing multiple objectives and incorporating uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Paige F. B. Ferguson; Michael J. Conroy; John F. Chamblee; Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman

2015-01-01

Parcelization and forest fragmentation are of concern for ecological, economic, and social reasons. Efforts to keep large, private forests intact may be supported by a decision-making process that incorporates landowners’ objectives and uncertainty. We used structured decision making (SDM) with owners of large, private forests in Macon County, North Carolina....

Environment Canada defends decision to ban PCB waste exports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

The position of Environment Canada in banning the export of PCB waste to the United States was defended as falling within their jurisdiction under provisions of the the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The United States had previously banned the import of Canadian PCBs, but when it reversed its decision Environment Canada posted an Interim Order, upholding the ban. The decision to do so was based on protection of the large investment that was made to develop the Canadian PCB incineration facility in Swan Lake, Alberta. Canada also had an obligation under the Basel Convention to reduce it cross boundary movement of hazardous waste and provide adequate destruction facilities in Canada. Legal implications of PCB exports and the uncertainty of continuing access to American facilities were also cited as reasons for issuing the Interim Order

Decision-Making Risks Concerning the Construction of the Goiania Waste Repository

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paschoa, A.S. [Pontificia Univ. Catolica, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Rozental, J.J. [Ministry of Environment (Israel); Tranjan Filho, A. [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN) (Brazil)

2001-07-01

As it is well known, an accident with a teletherapy source made of {sup 137}CsCl with an initial activity of 59 TBq occurred in Goiania, in September of 1987. This paper will discuss the decision-making process, and the struggle that followed the decision to build the final repository for the remnants of the Goiania accident. The Goiania final repository was built as planned. The two subsurface structures under the grassy artificial hills hold the overall volume of the remnants of the Goiania accident. The near hill holds 5x10{sup 3} m3 of stabilized wastes without radioactivity, or with very low radioactivity. The far hill holds the remaining 6.5x10{sup 3} m{sup 3} of stabilized wastes with low and medium radioactivity. The central part of each subsurface hill has been shielded by wastes with less and less radioactivity. The overall fenced area occupies 1.85x10{sup 5} m{sup 2}. The external radiation levels are similar to the surrounding background, and much lower than those found in the Brazilian areas of high natural radioactivity. The site is permanently monitored by independent institutions, including Brazilian universities, and national and international organizations. As it was mentioned earlier, the final repository was build to last for at least 400 years. Although the initial decision to adopt a too conservative decontamination criterion in the case of the Goiania accident was bound to produce excessive amount of waste; such decision proved, retrospectively, not to be bad because the excess low radioactive waste produced was used as extra shielding material in final repository. The technical decision-maker should not abandon risk estimates, but should be aware that credibility is the main basis to achieve acceptability of a decision by the general public. Risk perception should be regarded as only a first step towards what may be called knowledge, or comprehension of risk estimates, but risk perception by the general public is still an open issue. The

The potential of woody waste biomass from the logging activity at the natural forest of Berau District, East Kalimantan

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, D. R.; Ariyanto

2018-04-01

The fifth principles of Sustainable Forest Management of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is to encourage the efficient use of forest products and services to ensure economic viability and a wide range of environmental and social benefits, and one of the criteria is to minimize logging waste. Therefore, identification, calculations, and monitoring of logging waste should be done. The purpose of this study were to know the potential of logging waste in logging area and to know the estimated volume of waste based on the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC). This research was carried out at PT Karya Lestari, Berau District, East Kalimantan. It was found that the highest percentage of waste was in the form of the main trunk canopy, followed by the branches, stump, twigs and the rest of the bucking. It was also found that there was quite strong positive relationship between the volume of felled trees with its logging waste volume, and the estimated volume of logging waste based on AAC was 40,623 m3 per year. This result shows that the potential logging waste is high and it is recommended for the company to do logging on trees with small volumes or lower diameter class (40-89 cm).

Assisting Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Policy Planning with the Sim4Tree Decision Support System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Floris Dalemans

2015-03-01

Full Text Available As European forest policy increasingly focuses on multiple ecosystem services and participatory decision making, forest managers and policy planners have a need for integrated, user-friendly, broad spectrum decision support systems (DSS that address risks and uncertainties, such as climate change, in a robust way and that provide credible advice in a transparent manner, enabling effective stakeholder involvement. The Sim4Tree DSS has been accordingly developed as a user-oriented, modular and multipurpose toolbox. Sim4Tree supports strategic and tactical forestry planning by providing simulations of forest development, ecosystem services potential and economic performance through time, from a regional to a stand scale, under various management and climate regimes. Sim4Tree allows comparing the performance of different scenarios with regard to diverse criteria so as to optimize management choices. This paper explains the concept, characteristics, functionalities, components and use of the current Sim4Tree DSS v2.5, which was parameterized for the region of Flanders, Belgium, but can be flexibly adapted to allow a broader use. When considering the current challenges for forestry DSS, an effort has been made towards the participatory component and towards integration, while the lack of robustness remains Sim4Tree’s weakest point. However, its structural flexibility allows many possibilities for future improvement and extension.

Harnessing Ecosystem Models and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Support of Forest Management

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfslehner, Bernhard; Seidl, Rupert

2010-12-01

The decision-making environment in forest management (FM) has changed drastically during the last decades. Forest management planning is facing increasing complexity due to a widening portfolio of forest goods and services, a societal demand for a rational, transparent decision process and rising uncertainties concerning future environmental conditions (e.g., climate change). Methodological responses to these challenges include an intensified use of ecosystem models to provide an enriched, quantitative information base for FM planning. Furthermore, multi-criteria methods are increasingly used to amalgamate information, preferences, expert judgments and value expressions, in support of the participatory and communicative dimensions of modern forestry. Although the potential of combining these two approaches has been demonstrated in a number of studies, methodological aspects in interfacing forest ecosystem models (FEM) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are scarcely addressed explicitly. In this contribution we review the state of the art in FEM and MCDA in the context of FM planning and highlight some of the crucial issues when combining ecosystem and preference modeling. We discuss issues and requirements in selecting approaches suitable for supporting FM planning problems from the growing body of FEM and MCDA concepts. We furthermore identify two major challenges in a harmonized application of FEM-MCDA: (i) the design and implementation of an indicator-based analysis framework capturing ecological and social aspects and their interactions relevant for the decision process, and (ii) holistic information management that supports consistent use of different information sources, provides meta-information as well as information on uncertainties throughout the planning process.

Nuclear waste management and sustainable development: the complexity of a decision in a controversial universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Dars, A.

2002-01-01

This PhD dissertation intends to demonstrate in what extent the concept of sustainable development applied to nuclear waste management requires a novel scientific approach. High-level and long-lived radioactive waste management needs to make decisions in taking into account multiple dimensions, characterised by uncertainty, irreversibility, and long term, and which are much debated. These scientific controversies often induce social conflicts due to the divergence in stakeholders point of views, values or interests. Therefore, nuclear waste management in a sustainable development constitutes a complex decision-making problem. This thesis focuses on high-level and long-lived radioactive waste management in the French context because this country is confronted with the most severe conflicts. Researches are operating in the 30 December 1991 law framework, and in 2006 a Parliament decision could be made concerning the choice of a long-term nuclear waste management solution. This survey studies in what extent economics can open to other scientific disciplines in using evaluation tools and decision-making procedures which better integrate several conflicting criteria. This work deals with the criticism of the epistemological and methodological foundations of economic evaluation, notably in questioning the realism of its hypothesis, and a qualitative survey directly made close to stakeholders goes deeper into the analysis of their complex relationships. The first part of this thesis puts in evidence the complexity of a sustainable nuclear waste management. Chapter 1 shows that sustainable nuclear waste management is a health and ecological problem irreducible to a technical solution, and Chapter 2 explains why sustainable nuclear waste management constitutes a social choice problem irreducible to an economic evaluation. The second part of this thesis shows that a concerted decision-making process seems to be a good procedure to overcome this complexity. Chapter 3 analyses

The usefulness of Decision Support Systems in participatory forest planning: a comparison between Finland and Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. De Meo

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Aim of study: Participation of stakeholders is considered an essential element in producing, at different spatial and temporal scales, forest plans accepted by local community and fulfilling the requirements of Sustainable Forest Management. Increasingly, computer-based decision support systems (DSS and tools are being introduced to assist stakeholders and decision-makers in coping with the complexities inherent in participatory forest planning. The study aimed to investigate how useful the users and researchers see DSS tools and which opportunities they perceive DSS might carry for enhancing participatory forest planning in their field of activity.Area of study: 15 Italian and Finnish researchers and practitioners were interviewed.Material and Methods:  Face-to-face structured interviews were used to collect opinions and experiences. Quantitative and qualitative information were analyzed to investigate differences between Italian and Finnish respondents as well as between researchers and practitionersMain results: Results showed that in Italy there has been more focus on forest-level and medium-term problems and the intelligence phase, while in Finland there has been more attention to region-level and long-term problems and equally intelligence, design, and choice phases of decision-making. Deviations probably reflect different planning contexts and culture, variability in experiences and expertise in DSS and in availability of suitable DSS.Research highlights: The study suggests to pay attention to evaluating the success criteria of participatory planning when preparing for the use of DSS and related tools in practical forest planning processes. Experience sharing is a key to reaching more successful use of DSS.Keywords: computer-based decision support; participatory processes; spatial scale; success criteria; temporal scale; users' perception.

Review of state-of-the-art decision support systems (DSSs) for prevention and suppression of forest fires

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Stavros Sakellariou; Stergios Tampekis; Fani Samara; Athanassios Sfougaris; Olga Christopoulou

2017-01-01

Forest ecosystems are our priceless natural resource and are a key component of the global carbon budget. Forest fires can be a hazard to the viability and sustainable management of forests with consequences for natural and cultural environments, economies, and the life quality of local and regional populations. Thus, the selec-tion of strategies to manage forest fires, while considering both functional and economic efficiency, is of primary importance. The use of decision support systems (DSSs) by managers of forest fires has rapidly increased. This has strengthened capacity to prevent and suppress forest fires while protecting human lives and property. DSSs are a tool that can benefit incident management and decision making and policy, especially for emergencies such as natural disasters. In this study we reviewed state-of-the-art DSSs that use:database management systems and mathematical/economic algorithms for spatial optimization of firefighting forces; forest fire simulators and satellite technology forimmediate detection and prediction of evolution of forest fires; GIS platforms that incorporate several tools to manipulate, process and analyze geographic data and develop strategic and operational plans.

Multi-criteria group decision making for evaluating the performance of e-waste recycling programs under uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Wibowo, Santoso; Deng, Hepu

2015-06-01

This paper presents a multi-criteria group decision making approach for effectively evaluating the performance of e-waste recycling programs under uncertainty in an organization. Intuitionistic fuzzy numbers are used for adequately representing the subjective and imprecise assessments of the decision makers in evaluating the relative importance of evaluation criteria and the performance of individual e-waste recycling programs with respect to individual criteria in a given situation. An interactive fuzzy multi-criteria decision making algorithm is developed for facilitating consensus building in a group decision making environment to ensure that all the interest of individual decision makers have been appropriately considered in evaluating alternative e-waste recycling programs with respect to their corporate sustainability performance. The developed algorithm is then incorporated into a multi-criteria decision support system for making the overall performance evaluation process effectively and simple to use. Such a multi-criteria decision making system adequately provides organizations with a proactive mechanism for incorporating the concept of corporate sustainability into their regular planning decisions and business practices. An example is presented for demonstrating the applicability of the proposed approach in evaluating the performance of e-waste recycling programs in organizations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effective dialogue: Enhanced public engagement as a legitimising tool for municipal waste management decision-making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnett, Kenisha; Cooper, Tim

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A review of public engagement in waste management decision-making is undertaken. • Enhanced public engagement is explored as a means to legitimise waste decisions. • Analytical–deliberative processes are explored as a tool for effective dialogue. • Considerations for integrating public values with technical analysis are outlined. • Insights into the design of appropriate public engagement processes are provided. - Abstract: The complexity of municipal waste management decision-making has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing scrutiny from stakeholders, including local communities. This complexity reflects a socio-technical framing of the risks and social impacts associated with selecting technologies and sites for waste treatment and disposal facilities. Consequently there is growing pressure on local authorities for stakeholders (including communities) to be given an early opportunity to shape local waste policy in order to encourage swift planning, development and acceptance of the technologies needed to meet statutory targets to divert waste from landfill. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored the use of analytical–deliberative processes as a legitimising tool for waste management decision-making. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study revealed that communicating the practical benefits of more inclusive forms of engagement is proving difficult even though planning and policy delays are hindering development and implementation of waste management infrastructure. Adopting analytical–deliberative processes at a more strategic level will require local authorities and practitioners to demonstrate how expert-citizen deliberations may foster progress in resolving controversial issues, through change in individuals, communities and institutions. The findings suggest that a significant shift in culture will be necessary for local authorities to realise the potential of more inclusive decision

Effective dialogue: Enhanced public engagement as a legitimising tool for municipal waste management decision-making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garnett, Kenisha, E-mail: k.garnett@cranfield.ac.uk [Institute for Environment, Health, Risks and Futures, School of Environment, Energy and Agri-food, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL (United Kingdom); Cooper, Tim, E-mail: t.h.cooper@ntu.ac.uk [School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU (United Kingdom)

2014-12-15

Highlights: • A review of public engagement in waste management decision-making is undertaken. • Enhanced public engagement is explored as a means to legitimise waste decisions. • Analytical–deliberative processes are explored as a tool for effective dialogue. • Considerations for integrating public values with technical analysis are outlined. • Insights into the design of appropriate public engagement processes are provided. - Abstract: The complexity of municipal waste management decision-making has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing scrutiny from stakeholders, including local communities. This complexity reflects a socio-technical framing of the risks and social impacts associated with selecting technologies and sites for waste treatment and disposal facilities. Consequently there is growing pressure on local authorities for stakeholders (including communities) to be given an early opportunity to shape local waste policy in order to encourage swift planning, development and acceptance of the technologies needed to meet statutory targets to divert waste from landfill. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored the use of analytical–deliberative processes as a legitimising tool for waste management decision-making. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study revealed that communicating the practical benefits of more inclusive forms of engagement is proving difficult even though planning and policy delays are hindering development and implementation of waste management infrastructure. Adopting analytical–deliberative processes at a more strategic level will require local authorities and practitioners to demonstrate how expert-citizen deliberations may foster progress in resolving controversial issues, through change in individuals, communities and institutions. The findings suggest that a significant shift in culture will be necessary for local authorities to realise the potential of more inclusive decision

Public values related to decisions in the Tank Waste Remediation System Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armacost, L.L.; Robershotte, M.; von Winterfeldt, D.; Creighton, J.

1994-10-01

Managers of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program have to make numerous decisions, ranging from the strategic decisions on the fundamental tank cleanup goals to technical decisions on which types of equipment to use in mechanical retrieval of wastes. Furthermore, many of these decisions have to be made repeatedly (e.g., the annual allocation of research and development funds to TWRS activities). These decisions have many potential consequences in terms of risks to workers, risks to the public, environmental impacts, and economic development and cost. Because these consequences affect the values of many parties, the consequences need to be evaluated in terms that are accepted and understood by the interested parties. Therefore, an effort needs to be made to incorporate public concerns and values into the TWRS decision-making process. The purpose of this report is to review and integrate this past work on values and to create a maser list of values in order to create a consistent value framework for the numerous TWRS decisions; efficiently and effectively use public values in the decision-making process by updating this report on a regular basis to ensure that the information represents the public's current views; provide guidance about using values in technical TWRS decisions

Gis-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Forest Fire Risk Mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Akay, A. E.; Erdoğan, A.

2017-11-01

The forested areas along the coastal zone of the Mediterranean region in Turkey are classified as first-degree fire sensitive areas. Forest fires are major environmental disaster that affects the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Besides, forest fires result in important economic losses and even threaten human lives. Thus, it is critical to determine the forested areas with fire risks and thereby minimize the damages on forest resources by taking necessary precaution measures in these areas. The risk of forest fire can be assessed based on various factors such as forest vegetation structures (tree species, crown closure, tree stage), topographic features (slope and aspect), and climatic parameters (temperature, wind). In this study, GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method was used to generate forest fire risk map. The study was implemented in the forested areas within Yayla Forest Enterprise Chiefs at Dursunbey Forest Enterprise Directorate which is classified as first degree fire sensitive area. In the solution process, "extAhp 2.0" plug-in running Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method in ArcGIS 10.4.1 was used to categorize study area under five fire risk classes: extreme risk, high risk, moderate risk, and low risk. The results indicated that 23.81 % of the area was of extreme risk, while 25.81 % was of high risk. The result indicated that the most effective criterion was tree species, followed by tree stages. The aspect had the least effective criterion on forest fire risk. It was revealed that GIS techniques integrated with MCDA methods are effective tools to quickly estimate forest fire risk at low cost. The integration of these factors into GIS can be very useful to determine forested areas with high fire risk and also to plan forestry management after fire.

DIRECTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF FOREST RESOURCES IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Svyntukh

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The aim of the article is determination and substantiation of directions of rational use of forest resources in Ukraine. Methodology of research. The theoretical and methodological basis of conducted research is the provision of economic theory, sustainable development, environmental economics and economics forest exploitation. The following methodological tools and techniques were used to achieve this goal: methods of analysis and synthesis (to identify problems of the relationship for using potential of forest resources with factors of influence on their reproduction, the studying essence of the term “forest resources”; monographic – to study the experience of forming rational use of forest resources and wood waste; systematic approach (in substantiating the use of instruments for regulation forest exploitation; scientific abstraction (in the study of capabilities to ensure the process of rational reproduction of forest resources; graphic (for visual images of some analytical observations. Results. Theoretical approach to forest regeneration as a major task in forest anagement, which includes the integrated use of all available organizational and technological measures to facilitate its natural regeneration has been formulated. It has been established the regularity of ensuring the efficient use of waste wood in places of billets, identified and systematized its forms for future use. The methodical approach to assess the effect of using wood waste for fuel production and related products during processing on the harmonization of economic and environmental interests in the area of forest exploitation has been formulated. Practical implications. The obtained results are the basis for solving practical problems of integrated management of forest resources in Ukraine, waste of forest felling in the places of timber harvesting and also for development of the system of measures to improve the ecological and economic mechanism of

Fine-scale movement decisions of tropical forest birds in a fragmented landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Cameron S; Beyer, Hawthorne L; St Clair, Colleen Cassady

2011-04-01

The persistence of forest-dependent species in fragmented landscapes is fundamentally linked to the movement of individuals among subpopulations. The paths taken by dispersing individuals can be considered a series of steps built from individual route choices. Despite the importance of these fine-scale movement decisions, it has proved difficult to collect such data that reveal how forest birds move in novel landscapes. We collected unprecedented route information about the movement of translocated forest birds from two species in the highly fragmented tropical dry forest of Costa Rica. In this pasture-dominated landscape, forest remains in patches or riparian corridors, with lesser amounts of living fencerows and individual trees or "stepping stones." We used step selection functions to quantify how route choice was influenced by these habitat elements. We found that the amount of risk these birds were willing to take by crossing open habitat was context dependent. The forest-specialist Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) exhibited stronger selection for forested routes when moving in novel landscapes distant from its territory relative to locations closer to its territory. It also selected forested routes when its step originated in forest habitat. It preferred steps ending in stepping stones when the available routes had little forest cover, but avoided them when routes had greater forest cover. The forest-generalist Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) preferred steps that contained more pasture, but only when starting from non-forest habitats. Our results showed that forested corridors (i.e., riparian corridors) best facilitated the movement of a sensitive forest specialist through this fragmented landscape. They also suggested that stepping stones can be important in highly fragmented forests with little remaining forest cover. We expect that naturally dispersing birds and species with greater forest dependence would exhibit even stronger

Regulatory requirements important to Hanford single-shell tank waste management decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, J.F.; Woodruff, M.G.

1989-06-01

This report provides an initial analysis of the regulations that may be pertinent to SST management activities (e.g., characterization, disposal, retrieval, processing, etc.) and the interrelationships among those regulations. Waste disposal decisions regarding SST waste must consider the regulatory requirements against which technical solutions will be evaluated. Regulatory requirements can also be used as guidelines for management and disposal of waste in a manner that protects human health and safety and the environment. Also, in cases where waste management regulations do not specifically address a waste form, such as radioactive mixed waste, the SST waste may come under the purview of a number of regulations related to radioactive waste management, hazardous waste management, and water and air quality protection. This report provides a comprehensive review of the environmental pollution control and radioactive waste management statutes and regulations that are relevant to SST waste characterization and management. Also, other statutes and regulations that contain technical standards that may be used in the absence of directly applicable regulations are analyzed. 8 refs., 4 figs

Stepwise decision making for the long-term management of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pescatore, C.; Vari, A.

2005-01-01

The context of long-term radioactive waste management is being shaped by changes in modern society. Values such as health, environmental protection and safety are increasingly important, as are trends towards improved forms of participatory democracy that demand new forms of risk governance in dealing with hazardous activities. These changes in turn necessitate new forms of dialogue and decision-making processes that include a large number of stakeholders. The new dynamic of dialogue and decision-making process has been characterised as a shift from a more traditional 'decide, announce and defend' model, focused on technical assurance, to one of 'engage, interact and cooperate', for which both technical assurance and quality of the process are of comparable importance to a constructive outcome. Consequently, the scientific and engineering aspects of waste management safety are no longer of exclusive importance. Organisational ability to communicate and to adapt to the new context has emerged as a critical contributor to public confidence. In the new decision-making context it is clear that (a) any significant decisions regarding the long-term management of radioactive waste will be accompanied by a comprehensive public review with involvement of a diverse range of stakeholders; (b) the public, and especially the local public, are not willing to commit irreversibly to technical choices on which they have insufficient familiarity and understanding; and (c) any management options will take decades to be developed and implemented, which will involve stakeholders who have not yet been born. Thus, a 'decision' no longer means opting for, in one go and for all time, a complete package solution. Instead, a decision is one step in an overall, cautious process of examining and making choices that preserve the safety and well-being of the present generation and the coming ones while not needlessly depriving the latter of their right of choice. Consideration is thus

Stepwise Decision Making for Long-Term Radioactive Waste Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pescatore, Claudio; Vari, Anna

2003-01-01

Consideration is increasingly being given, in radioactive waste management (RWM), to concepts such as 'stepwise decision making' and 'adaptive staging' in which the public, and especially the local communities, are also meaningfully involved in the review and planning of developments. The key feature of these concepts is development by steps or stages that are reversible, within the limits of practicability and provided they meet the requirements of an acceptable safety case. Stepwise decisions are designed to provide reassurance that actions can be reversed if experience shows them to have adverse or unwanted effects. Stepwise decision making has thus come to the fore as being especially important for making progress for radioactive waste management in a manner which is acceptable to large sectors of society. Despite its early identification within the RWM community as an important means for reaching decision in which there is broad-based confidence, stepwise decision making has not been widely debated. Accepted guiding principles of any such process have not yet been formulated, its roots in empirical social science research have not been fully reviewed, nor the difficulties of its implementation analysed. This paper reviews the current developments regarding stepwise decision making in RWM with the aim to pinpoint where it stands, to highlight its societal dimension, to analyse its roots in social sciences, and to identify guiding principles and issues in implementation. It is observed that there is convergence between the approach taken by the practitioners of RWM and the indications received from field studies in social research, and that general guiding principles can be proposed at least as a basis for further discussion. A strong basis for dialogue across disciplines thus exists. General methodological issues are also identified. This paper was developed in the framework of the activities of the NEA Forum on Stakeholder Confidence, which is presented in a

Risk-based decision-making regarding mixed waste disposal systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberds, W.J.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on an efficient approach that has been developed for making rational and defensible decisions among a variety of options (e.g., remedial actions, engineered barriers designs/operational controls, inventory limitations, site investigations and research) for mixed-waste disposal systems, which consist of multiple interacting sites (active, inactive and/or future) with multiple pathways. Such decisions are based on maximizing the satisfaction of identified objectives (including the reliability vis a vis specified criteria), explicitly considering tradeoffs among objectives as well as uncertainties in the consequences of any option

The usefulness of Decision Support Systems in participatory forest planning: a comparison between Finland and Italy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meo, I. de; Ferretti, F.; Hujala, T.; Kangas, A.

2013-09-01

Aim of study: Participation of stake holders is considered an essential element in producing, at different spatial and temporal scales, forest plans accepted by local community and fulfilling the requirements of Sustainable Forest Management. Increasingly, computer-based decision support systems (DSS) and tools are being introduced to assist stake holders and decision-makers in coping with the complexities inherent in participatory forest planning. The study aimed to investigate how useful the users and researchers see DSS tools and which opportunities they perceive DSS might carry for enhancing participatory forest planning in their field of activity. Area of study: 15 Italian and Finnish researchers and practitioners were interviewed. Material and methods: Face-to-face structured interviews were used to collect opinions and experiences. Quantitative and qualitative information were analyzed to investigate differences between Italian and Finnish respondents as well as between researchers and practitioners Main results: Results showed that in Italy there has been more focus on forest-level and medium-term problems and the intelligence phase, while in Finland there has been more attention to region-level and long-term problems and equally intelligence, design, and choice phases of decision-making. Deviations probably reflect different planning contexts and culture, variability in experiences and expertise in DSS and in availability of suitable DSS. Research highlights: The study suggests to pay attention to evaluating the success criteria of participatory planning when preparing for the use of DSS and related tools in practical forest planning processes. Experience sharing is a key to reaching more successful use of DSS. (Author)

Inter-generational Decision Making for Radioactive Waste Disposal, Policy and Science: Regulatory Protection Forever?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regnier, E.P.; Wallo, A.

2006-01-01

Assumptions about this generation's duty to future generations underlie decisions on regulatory requirements for disposal of radioactive waste. Regulatory provisions related to time of compliance, dose criteria, and institutional controls, for example, continue to be topics of discussion as regulations are revised or compared. Subjective and difficult ethical issues are either explicit or implicit in these discussions. The information and criteria used must be relevant and help make good decisions that, ideally, increase the overall welfare of future generations. To what extent can or should science usefully inform such decision-making? Both the National Academies of Science and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) have reported on this topic, albeit from different viewpoints. This paper explains and expands upon the rationale used for setting compliance time periods such as the Department of Energy's requirement for a 1,000 year time of compliance with dose limits for low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. It evaluates radioactive waste disposal against principles of equity recommended by NAPA. Radioactive waste disposal standards require evaluation of impacts much farther into the future than has been common for other endeavors with very long term effects. While performance assessment analyses provide much useful information, their inherent uncertainties over long time periods preclude the projection of reality. Thus, the usefulness of extremely long projections in supporting good decisions that promote the welfare of future generations is limited. Such decisions are fundamentally a question of resource allocation, equity, and fairness. (authors)

NED-2: a decision support system for integrated forest ecosystem management

Science.gov (United States)

Mark J. Twery; Peter D. Knopp; Scott A. Thomasma; H. Michael Rauscher; Donald E. Nute; Walter D. Potter; Frederick Maier; Jin Wang; Mayukh Dass; Hajime Uchiyama; Astrid Glende; Robin E. Hoffman

2005-01-01

NED-2 is a Windows-based system designed to improve project-level planning and decision making by providing useful and scientifically sound information to natural resource managers. Resources currently addressed include visual quality, ecology, forest health, timber, water, and wildlife. NED-2 expands on previous versions of NED applications by integrating treatment...

Decision basis for a Danish ultimate storage for low and intermediate radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-11-01

In 2003 the Danish Parliament consented to let the government start the preparation of a basis for decision on a Danish ultimate storage for low and intermediate radioactive wastes. The present report was prepared by a working group and it presents the final proposal for such a decision basis. The report describes the fundamental safety and environmental principles for establishing an ultimate storage, including determining the principles for site selection, storage construction, and safety analysis. In an appendix, the amount, types, and activity level of the Danish radioactive wastes are presented. (ln)

Decision analysis of Hanford underground storage tank waste retrieval systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merkhofer, M.W.; Bitz, D.A.; Berry, D.L.; Jardine, L.J.

1994-05-01

A decision analysis approach has been proposed for planning the retrieval of hazardous, radioactive, and mixed wastes from underground storage tanks. This paper describes the proposed approach and illustrates its application to the single-shell storage tanks (SSTs) at Hanford, Washington

Decision in Principle of the Council of State on the organisation of nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

This Decision, which came into force on the date of its publication, contains general guidelines to be followed for nuclear waste management in nuclear facilities until the entry into force of special legislation on the organisational and economic aspects of such management. It provides in particular that radioactive waste 'producers' will bear financial responsibility for the waste they produce and must collect funds for waste management from the time their installation operates, while ensuring that the real value of these funds is maintained. During the period preceding the entry into force of the above-mentioned legislation, the terms of the Decision will be included in all permits for nuclear facilities. (NEA) [fr

Pareto frontier analyses based decision making tool for transportation of hazardous waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Arup; Mazumder, T.N.; Gupta, A.K.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Posteriori method using multi-objective approach to solve bi-objective routing problem. ► System optimization (with multiple source–destination pairs) in a capacity constrained network using non-dominated sorting. ► Tools like cost elasticity and angle based focus used to analyze Pareto frontier to aid stakeholders make informed decisions. ► A real life case study of Kolkata Metropolitan Area to explain the workability of the model. - Abstract: Transportation of hazardous wastes through a region poses immense threat on the development along its road network. The risk to the population, exposed to such activities, has been documented in the past. However, a comprehensive framework for routing hazardous wastes has often been overlooked. A regional Hazardous Waste Management scheme should incorporate a comprehensive framework for hazardous waste transportation. This framework would incorporate the various stakeholders involved in decision making. Hence, a multi-objective approach is required to safeguard the interest of all the concerned stakeholders. The objective of this study is to design a methodology for routing of hazardous wastes between the generating units and the disposal facilities through a capacity constrained network. The proposed methodology uses posteriori method with multi-objective approach to find non-dominated solutions for the system consisting of multiple origins and destinations. A case study of transportation of hazardous wastes in Kolkata Metropolitan Area has also been provided to elucidate the methodology.

Reducing hazardous fuels on nonindustrial private forests: factors influencing landowner decisions

Science.gov (United States)

A. Paige. Fischer

2011-01-01

In mixed-ownership landscapes, fuels conditions on private lands have implications for fire risk on public lands and vice versa. The success of efforts to mitigate fire risk depends on the extent, efficacy, and coordination of treatments on nearby ownerships. Understanding factors in forest owners' decisions to address the risk of wildland fire is therefore...

LCA-IWM: A decision support tool for sustainability assessment of waste management systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boer, J. den; Boer, E. den; Jager, J.

2007-01-01

The paper outlines the most significant result of the project 'The use of life cycle assessment tools for the development of integrated waste management strategies for cities and regions with rapid growing economies', which was the development of two decision-support tools: a municipal waste prognostic tool and a waste management system assessment tool. The article focuses on the assessment tool, which supports the adequate decision making in the planning of urban waste management systems by allowing the creation and comparison of different scenarios, considering three basic subsystems: (i) temporary storage; (ii) collection and transport and (iii) treatment, disposal and recycling. The design and analysis options, as well as the assumptions made for each subsystem, are shortly introduced, providing an overview of the applied methodologies and technologies. The sustainability assessment methodology used in the project to support the selection of the most adequate scenario is presented with a brief explanation of the procedures, criteria and indicators applied on the evaluation of each of the three sustainability pillars

Choosing a sustainable demolition waste management strategy using multicriteria decision analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roussat, Nicolas; Dujet, Christiane; Mehu, Jacques

2009-01-01

This paper presents an application of the ELECTRE III decision-aid method in the context of choosing a sustainable demolition waste management strategy for a case study in the city of Lyon, France. This choice of waste management strategy takes into consideration the sustainable development objectives, i.e. economic aspects, environmental consequences, and social issues. Nine alternatives for demolition waste management were compared with the aid of eight criteria, taking into account energy consumption, depletion of abiotic resources, global warming, dispersion of dangerous substances in the environment, economic activity, employment, and quality of life of the local population. The case study concerned the demolition of 25 buildings of an old military camp. Each alternative was illustrated with different waste treatments, such as material recovery, recycling, landfilling, and energy recovery. The recommended solution for sustainable demolition waste management for the case study is a selective deconstruction of each building with local material recovery in road engineering of inert wastes, local energy recovery of wood wastes, and specific treatments for hazardous wastes

Forest landowner decisions and the value of information under fire risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory S. Amacher; Arun S. Malik; Robert G. Haight

2005-01-01

We estimate the value of three types of information about fire risk to a nonindustrial forest landowner: the relationship between fire arrival rates and stand age, the magnitude of fire arrival rates, and the efficacy of fuel reduction treatment. Our model incorporates planting density and the level and timing of fuel reduction treatment as landowner decisions. These...

Greenhouse gas emissions control in integrated municipal solid waste management through mixed integer bilevel decision-making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Li, E-mail: li.he@iseis.org [MOE Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, S and C Academy of Energy and Environmental Research, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206 (China); Huang, G.H.; Lu, Hongwei [MOE Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, S and C Academy of Energy and Environmental Research, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206 (China)

2011-10-15

Highlights: {yields} We used bilevel analysis to treat two objectives at different levels. {yields} The model can identify allocation schemes for waste flows. {yields} The model can support waste timing, sizing, and siting for facility expansions. {yields} The model can estimate minimized total management cost and GHG emissions. - Abstract: Recent studies indicated that municipal solid waste (MSW) is a major contributor to global warming due to extensive emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, most of them focused on investigating impacts of MSW on GHG emission amounts. This study presents two mixed integer bilevel decision-making models for integrated municipal solid waste management and GHG emissions control: MGU-MCL and MCU-MGL. The MGU-MCL model represents a top-down decision process, with the environmental sectors at the national level dominating the upper-level objective and the waste management sectors at the municipal level providing the lower-level objective. The MCU-MGL model implies a bottom-up decision process where municipality plays a leading role. Results from the models indicate that: the top-down decisions would reduce metric tonne carbon emissions (MTCEs) by about 59% yet increase about 8% of the total management cost; the bottom-up decisions would reduce MTCE emissions by about 13% but increase the total management cost very slightly; on-site monitoring and downscaled laboratory experiments are still required for reducing uncertainty in GHG emission rate from the landfill facility.

Municipal solid waste generation rates and its management at Yusmarg forest ecosystem, a tourist resort in Kashmir.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, Rouf Ahmad; Nazir, Rumisa; Ashraf, Samia; Ali, Mudasir; Bandh, Suhaib A; Kamili, Azra N

2014-02-01

The present study was carried out at Yusmarg, a forest ecosystem and tourist resort, in the Kashmir valley during 2012 with the objectives of determining the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates per capita and on a daily basis, and assessing the existing MSW system. It was estimated that daily generation of MSW at Yusmarg by tourists, as well as residents, was 107.74 kg; on average, the MSW generated at each site was about 36.48 kg/day. The per capita generation of MSW was highest (0.97 kg/person/day) at site 1 followed by 0.288 kg/person/day at site 2 and 0.201 kg/person/day at site 3, with an average per capita MSW generation rate of 0.484 kg/person/day. Manual segregation of the collected wastes showed that it comprised some recyclable, combustible, compostable and inert materials. Among the different waste categories, 56% of waste was recyclable materials, 29% was compostable wastes, 9% was combustible wastes and 6% was inert materials. The present study infers that MSW management in Yusmarg was inappropriate, and infrastructure, skilled manpower and a proper scientific disposal mechanism is lacking in the area. In order to conserve the forest wealth of the area there is a great need to focus on the solid waste problem of the tourist resort.

Verification and validation of the decision analysis model for assessment of TWRS waste treatment strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awadalla, N.G.; Eaton, S.C.F.

1996-01-01

This document is the verification and validation final report for the Decision Analysis Model for Assessment of Tank Waste Remediation System Waste Treatment Strategies. This model is also known as the INSIGHT Model

A deep knowledge architecture for intelligent support of nuclear waste transportation decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batra, D.; Bowen, W.M.; Hill, T.R.; Weeks, K.D.

1988-01-01

The concept of intelligent decision support has been discussed and explored in several recent papers, one of which has suggested the use of a Deep Knowledge Architecture. This paper explores this concept through application to a specific decision environment. The complex problems involved in nuclear waste disposal decisions provide an excellent test case. The resulting architecture uses an integrated, multi-level model base to represent the deep knowledge of the problem. Combined with the surface level knowledge represented by the database, the proposed knowledge base complements that of the decision-maker, allowing analysis at a range of levels of decisions which may also occur at a range of levels

RE-UTILIZATION OF INORGANIC SOLID WASTE (LIME MUD AS FOREST ROAD STABILIZER FROM THE CHEMICAL RECOVERY PROCESS IN KRAFT PULP MILL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Habip Eroğlu

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Waste handling is a concern in all pulp and paper mills. Best available techniques for reducing waste is to minimize the generation of solid waste and/or reuse these materials, wherever practicable. One of the most important solid wastes is lime mud which is generated from the kraft pulping in its chemical recovery process. This paper explores the composition of lime mud resulting from the chemical recovery unite of kraft pulp mill and investigation of this waste for re-using beneficially on sub grade and pavement of forest road as a alternative disposal method. Lime mud obtained from the re-causticising process in SEKA pulp mill that utilizes wheat straw and reed as the principal raw material was supplied with % 47 water content and its chemical and physical characterisations was performed according to standard methods. Dried waste to environmental condition was mixed with certain amount to composite cement for using on pavement and sandy clay, loamy clay and clay soils for enriching forest road sub grade properties. In order to investigate the lime mud addition on pavement and sub grade properties necessary physical tests were performed. As a consequence this study reveals that while waste of lime mud causes environmental and economical problem with conventional disposal techniques and/or abandoning to environment, this waste can be used as good stabilisation materials on forest road sub-grade and pavement without any environmental problem.

Salt Repository Project waste emplacement mode decision paper: Revison 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-08-01

This paper provides a recommendation as to the mode of waste emplacement to be used as the current basis for site characterization activity for the Deaf Smith County, Texas, high level nuclear waste repository site. It also presents a plan for implementing the recommendation so as to provide a high level of confidence in the project's success. Since evaluations of high-level waste disposal in geologic repositories began in the 1950s, most studies emplacement in salt formations employed the vertical orientation for emplacing waste packages in boreholes in the floor of the underground facility. This orientation was used in trials at Project Salt Vault in the 1960s. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has recently settled on a combination of vertical and horizontal modes for various waste types. This paper analyzes the information available and develops a project position upon which to base current site characterization activities. The position recommended is that the SRP should continue to use the vertical waste emplacement mode as the reference design and to carry the horizontal mode as a ''passive'' alternative. This position was developed based upon the conclusions of a decision analysis, risk assessment, and cost/schedule impact assessment. 52 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

Toxicant emissions from hazardous wastes in landfills - implications for disposal risk management decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assmuth, T.W.

1991-01-01

The environmental impacts and risks of hazardous wastes disposed in Finnish landfills were assessed in a 5-yr field study. By systematic analysis of the acquired information, the toxicological impacts and risks of landfills seem as a whole small when compared with those caused by other kinds of environmental toxicants. Locally more significant risks arise, and may be difficult to manage. Scientific information on risk factors and their development is as yet insufficient, and additional research and monitoring are needed. Since uncertainties will remain, the prevention and control of risks, e.g. by improved hazardous waste management and disposal, are advocated by safety principles, but are made difficult by many technical and societal factors. Control strategies and remedial actions should thus be based on more comprehensive, comparative risk assessments and improved decision methods. Ethical, political and methodological issues in the management of hazardous waste disposal are discussed, with special reference to the interaction of science with regulatory decision-making related to the risks of old chemical waste sites. (44 refs.) (au)

Time for Competent Decisions on Radioactive Waste Management in Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, A.; Levanat, I.; Saponja-Milutinovic, D.; Lokner, V.

2013-01-01

After a couple of decades of hesitant and indecisive consultations between Slovenia and Croatia on the management options for the Krsko nuclear power plant (KNPP) waste, time for decision making has approached. Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom requires that both countries adopt specific national programs for radioactive waste and spent fuel management before August 23, 2015. In the nineties, Croatia undertook a campaign aimed at constructing a low and intermediate level waste (LILW) repository. The region of Trgovska gora was designated as the potential repository site, and a preliminary safety assessment indicated that it was suitable for a near surface vault-type disposal facility - but then the campaign was stopped. Soon after, Slovenia intensified preparations for a LILW repository on its territory, and Krsko (near the NPP) was selected for disposal site. An exotic and expensive silo-type disposal concept was adopted, disposal units immersed into the groundwater flowing towards the nearby Sava river. The project continues. Presently, however, Croatia does not know whether it will be allowed to dispose of its share of LILW from the KNPP into the Slovenian repository, nor under what conditions. Croatia does not know whether it will have to build its own repository, nor whether such solution would be financially preferable - although Croatia may have to begin transferring its half of the KNPP waste to its territory in less than ten years. It is therefore high time for Croatia to resume intensive preparations for the establishment of a LILW repository on Trgovska gora - regardless of whether or not it would actually be constructed. Without such preparations, and the insights gained, Croatia will not be capable of making competent decisions about its national interests regarding the KNPP waste management, nor will it be prepared for competent and convincing negotiations with Slovenia about the options for sharing the Krsko facility.(author)

Technical and economic analysis of electricity generation from forest, fossil, and wood-waste fuels in a Finnish heating plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palander, Teijo

2011-01-01

The Finnish energy industry is subject to policy decisions regarding renewable energy production and energy efficiency. Conventional electricity generation has environmental side-effects that may cause global warming. Renewable fuels are superior because they offer near-zero net emissions. In this study, I investigated a heating mill's ability to generate electricity from forest fuels in southern Finland on a 1-year strategic decision-making horizon. I solved the electricity generation problem using optimization of the energy products and fuel mixtures based on energy efficiency and forest technology. The decision environment was complicated by the sequence-dependent procurement chains for forest fuels. The optimal product and fuel mixtures were selected by minimizing procurement costs, maximizing production revenues, and minimizing energy losses. The combinatorial complexity of the problem required the use of adaptive techniques to solve a multiple-objective linear programming system with industrial relevance. I discuss the properties of the decision-support system and methodology and illustrate pricing of electricity generation based on real industrial data. The electricity-generation, -purchase, and -sales decisions are made based on a comprehensive technical and economic analysis that accounts for procurement of local forest fuels in a holistic supply chain model. -- Highlights: → I use adaptive techniques to solve a multiple-objective linear programming system with industrial relevance. → I investigated a heating mill's ability to generate electricity from forest fuels. → The electricity-generation, -purchase, and -sales decisions are made based on a comprehensive technical and economic analysis. → The optimal product and fuel mixtures were selected by minimizing procurement costs, maximizing production revenues, and minimizing energy losses.

A decision tree approach using silvics to guide planning for forest restoration

Science.gov (United States)

Sharon M. Hermann; John S. Kush; John C. Gilbert

2013-01-01

We created a decision tree based on silvics of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and historical descriptions to develop approaches for restoration management at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park located in central Alabama. A National Park Service goal is to promote structure and composition of a forest that likely surrounded the 1814 battlefield....

Application of multi-criteria decision-making on strategic municipal solid waste management in Dalmatia, Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vego, Goran; Kucar-Dragicevic, Savka; Koprivanac, Natalija

2008-01-01

The efficiency of providing a waste management system in the coastal part of Croatia consisting of four Dalmatian counties has been modelled. Two multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, PROMETHEE and GAIA, were applied to assist with the systematic analysis and evaluation of the alternatives. The analysis covered two levels; first, the potential number of waste management centres resulting from possible inter-county cooperation; and second, the relative merits of siting of waste management centres in the coastal or hinterland zone was evaluated. The problem was analysed according to several criteria; and ecological, economic, social and functional criteria sets were identified as relevant to the decision-making process. The PROMETHEE and GAIA methods were shown to be efficient tools for analysing the problem considered. Such an approach provided new insights to waste management planning at the strategic level, and gave a reason for rethinking some of the existing strategic waste management documents in Croatia

Application of multi-criteria decision-making on strategic municipal solid waste management in Dalmatia, Croatia.

Science.gov (United States)

Vego, Goran; Kucar-Dragicević, Savka; Koprivanac, Natalija

2008-11-01

The efficiency of providing a waste management system in the coastal part of Croatia consisting of four Dalmatian counties has been modelled. Two multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, PROMETHEE and GAIA, were applied to assist with the systematic analysis and evaluation of the alternatives. The analysis covered two levels; first, the potential number of waste management centres resulting from possible inter-county cooperation; and second, the relative merits of siting of waste management centres in the coastal or hinterland zone was evaluated. The problem was analysed according to several criteria; and ecological, economic, social and functional criteria sets were identified as relevant to the decision-making process. The PROMETHEE and GAIA methods were shown to be efficient tools for analysing the problem considered. Such an approach provided new insights to waste management planning at the strategic level, and gave a reason for rethinking some of the existing strategic waste management documents in Croatia.

OPEN SPATIAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM: CASE FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL SITE SELECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dario Perković

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In recent years the scientific and professional circles frequently discussed about radioactive waste and site selection for radioactive waste disposal. This issue will be further updated with accession of Republic of Croatia to the European Union and the only issue is politicized view of the fact that nuclear power plant Krško Croatia shares with neighbouring Republic of Slovenia. All the necessary studies have been made and these are attended by experts from different areas. Also, all Croatian residents should be familiar with this subject matter in a manner accessible to the general public through all available media. There are some questions: What are the institutions have taken on the issue of informing the public and can it be enough? When selecting a suitable site, with many parameters, the basic element is suitable geological formation, although the landfill must be socially acceptable. Well established methods used in the selection of eligible areas are multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA, geographic information system (GIS and combined GIS-MCDA method. The application of these methods is of great help in making decisions about the location of disposal of radioactive waste. Presentation of results, designed in the form of an open spatial decision support system, could help in education and informing the general public (the paper is published in Croatian.

Favorable Decision Upholding Radioactive/Hazardous Mixed Waste Storage Civil Enforcement Policy

Science.gov (United States)

This page contains a copy of the U.S. Court of Appeals (District of Columbia Circuit) decision in Edison Electric Institute, et al. v. EPA, No. 91-1586, which upheld the EPA's August 29, 1991, radioactive/hazardous 'mixed waste' storage civil enforcement policy

A framework for modeling adaptive forest management and decision making under climate change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yousefpour, Rasoul; Temperli, Christian; Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl

2017-01-01

optimal for a certain climate change scenario. We describe four stylized types of decision-making processes that differ in how they (1) take into account uncertainty and new information on the state and development of the climate and (2) evaluate alternative management decisions: the “no......-change,” the “reactive,” the “trend-adaptive,” and the “forward-looking adaptive” decision-making types. Accordingly, we evaluate the experiences with alternative management strategies and recent publications on using Bayesian optimization methods that account for different simulated learning schemes based on varying......Adapting the management of forest resources to climate change involves addressing several crucial aspects to provide a valid basis for decision making. These include the knowledge and belief of decision makers, the mapping of management options for the current as well as anticipated future...

The role of public communication in decision making for waste management infrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirkman, Richard; Voulvoulis, Nikolaos

2017-12-01

Modern waste management provision seeks to meet challenging objectives and strategies while reflecting community aspirations and ensuring cost-effective compliance with statutory obligations. Its social acceptability, which affects both what systems (infrastructure) can be put in place and to what extent their implementation will be successful, is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, often not well understood. In light of the growing evidence that decisions to build new infrastructure are often contested by the public, there is a clear need to understand the role of scientific evidence in public perception, particularly as environmental infrastructure delivery is often objected to by the public on environmental grounds. In this paper the need for waste management infrastructure is reviewed, and the way its delivery in the UK has evolved is used as an example of the role of public perception in the planning and delivery of waste facilities. Findings demonstrate the vital role of public communication in waste management infrastructure delivery. Public perception must be taken into account early in the decision making process, with the public informed and engaged from the start. There is a pressing need for people not simply to accept but to understand and appreciate the need for infrastructure, the nature of infrastructure investments and development, the costs and the benefits involved, and the technological aspects. Scientific evidence and literacy have a critical role to play, facilitating public engagement in a process that empowers people, allowing them to define and handle challenges and influence decisions that will impact their lives. Problem ownership, and an increased probability of any solutions proposed being selected and implemented successfully are potential benefits of such approach. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complexity of Forest Management: Exploring Perceptions of Dutch Forest Managers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jilske O. de Bruin

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Challenges of contemporary forest management are frequently referred to as complex. This article empirically studies complexity in forest management decision-making. In contrast to what is often assumed in the literature, this article starts by assuming that complexity does not just consist of an external descriptive element, but also depends on how decision-makers perceive the system at hand. This “perceived complexity” determines decision-making. We used a straightforward interpretation of perceived complexity using two criteria: the number of factors considered and the uncertainty perceived about these factors. The results show that Dutch forest managers generally consider forest management decision-making to be complicated (many factors to consider rather than complex (many uncertain factors to consider. Differences in sources of complexity confirm the individual character of perceived complexity. The factors perceived to be most relevant for decision-making (the forest itself, the organization’s objective, the cost of management, public opinion, national policies and laws, and new scientific insights and ideas are generally seen as rather certain, although “complexity reduction” may play a role that can adversely affect the quality of decision-making. Additional use of more open-ended, forward-looking methods, such as qualitative foresight tools, might enable addressing uncertainty and complexity, and thereby enhance decision-making in forest management to prepare for increasing complexity in the future.

Stepwise decision making for the long-term management of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pescatore, C.; Vari, A.

2003-01-01

The context of long-term radioactive waste management is being shaped by changes in modern society. Values such as health, environmental protection and safety are increasingly important. This changes in turn necessitate new forms of dialogue and decision-making processes that include a large number of stakeholders. This paper deals with the new features of a stepwise decision-making approach, taking into account the public involvement and social learning processes, and showing the complexity of the new situation. (A.L.B.)

Stepwise approach to decision making for long-term radioactive waste management. Experience, issues and guiding principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

Radioactive waste exists as a result of both past and current practices. One of the most challenging tasks is the management of long-lived waste that must be isolated from the human environment for many thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of years. Although significant technical progress has been made in developing management schemes that, according to technical experts, would ensure long-term safety (e.g. engineered geologic disposal), the rate of progress towards implementing such solutions has been slower than expected. The contrast between expected and observed rates may be partly attributable to an earlier technical optimism. More significant, however, are the setbacks, which have arisen mainly from an underestimation of the societal and political dimensions. In long-term radioactive waste management, consideration is increasingly being given to concepts such as stepwise decision making and adaptive staging in which the public, and especially the local public, are to be meaningfully involved in the review and planning of developments. The key feature of these concepts is development by steps or stages that are reversible, within the limits of practicability. This is designed to provide reassurance that decisions can be reversed if experience shows them to have adverse or unwanted effects. A stepwise approach to decision making has thus come to the fore as being of value in advancing long-term radioactive waste management solutions in a societally acceptable manner. Despite its early identification within the radioactive waste management community as an important means for reaching solutions and decisions in which there is broad-based confidence, the bases for and application of stepwise decision making has not been widely reviewed. Guiding principles of any such process are still being formulated, its roots in empirical social science research have not been fully reviewed, nor the difficulties of its implementation analysed. The report reviews current

State Decision-Makers Guide for Hazardous Waste Management: Defining Hazardous Wastes, Problem Recognition, Land Use, Facility Operations, Conceptual Framework, Policy Issues, Transportation.

Science.gov (United States)

Corson, Alan; And Others

Presented are key issues to be addressed by state, regional, and local governments and agencies in creating effective hazardous waste management programs. Eight chapters broadly frame the topics which state-level decision makers should consider. These chapters include: (1) definition of hazardous waste; (2) problem definition and recognition; (3)…

A Comparison between Decision Tree and Random Forest in Determining the Risk Factors Associated with Type 2 Diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Esmaily, Habibollah; Tayefi, Maryam; Doosti, Hassan; Ghayour-Mobarhan, Majid; Nezami, Hossein; Amirabadizadeh, Alireza

2018-04-24

We aimed to identify the associated risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using data mining approach, decision tree and random forest techniques using the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorders (MASHAD) Study program. A cross-sectional study. The MASHAD study started in 2010 and will continue until 2020. Two data mining tools, namely decision trees, and random forests, are used for predicting T2DM when some other characteristics are observed on 9528 subjects recruited from MASHAD database. This paper makes a comparison between these two models in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and the area under ROC curve. The prevalence rate of T2DM was 14% among these subjects. The decision tree model has 64.9% accuracy, 64.5% sensitivity, 66.8% specificity, and area under the ROC curve measuring 68.6%, while the random forest model has 71.1% accuracy, 71.3% sensitivity, 69.9% specificity, and area under the ROC curve measuring 77.3% respectively. The random forest model, when used with demographic, clinical, and anthropometric and biochemical measurements, can provide a simple tool to identify associated risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Such identification can substantially use for managing the health policy to reduce the number of subjects with T2DM .

Low-Level Waste Vitrification Plant Project contracting strategy decision analysis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felise, P.; Phillips, J.D.

1994-01-01

Ten basic contracting strategies were developed after a review of past strategies that had been used at the Hanford Site, other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites, other US government agencies, and in the private sector. As applicable to the Low-Level Waste Vitrification Plant (LLWVP) Project, each strategy was described and depicted in a schedule format to assess compatibility with the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, al so known as the Tri-Party Agreement (Ecology et al. 1994) milestones, key decision points, and other project requirements. The-pro and con aspects of each strategy also were tabulated. Using this information as a basis, the LLWVP Project team members, along with representatives of Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Engineering, TWRS Programs, and Procurement Materials Management, formed a Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) evaluation team to select the best strategy. Kepner-Tregoe decision analysis techniques were used in facilitated meetings to arrive at the best balanced choice

Low-Level Waste Vitrification Plant Project contracting strategy decision analysis report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felise, P.; Phillips, J.D.

1994-10-17

Ten basic contracting strategies were developed after a review of past strategies that had been used at the Hanford Site, other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites, other US government agencies, and in the private sector. As applicable to the Low-Level Waste Vitrification Plant (LLWVP) Project, each strategy was described and depicted in a schedule format to assess compatibility with the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, al so known as the Tri-Party Agreement (Ecology et al. 1994) milestones, key decision points, and other project requirements. The-pro and con aspects of each strategy also were tabulated. Using this information as a basis, the LLWVP Project team members, along with representatives of Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Engineering, TWRS Programs, and Procurement Materials Management, formed a Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) evaluation team to select the best strategy. Kepner-Tregoe decision analysis techniques were used in facilitated meetings to arrive at the best balanced choice.

Using multi-criteria decision making for selection of the optimal strategy for municipal solid waste management.

Science.gov (United States)

Jovanovic, Sasa; Savic, Slobodan; Jovicic, Nebojsa; Boskovic, Goran; Djordjevic, Zorica

2016-09-01

Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) is a relatively new tool for decision makers who deal with numerous and often contradictory factors during their decision making process. This paper presents a procedure to choose the optimal municipal solid waste (MSW) management system for the area of the city of Kragujevac (Republic of Serbia) based on the MCDM method. Two methods of multiple attribute decision making, i.e. SAW (simple additive weighting method) and TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution), respectively, were used to compare the proposed waste management strategies (WMS). Each of the created strategies was simulated using the software package IWM2. Total values for eight chosen parameters were calculated for all the strategies. Contribution of each of the six waste treatment options was valorized. The SAW analysis was used to obtain the sum characteristics for all the waste management treatment strategies and they were ranked accordingly. The TOPSIS method was used to calculate the relative closeness factors to the ideal solution for all the alternatives. Then, the proposed strategies were ranked in form of tables and diagrams obtained based on both MCDM methods. As shown in this paper, the results were in good agreement, which additionally confirmed and facilitated the choice of the optimal MSW management strategy. © The Author(s) 2016.

A multivariate decision tree analysis of biophysical factors in tropical forest fire occurrence

Science.gov (United States)

Rey S. Ofren; Edward Harvey

2000-01-01

A multivariate decision tree model was used to quantify the relative importance of complex hierarchical relationships between biophysical variables and the occurrence of tropical forest fires. The study site is the Huai Kha Kbaeng wildlife sanctuary, a World Heritage Site in northwestern Thailand where annual fires are common and particularly destructive. Thematic...

Radioactive waste management: the decision-making process (Bure, Meuse, France)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dose, F.

2005-01-01

The author presents the historical aspects and the main contain of the acts on the management of radioactive waste, adopted by the french Parliament. She speaks then about her experience of mayor of a small french town involved in the decision of the implementation of an underground laboratory. Few suggestions are also presented at the end of this brief presentation. (A.L.B.)

An analytical framework to assist decision makers in the use of forest ecosystem model predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Larocque, Guy R.; Bhatti, Jagtar S.; Ascough, J.C.; Liu, J.; Luckai, N.; Mailly, D.; Archambault, L.; Gordon, Andrew M.

2011-01-01

The predictions from most forest ecosystem models originate from deterministic simulations. However, few evaluation exercises for model outputs are performed by either model developers or users. This issue has important consequences for decision makers using these models to develop natural resource management policies, as they cannot evaluate the extent to which predictions stemming from the simulation of alternative management scenarios may result in significant environmental or economic differences. Various numerical methods, such as sensitivity/uncertainty analyses, or bootstrap methods, may be used to evaluate models and the errors associated with their outputs. However, the application of each of these methods carries unique challenges which decision makers do not necessarily understand; guidance is required when interpreting the output generated from each model. This paper proposes a decision flow chart in the form of an analytical framework to help decision makers apply, in an orderly fashion, different steps involved in examining the model outputs. The analytical framework is discussed with regard to the definition of problems and objectives and includes the following topics: model selection, identification of alternatives, modelling tasks and selecting alternatives for developing policy or implementing management scenarios. Its application is illustrated using an on-going exercise in developing silvicultural guidelines for a forest management enterprise in Ontario, Canada.

INVASIVE PLANTS IN MOUNTAINOUS REMNANT FOREST: RECOMMENDATION FOR CHOOSING BEST DECISION FOR INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT OF Cestrum aurantiacum Lindl.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Decky Indrawan Junaedi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Cestrum aurantiacum Lindl. is an exotic species found in native remnant forest of GPNP which is located inside the Cibodas Botanic Garden (CBG. Risk assessment is an important tool to choose best decision for invasive plant management.  Risk assessment analysis on C. aurantiacum in Cibodas Botanic Garden was conducted using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA method.  Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP used in the valuation process. Three sub-criteria used: minimizing the ecological impact, minimizing the management cost, and maximizing the public acceptance. Five management alternatives were used: do nothing (DN, eradication (E, containment (C, bio-control (BC and harvesting (H. Harvesting (H recommended as the best management decision for C. aurantiacumin at CBG remnant forest. This harvesting decision is not only creating environment/ ecosystem remediation but also as sources of fund in the management activity of the area.

Decision for counting condition of radioactive waste activities measuring by Ludlum detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambang-Purwanto

2000-01-01

Radioactive waste must measured for activities before be throw out to environment. Measuring will be important in ordered to know activities can be given management direction. For activities radioactive waste on limit threshold value must processed, but for under limit threshold value activities can be throw out to environment. Activities measuring for solid radioactive waste and liquid by (Total, β, γ) Ludlum detector connected Mode-1000 Scaler Counting. Before measuring for solid waste activities was decisioned optimally counting condition, and be obtained are : sample weight 3.5 gram, heating temperature of 125 o C and heating time at 60 minutes. Activities measuring result by total detector ranges from (0.68-0.71) 10 -1 μCi/gram, β detector ranges from (0.24-0.25) 10 -1 μCi/gram and γ detector ranges from (0.35-0.37) μCi/gram

Middle School Students' Decision-Making on Solid Waste Management in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kuo-Hua

The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of a HyperCard simulation upon student's concepts, opinions, and option-rankings on solid waste management, and to investigate what cognitive activities of the students were involved in the decision-making processes. One hundred eighth-grade students in Taiwan participated in this…

Demonstration of the application of weighting factors for cost and radiological impact to waste management decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barraclough, I.M.; Morrey, M.; Mobbs, S.F.

1991-01-01

Radioactive waste management can require difficult decisions involving many complex and often competing factors. In order to make decisions, the relevant factors need to be compared with each other and balanced, so that the resulting action produces the greatest net benefit. Decision-aiding techniques may help to carry out this balancing. A public survey has been designed and analyzed, which focused on the importance of both social values and the psychological processes likely to contribute to their formation. A method has been developed by which the preferences of the public concerning the consequence of waste management options may be obtained in a form suitable for use in multi-attribute decision-aiding techniques. It appears that this method is capable of producing useful, meaningful values for these weights, and therefore represents a major improvement on previous methods of obtaining weighting factors

Review. Assessing uncertainty and risk in forest planning and decision support systems: review of classical methods and introduction of new approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Pasalodos-Tato

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Aim: Since forest planning is characterized by long time horizon and it typically involves large areas of land and numerous stakeholders, uncertainty and risk should play an important role when developing forest management plans. The aim of this study is to review different methods to deal with risk and uncertainty in forest planning, listing problems that forest managers may face during the preparation of management plans and trying to give recommendations in regard to the application of each method according to the problem case. The inclusion of risk and uncertainty in decision support systems is also analyzed.Area: It covers the temporal and spatial scale of forest planning, the spatial context, the participation process, the objectives dimensions and the good and services addressed.Material and methods: Several hundreds of articles dealing with uncertainty and risk were identified regarding different forestry-related topics and approaches. Form them, around 170 articles were further reviewed, categorized and evaluated.Main results: The study presents a thorough review and classification of methods and approaches to consider risk and uncertainty in forest planning. Moreover, new approaches are introduced, showing the opportunities that their application present in forest planning.Research highlights: The study can aid forest managers in the decision making process when designing a forest management plan considering risk and uncertainty.Keywords: operations research; optimal alternative; stochastic risk; endogenous risk; stand level; forest level.

KASAM project for detailed study of the decision making process and basis for decisions in the nuclear waste area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedberg, Bjoern

2008-01-01

The idea of the transparency programme is that it should increase the transparency, and thereby the quality, of the decision process and the document basis for the up coming decisions related to the SKB (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company) license applications for a final repository for high level nuclear waste and an encapsulation plant for spent nuclear fuel. KASAM (Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste) was in charge of the transparency program. The pre-study proposes that KASAM uses the RISCOM-model to support the transparency programme. During the pre-study a number of stakeholders were approached to give their views about the format and contents of the transparency programme and a large number of new issues were raised that could be included in transparency creating activities. Among these issues we got for instance: the role of responsible authorities, on what basis for site selection? or socio-economic issues or critical assumptions in the safety assessment or safety philosophy. Recurrent elements in the transparency programme would then be: -) a clear description of the background for the issue being addressed, -) knowledge building activities, and -) a hearing where the KASAM committee members and staff meet the stakeholders to discuss the issue

Decision Support System For Management Of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal At The Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shott, G.; Yucel, V.; Desotell, L.; Carilli, J.T.

2006-01-01

The long-term safety of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) low-level radioactive disposal facilities is assessed by conducting a performance assessment -- a systematic analysis that compares estimated risks to the public and the environment with performance objectives contained in DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual. Before site operations, facilities design features such as final inventory, waste form characteristics, and closure cover design may be uncertain. Site operators need a modeling tool that can be used throughout the operational life of the disposal site to guide decisions regarding the acceptance of problematic waste streams, new disposal cell design, environmental monitoring program design, and final site closure. In response to these needs the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) has developed a decision support system for the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site in Frenchman Flat on the Nevada Test Site. The core of the system is a probabilistic inventory and performance assessment model implemented in the GoldSim R simulation platform. The modeling platform supports multiple graphic capabilities that allow clear documentation of the model data sources, conceptual model, mathematical implementation, and results. The combined models have the capability to estimate disposal site inventory, contaminant concentrations in environmental media, and radiological doses to members of the public engaged in various activities at multiple locations. The model allows rapid assessment and documentation of the consequences of waste management decisions using the most current site characterization information, radionuclide inventory, and conceptual model. The model is routinely used to provide annual updates of site performance, evaluate the consequences of disposal of new waste streams, develop waste concentration limits, optimize the design of new disposal cells, and assess the adequacy of environmental

Plausibility of Individual Decisions from Random Forests in Clinical Predictive Modelling Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayn, Dieter; Walch, Harald; Stieg, Jörg; Kreiner, Karl; Ebner, Hubert; Schreier, Günter

2017-01-01

Machine learning algorithms are a promising approach to help physicians to deal with the ever increasing amount of data collected in healthcare each day. However, interpretation of suggestions derived from predictive models can be difficult. The aim of this work was to quantify the influence of a specific feature on an individual decision proposed by a random forest (RF). For each decision tree within the RF, the influence of each feature on a specific decision (FID) was quantified. For each feature, changes in outcome value due to the feature were summarized along the path. Results from all the trees in the RF were statistically merged. The ratio of FID to the respective feature's global importance was calculated (FIDrel). Global feature importance, FID and FIDrel significantly differed, depending on the individual input data. Therefore, we suggest to present the most important features as determined for FID and for FIDrel, whenever results of a RF are visualized. Feature influence on a specific decision can be quantified in RFs. Further studies will be necessary to evaluate our approach in a real world scenario.

GIS and remote sensing components of a spatial decision system in support of sustainable forest management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

St-Onge, B.A.; Waaub, J.P.; Alleaume, S.; Couture, M. [Quebec Univ., Dept. of Geography, Montreal, PQ (Canada)

1999-05-01

The development of a tool used in decision making processes in forest management was discussed with special focus on two critical aspects of the decision aid system which pertain to spatial information. These are: (1) the use of up-to-date precise information, and (2) the accessibility of this information. This paper focuses on two approaches designed to provide accessible high quality information to the users of the decision aid system: i.e. the development of high resolution remote sensing methods, and a GIS data warehouse accessible over the Internet. 4 refs., 2 figs.

Waste-to-energy in the United States: Socioeconomic factors and the decision-making process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curlee, T.R.; Schexnayder, S.M.; Vogt, D.P.; Wolfe, A.K.; Kelsay, M.P.; Feldman, D.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1993-10-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) combustion with energy recovery, commonly called waste-to-energy (WTE), was adopted by many US communities during the 1980s to manage their growing quantities of MSW. Although less than one percent of all US MSW was burned to retrieve its heat energy in 1970, WTE grew to account for 16 percent of MSW in 1990, and many experts forecasted that WTE would be used to manage as much as half of all garbage by the turn of the century. However, the growth of WTE has been reduced in recent years by project cancellations. This study takes an in-depth look at the socioeconomic factors that have played a role in the decisions of communities that have considered WTE as a component of their solid waste management strategies. More specifically, a three-pronged approach is adopted to investigate (1) the relationships between a municipality`s decision to consider and accept/reject WTE and key socioeconomic parameters, (2) the potential impacts of recent changes in financial markets on the viability of WTE, and (3) the WTE decision-making process and the socioeconomic parameters that are most important in the municipality`s decision. The first two objectives are met by the collection and analysis of aggregate data on all US WTE initiatives during the 1982 to 1990 time frame. The latter objective is met by way of four in-depth case studies -- two directed at communities that have accepted WTE and two that have cancelled WTE projects.

Composting of pig manure and forest green waste amended with industrial sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Arias, O; Viña, S; Uzal, M; Soto, M

2017-05-15

The aim of this research was to study the composting of chestnut forest green waste (FGW) from short rotation chestnut stands amended with sludge resulting from the manufacture of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDFS) and pig manure (PM). Both FGW and MDFS presented low biodegradation potential but different characteristics in granulometry and bulk density that make its mixture of interest to achieve high composting temperatures. PM decreased the C/N ratio of the mixture and increased its moisture content (MC). Three mixtures of MDFS:FGW at volume ratios of 1:1.3 (M2), 1:2.4 (M3) and 0:1 (M4) were composted after increasing its MC to about 70% with PM. A control with food waste (OFW) and FGW (1:2.4 in volume) (M1) was run in parallel. Watering ratios reached 0.25 (M1), 1.08 (M2) 1.56 (M3) and 4.35 (M4) L PM/kg TS of added solids wastes. Treatments M2 and M3 reached a thermophilic phase shorter than M1, whilst M4 remained in the mesophilic range. After 48days of composting, temperature gradients in respect to ambient temperature were reduced, but the mineralization process continued for around 8months. Final reduction in total organic carbon reached 35-56%, depending mainly on the content in MDFS. MDFS addition to composting matrices largely reduced nitrogen losses, which range from 22% (M2) to 37% (M3) and 53% (M4). Final products had high nutrient content, low electrical conductivity and low heavy metal content which make it a valuable product for soil fertilization, right to amend in the chestnut forests and as a pillar of their sustainable management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Review. Assessing uncertainty and risk in forest planning and decision support systems: review of classical methods and introduction of innovative approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasalodos-Tato, M.; Makinen, A.; Garcia-Gonzalez, J.; Borges, J. G.; Lamas, T.; Eriksson, L. O.

2013-09-01

Aim: Since forest planning is characterized by long time horizon and it typically involves large areas of land and numerous stake holders, uncertainty and risk should play an important role when developing forest management plans. The aim of this study is to review different methods to deal with risk and uncertainty in forest planning, listing problems that forest managers may face during the preparation of management plans and trying to give recommendations in regard to the application of each method according to the problem case. The inclusion of risk and uncertainty in decision support systems is also analyzed. Area: It covers the temporal and spatial scale of forest planning, the spatial context, the participation process, the objectives dimensions and the good and services addressed. Material and methods: Several hundreds of articles dealing with uncertainty and risk were identified regarding different forestry-related topics and approaches. Form them, around 170 articles were further reviewed, categorized and evaluated. Main results: The study presents a thorough review and classification of methods and approaches to consider risk and uncertainty in forest planning. Moreover, new approaches are introduced, showing the opportunities that their application presents in forest planning. Research highlights: The study can aid forest managers in the decision making process when designing a forest management plan considering risk and uncertainty. (Author)

Development of a decision model for the techno-economic assessment of municipal solid waste utilization pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Md Mohib-Ul-Haque; Jain, Siddharth; Vaezi, Mahdi; Kumar, Amit

2016-02-01

Economic competitiveness is one of the key factors in making decisions towards the development of waste conversion facilities and devising a sustainable waste management strategy. The goal of this study is to develop a framework, as well as to develop and demonstrate a comprehensive techno-economic model to help county and municipal decision makers in establishing waste conversion facilities. The user-friendly data-intensive model, called the FUNdamental ENgineering PrinciplEs-based ModeL for Estimation of Cost of Energy and Fuels from MSW (FUNNEL-Cost-MSW), compares nine different waste management scenarios, including landfilling and composting, in terms of economic parameters such as gate fees and return on investment. In addition, a geographic information system (GIS) model was developed to determine suitable locations for waste conversion facilities and landfill sites based on integration of environmental, social, and economic factors. Finally, a case study on Parkland County and its surrounding counties in the province of Alberta, Canada, was conducted and a sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the influence of the key technical and economic parameters on the calculated results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Record of Decision for the Ford Building Waste Unit (643-11G) Operable Unit; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraley, S.

2002-01-01

This decision document presents the selected remedial for the Ford Building Waste Unit (FBWU), in Aiken, South Carolina, which was chosen in accordance with CERCLA, as amended by SARA, and, to the extent practical, the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This decision is based on the Administrative Record File for this specific RCRA/CERCLA site

Decision Support Model for Selection Technologies in Processing of Palm Oil Industrial Liquid Waste

Science.gov (United States)

Ishak, Aulia; Ali, Amir Yazid bin

2017-12-01

The palm oil industry continues to grow from year to year. Processing of the palm oil industry into crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO). The ratio of the amount of oil produced by both products is 30% of the raw material. This means that 70% is palm oil waste. The amount of palm oil waste will increase in line with the development of the palm oil industry. The amount of waste generated by the palm oil industry if it is not handled properly and effectively will contribute significantly to environmental damage. Industrial activities ranging from raw materials to produce products will disrupt the lives of people around the factory. There are many alternative technologies available to process other industries, but problems that often occur are difficult to implement the most appropriate technology. The purpose of this research is to develop a database of waste processing technology, looking for qualitative and quantitative criteria to select technology and develop Decision Support System (DSS) that can help make decisions. The method used to achieve the objective of this research is to develop a questionnaire to identify waste processing technology and develop the questionnaire to find appropriate database technology. Methods of data analysis performed on the system by using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and to build the model by using the MySQL Software that can be used as a tool in the evaluation and selection of palm oil mill processing technology.

Multiple stakeholders in multi-criteria decision-making in the context of Municipal Solid Waste Management: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soltani, Atousa; Hewage, Kasun; Reza, Bahareh; Sadiq, Rehan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We review Municipal Solid Waste Management studies with focus on multiple stakeholders. • We focus on studies with multi-criteria decision analysis methods and discover their trends. • Most studies do not offer solutions for situations where stakeholders compete for more benefits or have unequal voting powers. • Governments and experts are the most participated stakeholders and AHP is the most dominant method. - Abstract: Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a complicated process that involves multiple environmental and socio-economic criteria. Decision-makers look for decision support frameworks that can guide in defining alternatives, relevant criteria and their weights, and finding a suitable solution. In addition, decision-making in MSWM problems such as finding proper waste treatment locations or strategies often requires multiple stakeholders such as government, municipalities, industries, experts, and/or general public to get involved. Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is the most popular framework employed in previous studies on MSWM; MCDA methods help multiple stakeholders evaluate the often conflicting criteria, communicate their different preferences, and rank or prioritize MSWM strategies to finally agree on some elements of these strategies and make an applicable decision. This paper reviews and brings together research on the application of MCDA for solving MSWM problems with more focus on the studies that have considered multiple stakeholders and offers solutions for such problems. Results of this study show that AHP is the most common approach in consideration of multiple stakeholders and experts and governments/municipalities are the most common participants in these studies

Multiple stakeholders in multi-criteria decision-making in the context of Municipal Solid Waste Management: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soltani, Atousa; Hewage, Kasun; Reza, Bahareh; Sadiq, Rehan, E-mail: Rehan.sadiq@ubc.ca

2015-01-15

Highlights: • We review Municipal Solid Waste Management studies with focus on multiple stakeholders. • We focus on studies with multi-criteria decision analysis methods and discover their trends. • Most studies do not offer solutions for situations where stakeholders compete for more benefits or have unequal voting powers. • Governments and experts are the most participated stakeholders and AHP is the most dominant method. - Abstract: Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a complicated process that involves multiple environmental and socio-economic criteria. Decision-makers look for decision support frameworks that can guide in defining alternatives, relevant criteria and their weights, and finding a suitable solution. In addition, decision-making in MSWM problems such as finding proper waste treatment locations or strategies often requires multiple stakeholders such as government, municipalities, industries, experts, and/or general public to get involved. Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is the most popular framework employed in previous studies on MSWM; MCDA methods help multiple stakeholders evaluate the often conflicting criteria, communicate their different preferences, and rank or prioritize MSWM strategies to finally agree on some elements of these strategies and make an applicable decision. This paper reviews and brings together research on the application of MCDA for solving MSWM problems with more focus on the studies that have considered multiple stakeholders and offers solutions for such problems. Results of this study show that AHP is the most common approach in consideration of multiple stakeholders and experts and governments/municipalities are the most common participants in these studies.

The influence of multiple ownership interests and decision-making networks on the management of family forest lands: evidence from the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Stephanie A. Snyder; Michael A. Kilgore

2018-01-01

A national assessment of how the number of parcel owners influence family forest land management and use decisions in the US was conducted using a subset of the US Forest Service's National Woodland Owner Survey Dataset. Seventy-two percent of single parcel family forest land ownership respondents of at least 4.05 ha had multiple owners. The extent to which past...

An analytical hierarchy process for decision making of high-level-waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.H.C.; Jang, W.

1995-01-01

To prove the existence value of nuclear technology for the world of post cold war, demonstration of safe rad-waste disposal is essential. High-level-waste (HLW) certainly is the key issue to be resolved. To assist a rational and persuasive process on various disposal options, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for the decision making of HLW management is presented. The basic theory and rationale are discussed, and applications are shown to illustrate the usefulness of the AHP. The authors wish that the AHP can provide a better direction for the current doomed situations of Taiwan nuclear industry, and to exchange with other countries for sharing experiences on the HLW management

Towards a Theoretical Construct for Modelling Smallholders’ Forestland-Use Decisions: What Can We Learn from Agriculture and Forest Economics?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kahlil Baker

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Academic research on smallholders’ forestland-use decisions is regularly addressed in different streams of literature using different theoretical constructs that are independently incomplete. In this article, we propose a theoretical construct for modelling smallholders’ forestland-use decisions intended to serve in the guidance and operationalization of future models for quantitative analysis. Our construct is inspired by the sub-disciplines of forestry and agricultural economics with a crosscutting theme of how transaction costs drive separability between consumption and production decisions. Our results help explain why exogenous variables proposed in the existing literature are insufficient at explaining smallholders’ forestland-use decisions, and provide theoretical context for endogenizing characteristics of the household, farm and landscape. Smallholders’ forestland-use decisions are best understood in an agricultural context of competing uses for household assets and interdependent consumption and production decisions. Forest production strategies range from natural regeneration to intensive management of the forest resource to co-jointly produce market and non-market values. Due to transaction costs, decision prices are best represented by their shadow as opposed to market prices. Shadow prices are shaped by endogenous smallholder-specific preferences for leisure, non-market values, time, risk, and uncertainty. Our proposed construct is intended to provide a theoretical basis to assist modellers in the selection of variables for quantitative analysis.

Plutonium-238 Decision Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Mike; Lechel, David J.; Leigh, C.D.

1999-01-01

Five transuranic (TRU) waste sites in the Department of Energy (DOE) complex, collectively, have more than 2,100 cubic meters of Plutonium-238 (Pu-238) TRU waste that exceed the wattage restrictions of the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-11). The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is being developed by the DOE as a repository for TRU waste. With the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) opening in 1999, these sites are faced with a need to develop waste management practices that will enable the transportation of Pu-238 TRU waste to WIPP for disposal. This paper describes a decision analysis that provided a logical framework for addressing the Pu-238 TRU waste issue. The insights that can be gained by performing a formalized decision analysis are multifold. First and foremost, the very process. of formulating a decision tree forces the decision maker into structured, logical thinking where alternatives can be evaluated one against the other using a uniform set of criteria. In the process of developing the decision tree for transportation of Pu-238 TRU waste, several alternatives were eliminated and the logical order for decision making was discovered. Moreover, the key areas of uncertainty for proposed alternatives were identified and quantified. The decision analysis showed that the DOE can employ a combination approach where they will (1) use headspace gas analyses to show that a fraction of the Pu-238 TRU waste drums are no longer generating hydrogen gas and can be shipped to WIPP ''as-is'', (2) use drums and bags with advanced filter systems to repackage Pu-238 TRU waste drums that are still generating hydrogen, and (3) add hydrogen getter materials to the inner containment vessel of the TRUPACT-11to relieve the build-up of hydrogen gas during transportation of the Pu-238 TRU waste drums

Combination of material flow analysis and substance flow analysis: a powerful approach for decision support in waste management.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanisavljevic, Nemanja; Brunner, Paul H

2014-08-01

The novelty of this paper is the demonstration of the effectiveness of combining material flow analysis (MFA) with substance flow analysis (SFA) for decision making in waste management. Both MFA and SFA are based on the mass balance principle. While MFA alone has been applied often for analysing material flows quantitatively and hence to determine the capacities of waste treatment processes, SFA is more demanding but instrumental in evaluating the performance of a waste management system regarding the goals "resource conservation" and "environmental protection". SFA focuses on the transformations of wastes during waste treatment: valuable as well as hazardous substances and their transformations are followed through the entire waste management system. A substance-based approach is required because the economic and environmental properties of the products of waste management - recycling goods, residues and emissions - are primarily determined by the content of specific precious or harmful substances. To support the case that MFA and SFA should be combined, a case study of waste management scenarios is presented. For three scenarios, total material flows are quantified by MFA, and the mass flows of six indicator substances (C, N, Cl, Cd, Pb, Hg) are determined by SFA. The combined results are compared to the status quo in view of fulfilling the goals of waste management. They clearly point out specific differences between the chosen scenarios, demonstrating potentials for improvement and the value of the combination of MFA/SFA for decision making in waste management. © The Author(s) 2014.

Decision Fusion Based on Hyperspectral and Multispectral Satellite Imagery for Accurate Forest Species Mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitris G. Stavrakoudis

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the effectiveness of combining multispectral very high resolution (VHR and hyperspectral satellite imagery through a decision fusion approach, for accurate forest species mapping. Initially, two fuzzy classifications are conducted, one for each satellite image, using a fuzzy output support vector machine (SVM. The classification result from the hyperspectral image is then resampled to the multispectral’s spatial resolution and the two sources are combined using a simple yet efficient fusion operator. Thus, the complementary information provided from the two sources is effectively exploited, without having to resort to computationally demanding and time-consuming typical data fusion or vector stacking approaches. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is validated in a complex Mediterranean forest landscape, comprising spectrally similar and spatially intermingled species. The decision fusion scheme resulted in an accuracy increase of 8% compared to the classification using only the multispectral imagery, whereas the increase was even higher compared to the classification using only the hyperspectral satellite image. Perhaps most importantly, its accuracy was significantly higher than alternative multisource fusion approaches, although the latter are characterized by much higher computation, storage, and time requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency's waste isolation pilot plant certification process: The steps leading to our decision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wene, C.; Kruger, M.

1999-01-01

On May 13, 1998, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its 'final certification decision' to certify that the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) will comply with the radioactive waste disposal regulations set and the WIPP Compliance Criteria set forth at 40 CFR Parts 191 (US EPA, 1993) and 194 (US EPA, 1996) respectively. The WIPP will be the nation's first deep underground disposal facility for transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated as a result of defence activities. Since WIPP is a first-of-a-kind facility EPA's regulatory program contains an abundance of unique technical questions, as well as controversial policy considerations and legal issues. This paper presents the process that EPA undertook to reach its final decision. Oversight of the WIPP facility by EPA is governed by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (WIPP LWA), passed initially by Congress in 1992 and amended in 1996. The LWA required EPA to evaluate whether the WIPP will comply with Subparts B and C of 40 CFR Part 191, known as the disposal regulations. The EPA's final certification of compliance will allow the emplacement of radioactive waste in the WIPP to begin, provided that all other applicable health and safety standards have been met. The certification also allows Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to strip TRU waste from specific waste streams for disposal at the WIPP. However, the certification is subject to several conditions, most notably that EPA must approve site-specific waste characterisation measures and quality assurance plans before allowing sites other than LANL to ship waste for disposal at the WIPP

An environmentally sustainable decision model for urban solid waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costi, P.; Minciardi, R.; Robba, M.; Rovatti, M.; Sacile, R.

2004-01-01

The aim of this work is to present the structure and the application of a decision support system (DSS) designed to help decision makers of a municipality in the development of incineration, disposal, treatment and recycling integrated programs. Specifically, within a MSW management system, several treatment plants and facilities can generally be found: separators, plants for production of refuse derived fuel (RDF), incinerators with energy recovery, plants for treatment of organic material, and sanitary landfills. The main goal of the DSS is to plan the MSW management, defining the refuse flows that have to be sent to recycling or to different treatment or disposal plants, and suggesting the optimal number, the kinds, and the localization of the plants that have to be active. The DSS is based on a decision model that requires the solution of a constrained non-linear optimization problem, where some decision variables are binary and other ones are continuous. The objective function takes into account all possible economic costs, whereas constraints arise from technical, normative, and environmental issues. Specifically, pollution and impacts, induced by the overall solid waste management system, are considered through the formalization of constraints on incineration emissions and on negative effects produced by disposal or other particular treatments

Adaptation pathways: ecoregion and land ownership influences on climate adaptation decision-making in forest management

Science.gov (United States)

Todd A. Ontl; Chris Swanston; Leslie A. Brandt; Patricia R. Butler; Anthony W. D’Amato; Stephen D. Handler; Maria K. Janowiak; P. Danielle Shannon

2018-01-01

Climate adaptation planning and implementation are likely to increase rapidly within the forest sector not only as climate continues to change but also as we intentionally learn from real-world examples. We sought to better understand how adaptation is being incorporated in land management decision-making across diverse land ownership types in the Midwest by evaluating...

The Hidden Risk Decisions in Waste Repository Regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frishman, Steve

2001-01-01

The move toward risk-informed, performance-based regulation of activities involving radioactive materials is becoming wide spread and broadly applied. While this approach may have some merit in specific applications in which there is a considerable body of experience, its strict application in regulation of geologic repositories for highly radioactive wastes may not be appropriate for this unproven and socially controversial technology. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission describes risk-informed, performance-based regulation as 'an approach in which risk insights, engineering analysis and judgement (eg. defense in depth), and performance history are used to (1) focus attention on the most important activities, (2) establish objective criteria based upon risk insights for evaluating performance, (3) develop measurable or calculable parameters for monitoring system and licensee performance, and (4) focus on the results as the primary basis for regulatory decision-making.' Both the risk-informed and performance-based elements of the approach are problematic when considering regulation of geologic repositories for highly radioactive wastes - an activity yet to be accomplished by any nation. In investigating potential sites for geologic repositories there will always be residual uncertainty in understanding the natural system and the events and processes that affect it. The more complex the natural system, the greater will be the uncertainty in both the data and the models used to describe the characteristics of the site's natural barriers, and the events and processes that could affect repository waste isolation. The engineered barriers also are subject to uncertainties that are important to the repository system. These uncertainties translate themselves into a range of probabilities that certain events or processes, detrimental to waste isolation, will occur. The uncertainties also translate to a range of consequences and magnitudes of consequences, should the

Using systems analysis to improve decision making in solving mixed waste problems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrada, J.J.; Welch, T.D.; Osborne-Lee, I.W.; Nehls, J.W. Jr.

1995-01-01

Systems analysis methods and tools have been developed and applied to the problem of selecting treatment technologies for mixed wastes. The approach, which is based on decision analysis, process modeling, and process simulation with a tool developed in-house, provides a one-of-a-kind resource for waste treatment alternatives evaluation and has played a key role in developing mandated treatment plans for Oak Ridge Reservation mixed waste

Multiple stakeholders in multi-criteria decision-making in the context of Municipal Solid Waste Management: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Soltani, Atousa; Hewage, Kasun; Reza, Bahareh; Sadiq, Rehan

2015-01-01

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a complicated process that involves multiple environmental and socio-economic criteria. Decision-makers look for decision support frameworks that can guide in defining alternatives, relevant criteria and their weights, and finding a suitable solution. In addition, decision-making in MSWM problems such as finding proper waste treatment locations or strategies often requires multiple stakeholders such as government, municipalities, industries, experts, and/or general public to get involved. Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is the most popular framework employed in previous studies on MSWM; MCDA methods help multiple stakeholders evaluate the often conflicting criteria, communicate their different preferences, and rank or prioritize MSWM strategies to finally agree on some elements of these strategies and make an applicable decision. This paper reviews and brings together research on the application of MCDA for solving MSWM problems with more focus on the studies that have considered multiple stakeholders and offers solutions for such problems. Results of this study show that AHP is the most common approach in consideration of multiple stakeholders and experts and governments/municipalities are the most common participants in these studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating land-use and private forest management responses to a potential forest carbon offset sales program in western Oregon (USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory S. Latta; Darius M. Adams; Kathleen P. Bell; Jeff Kline

2016-01-01

We describe the use of linked land-use and forest sector models to simulate the effects of carbon offset sales on private forest owners' land-use and forest management decisions inwestern Oregon (USA). Our work focuses on forest management decisions rather than afforestation, allows full forest sector price adjustment to land-use changes, and incorporates time-...

Application of TOPSIS and VIKOR improved versions in a multi criteria decision analysis to develop an optimized municipal solid waste management model.

Science.gov (United States)

Aghajani Mir, M; Taherei Ghazvinei, P; Sulaiman, N M N; Basri, N E A; Saheri, S; Mahmood, N Z; Jahan, A; Begum, R A; Aghamohammadi, N

2016-01-15

Selecting a suitable Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method is a crucial stage to establish a Solid Waste Management (SWM) system. Main objective of the current study is to demonstrate and evaluate a proposed method using Multiple Criteria Decision Making methods (MCDM). An improved version of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) applied to obtain the best municipal solid waste management method by comparing and ranking the scenarios. Applying this method in order to rank treatment methods is introduced as one contribution of the study. Besides, Viekriterijumsko Kompromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) compromise solution method applied for sensitivity analyses. The proposed method can assist urban decision makers in prioritizing and selecting an optimized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment system. Besides, a logical and systematic scientific method was proposed to guide an appropriate decision-making. A modified TOPSIS methodology as a superior to existing methods for first time was applied for MSW problems. Applying this method in order to rank treatment methods is introduced as one contribution of the study. Next, 11 scenarios of MSW treatment methods are defined and compared environmentally and economically based on the waste management conditions. Results show that integrating a sanitary landfill (18.1%), RDF (3.1%), composting (2%), anaerobic digestion (40.4%), and recycling (36.4%) was an optimized model of integrated waste management. An applied decision-making structure provides the opportunity for optimum decision-making. Therefore, the mix of recycling and anaerobic digestion and a sanitary landfill with Electricity Production (EP) are the preferred options for MSW management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defining criteria related to wastes for use in multi-criteria decision tool for nuclear accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Diogo N.G.; Guimaraes, Jean R.D., E-mail: dneves@biof.ufrj.br, E-mail: jeanrdg@biof.ufrj.br [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho; Rochedo, Elaine R.R.; De Luca, Christiano, E-mail: elainerochedo@gmail.com, E-mail: christiano_luca@hotmail.com [Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Rochedo, Pedro R.R., E-mail: rochedopedro@gmail.com [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa de Engenharia

2013-07-01

The selection of protective measures and strategies for remediation of contaminated areas after a nuclear accident must be based on previously established criteria in order to prevent stress of the population and the unnecessary exposure of workers. After a nuclear accident resulting in environmental contamination, decisions on remediation of areas is complex due to the large numbers of factors involved in decontamination processes. This work is part of a project which aims to develop a multi-criteria tool to support a decision-making process in cases of a radiological or a nuclear accident in Brazil. First, a database of remediation strategies for contaminated areas was created. In this process, the most relevant aspects for the implementation of these strategies were considered, including technical criteria regarding aspects related to the generation of wastes in a reference urban area, which are discussed in this paper. The specific objective of this study is to define criteria for the aspects of radioactive wastes, resulted by the implementation of some urban measures, in order to be incorporated in a multi-criteria decision tool. Main aspects considered were the type, the amount and the type of treatment necessary for each procedure. The decontamination procedures are then classified according to the selected criteria in order to feed the multi-criteria decision tool. This paper describes the steps for the establishment of these criteria and evaluates the potential for future applications in order to improve predictions and to support the decisions to be made. (author)

Defining criteria related to wastes for use in multi-criteria decision tool for nuclear accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Diogo N.G.; Guimaraes, Jean R.D.; Rochedo, Elaine R.R.; De Luca, Christiano; Rochedo, Pedro R.R.

2013-01-01

The selection of protective measures and strategies for remediation of contaminated areas after a nuclear accident must be based on previously established criteria in order to prevent stress of the population and the unnecessary exposure of workers. After a nuclear accident resulting in environmental contamination, decisions on remediation of areas is complex due to the large numbers of factors involved in decontamination processes. This work is part of a project which aims to develop a multi-criteria tool to support a decision-making process in cases of a radiological or a nuclear accident in Brazil. First, a database of remediation strategies for contaminated areas was created. In this process, the most relevant aspects for the implementation of these strategies were considered, including technical criteria regarding aspects related to the generation of wastes in a reference urban area, which are discussed in this paper. The specific objective of this study is to define criteria for the aspects of radioactive wastes, resulted by the implementation of some urban measures, in order to be incorporated in a multi-criteria decision tool. Main aspects considered were the type, the amount and the type of treatment necessary for each procedure. The decontamination procedures are then classified according to the selected criteria in order to feed the multi-criteria decision tool. This paper describes the steps for the establishment of these criteria and evaluates the potential for future applications in order to improve predictions and to support the decisions to be made. (author)

Final storage high-level radioactive waste in Sweden - the way to the 2009 siting decision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Horst

2010-01-01

In Sweden, high-level radioactive waste producing heat, i.e. spent fuel, is to be emplaced for final storage on the site of Forsmark, which also holds three reactor units. The siting decision was taken in June 2009. A 100 percent private company, a merger of the commercial nuclear power plant operators as producers of the waste, is responsible for the siting decision as well as for waste storage. Major impulses were given to the back-end fuel cycle policy in the early 1970s. Sweden practically gave up the reprocessing option very soon, but kept on pursuing final storage in deep geologic formations. Between 1977, when legislation was adopted with conditions relating to repository storage, and 2009, when the decision in favour of the Forsmark site was taken, the path followed was not always a straight line. The boundary conditions, such as the organization of the repository and procedural and safety criteria established by the government, are interesting with regard to their influence on the siting decision, if any. For this reason, the approaches chosen and their connections with government criteria and with geological conditions in Sweden, including their impacts on the repository concept chosen, will be examined. After a summary review of developments in Sweden, filing of the licensing application and the accompanying documents up to commissioning of the repository, a short comparison will be made with the situation in Germany, especially the status reached of the Gorleben salt dome, highlighting and evaluating important criteria and parameters. Sweden as a model is important especially in these respects: A repository site was found by a private company in consensus with the local government within the framework of government criteria, and with ultimate responsibility resting with the government; the local government of a place not winning the siting decision is disappointed although it will have the conditioning plant and receive higher grants; it was not only

Forest management in India. Local versus state control of forest resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilk, J

1998-12-31

Degradation and substantial losses to India`s forests have prompted a change in existing forestry management strategy. The new approach includes recognition of local participation in forestry management schemes but state control over most decisions is still dominant. Seen in terms of a common property resource system, India`s forests lack many of the factors usually considered inherent to successful management programs. Though India`s latest Forest Act affords more local involvement in forestry management, there continues to be an apparent lack of rights for local management groups over decision-making and the resource itself. Can this system enable the required balance between state and local management of India`s forests? 24 refs, 1 tab

Forest management in India. Local versus state control of forest resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilk, J.

1997-12-31

Degradation and substantial losses to India`s forests have prompted a change in existing forestry management strategy. The new approach includes recognition of local participation in forestry management schemes but state control over most decisions is still dominant. Seen in terms of a common property resource system, India`s forests lack many of the factors usually considered inherent to successful management programs. Though India`s latest Forest Act affords more local involvement in forestry management, there continues to be an apparent lack of rights for local management groups over decision-making and the resource itself. Can this system enable the required balance between state and local management of India`s forests? 24 refs, 1 tab

Optimal Waste Load Allocation Using Multi-Objective Optimization and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Saberi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Increasing demand for water, depletion of resources of acceptable quality, and excessive water pollution due to agricultural and industrial developments has caused intensive social and environmental problems all over the world. Given the environmental importance of rivers, complexity and extent of pollution factors and physical, chemical and biological processes in these systems, optimal waste-load allocation in river systems has been given considerable attention in the literature in the past decades. The overall objective of planning and quality management of river systems is to develop and implement a coordinated set of strategies and policies to reduce or allocate of pollution entering the rivers so that the water quality matches by proposing environmental standards with an acceptable reliability. In such matters, often there are several different decision makers with different utilities which lead to conflicts. Methods/Materials: In this research, a conflict resolution framework for optimal waste load allocation in river systems is proposed, considering the total treatment cost and the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD violation characteristics. There are two decision-makers inclusive waste load discharges coalition and environmentalists who have conflicting objectives. This framework consists of an embedded river water quality simulator, which simulates the transport process including reaction kinetics. The trade-off curve between objectives is obtained using the Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm which these objectives are minimization of the total cost of treatment and penalties that must be paid by discharges and a violation of water quality standards considering BOD parameter which is controlled by environmentalists. Thus, the basic policy of river’s water quality management is formulated in such a way that the decision-makers are ensured their benefits will be provided as far as possible. By using MOPSO

Radioactive waste management: a comparative study of national decision-making processes. Final report, September 15, 1978-December 31, 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinberg, D.S.; Deese, D.

1980-01-01

A report is presented resulting from a comparative study of national decision-making processes in radioactive waste management. By seeking out the variations among the socio-political and institutional components of the nuclear power and radioactive waste policies in ten countries, the authors have attempted to identify means to improve national and international responses to a seemingly intractable problem, the management of wastes from military and commercial nuclear programs worldwide. Efforts were focused on evaluation of comparative national policy formulation processes. Mapping national programs in conjunction with social, political and administrative structure and comparing the similarities and differences among them has revealed six major issues: (1) technological bias in decision-making; (2) lack of natioal strategies for the RWM programs; (3) fragmentation of governmental power structures; (4) crippled national regulatory bodies; (5) complex and competing relations among local, state and federal levels of government; and (6) increased importance of non-governmental actors and public participation. The first two issues are overarching, encompassing the fundamental approach to policy, whereas the last four describe more specific aspects of the decision-making structures

Environmental and economic assessment methods for waste management decision-support: possibilities and limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Finnveden, Göran; Björklund, Anna; Moberg, Asa; Ekvall, Tomas

2007-06-01

A large number of methods and approaches that can be used for supporting waste management decisions at different levels in society have been developed. In this paper an overview of methods is provided and preliminary guidelines for the choice of methods are presented. The methods introduced include: Environmental Impact Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Cost-effectiveness Analysis, Life-cycle Costing, Risk Assessment, Material Flow Accounting, Substance Flow Analysis, Energy Analysis, Exergy Analysis, Entropy Analysis, Environmental Management Systems, and Environmental Auditing. The characteristics used are the types of impacts included, the objects under study and whether the method is procedural or analytical. The different methods can be described as systems analysis methods. Waste management systems thinking is receiving increasing attention. This is, for example, evidenced by the suggested thematic strategy on waste by the European Commission where life-cycle analysis and life-cycle thinking get prominent positions. Indeed, life-cycle analyses have been shown to provide policy-relevant and consistent results. However, it is also clear that the studies will always be open to criticism since they are simplifications of reality and include uncertainties. This is something all systems analysis methods have in common. Assumptions can be challenged and it may be difficult to generalize from case studies to policies. This suggests that if decisions are going to be made, they are likely to be made on a less than perfect basis.

Public Involvement in Repository Site Selection for Nuclear Waste: Towards a more Dynamic View in Decision-Making Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kruetli, Pius; Stauffacher, Michael; Flueeler, Thomas; Scholz, Roland W. [ETH Zuerich (Switzerland). lnst. for Human-Environment Systems (HES)

2006-09-15

This paper discusses possibilities of public involvement in radioactive waste management. A general overview of the radioactive waste issue is presented referring to a proposed model of the respective decision-making process. Based on the well known participation ladder by Arnstein, we differentiate various intensities of public involvement. A matrix with public involvement and the decision-making process is introduced and three prototypical patterns are discussed. We conclude that time frame, the level of public involvement and the mission have to be considered as well as techniques and the overarching context - all in all, a systematic and dynamic approach for public involvement is needed.

Public Involvement in Repository Site Selection for Nuclear Waste: Towards a more Dynamic View in Decision-Making Processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruetli, Pius; Stauffacher, Michael; Flueeler, Thomas; Scholz, Roland W.

2006-01-01

This paper discusses possibilities of public involvement in radioactive waste management. A general overview of the radioactive waste issue is presented referring to a proposed model of the respective decision-making process. Based on the well known participation ladder by Arnstein, we differentiate various intensities of public involvement. A matrix with public involvement and the decision-making process is introduced and three prototypical patterns are discussed. We conclude that time frame, the level of public involvement and the mission have to be considered as well as techniques and the overarching context - all in all, a systematic and dynamic approach for public involvement is needed

Using performance assessment for radioactive waste disposal decision making -- implementation of the methodology into the third performance assessment iteration of the Greater Confinement Disposal site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallegos, D.P.; Conrad, S.H.; Baer, T.A.

1993-01-01

The US Department of Energy is responsible for the disposal of a variety of radioactive wastes. Some of these wastes are prohibited from shallow land burial and also do not meet the waste acceptance criteria for proposed waste repositories at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and Yucca Mountain. These have been termed ''special-case'' waste and require an alternative disposal method. From 1984 to 1989, the Department of Energy disposed of a small quantity of special-case transuranic wastes at the Greater Confinement Disposal (GCD) site at the Nevada Test Site. In this paper, an iterative performance assessment is demonstrated as a useful decision making tool in the overall compliance assessment process for waste disposal. The GCD site has been used as the real-site implementation and test of the performance assessment approach. Through the first two performance assessment iterations for the GCD site, and the transition into the third, we demonstrate how the performance assessment methodology uses probabilistic risk concepts to guide affective decisions about site characterization activities and how it can be used as a powerful tool in bringing compliance decisions to closure

Adults' decision-making about the electronic waste issue: The role of the nature of science conceptualizations and moral concerns in socio-scientific decision-making

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yuqing

Socio-scientific issues have become increasingly important in Science-Technology-Society (STS) education as a means to make science learning more relevant to students' lives. This study used the e-waste issue as a context to investigate two aspects of socio-scientific decision-making: (1) the relationship between the nature of science (NOS) conceptualizations and decision-making; and (2) moral concerns involved in the process of decision-making. This study contributes to the field of socio-scientific issue research and STS education in the following ways. First, it is the first study that performed meta-analysis to seek the relationship between the NOS understanding and decision-making. This study concludes that valuable NOS conceptualizations that are highly related to the socio-scientific issue under investigation, rather than general NOS understanding, exert statistically significant influences on decision-making. Second, this study empirically examined the Multiple Responses Model (MRM), which enables the transfer of qualitative NOS responses into quantitative data, and hence, inferential statistics. The current study justifies the significance of unidimensionality to the application of the MRM. It addresses the limitations associated with the MRM and provides implications for future use of the MRM in other contexts. Finally, the study explores the role of moral concerns in socio-scientific decision-making. Eight participants engaged in interviews that were designed to elicit their reactions and feelings regarding the issue of exporting e-waste to poor countries. Qualitative analyses demonstrated that moral considerations were significant influences on decision-making. In addition, participants' action responses revealed that they were motivated to take action to help the environment. The study has implications for socio-scientific issue studies in other contexts and for teacher education programs that use socio-scientific issues to advance teachers' reasoning

Decision making, procedural compliance, and outcomes definition in U.S. forest service planning processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, Marc J.; Predmore, S. Andrew

2011-01-01

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) dictates a process of analyzing and disclosing the likely impacts of proposed agency actions on the human environment. This study addresses two key questions related to NEPA implementation in the U.S. Forest Service: 1) how do Interdisciplinary (ID) team leaders and decision makers conceptualize the outcomes of NEPA processes? And 2), how does NEPA relate to agency decision making? We address these questions through two separate online surveys that posed questions about recently completed NEPA processes - the first with the ID team leaders tasked with carrying out the processes, and the second with the line officers responsible for making the processes' final decisions. Outcomes of NEPA processes include impacts on public relations, on employee morale and team functioning, on the achievement of agency goals, and on the achievement of NEPA's procedural requirements (disclosure) and substantive intent (minimizing negative environmental impacts). Although both tended to view public relations outcomes as important, decision makers' perceptions of favorable outcomes were more closely linked to the achievement of agency goals and process efficiency than was the case for ID team leaders. While ID team leaders' responses suggest that they see decision making closely integrated with the NEPA process, decision makers more commonly decoupled decision making from the NEPA process. These findings suggest a philosophical difference between ID team leaders and decision makers that may pose challenges for both the implementation and the evaluation of agency NEPA. We discuss the pros and cons of integrating NEPA with decision making or separating the two. We conclude that detaching NEPA from decision making poses greater risks than integrating them.

A risk-based focused decision-management approach for justifying characterization of Hanford tank waste. June 1996, Revision 1; April 1997, Revision 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colson, S.D.; Gephart, R.E.; Hunter, V.L.; Janata, J.; Morgan, L.G.

1997-12-31

This report describes a disciplined, risk-based decision-making approach for determining characterization needs and resolving safety issues during the storage and remediation of radioactive waste stored in Hanford tanks. The strategy recommended uses interactive problem evaluation and decision analysis methods commonly used in industry to solve problems under conditions of uncertainty (i.e., lack of perfect knowledge). It acknowledges that problem resolution comes through both the application of high-quality science and human decisions based upon preferences and sometimes hard-to-compare choices. It recognizes that to firmly resolve a safety problem, the controlling waste characteristics and chemical phenomena must be measurable or estimated to an acceptable level of confidence tailored to the decision being made.

A risk-based focused decision-management approach for justifying characterization of Hanford tank waste. June 1996, Revision 1; April 1997, Revision 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colson, S.D.; Gephart, R.E.; Hunter, V.L.; Janata, J.; Morgan, L.G.

1997-01-01

This report describes a disciplined, risk-based decision-making approach for determining characterization needs and resolving safety issues during the storage and remediation of radioactive waste stored in Hanford tanks. The strategy recommended uses interactive problem evaluation and decision analysis methods commonly used in industry to solve problems under conditions of uncertainty (i.e., lack of perfect knowledge). It acknowledges that problem resolution comes through both the application of high-quality science and human decisions based upon preferences and sometimes hard-to-compare choices. It recognizes that to firmly resolve a safety problem, the controlling waste characteristics and chemical phenomena must be measurable or estimated to an acceptable level of confidence tailored to the decision being made

Integrating multi-criteria decision analysis for a GIS-based hazardous waste landfill sitting in Kurdistan Province, western Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharifi, Mozafar; Hadidi, Mosslem; Vessali, Elahe; Mosstafakhani, Parasto; Taheri, Kamal; Shahoie, Saber; Khodamoradpour, Mehran

2009-01-01

The evaluation of a hazardous waste disposal site is a complicated process because it requires data from diverse social and environmental fields. These data often involve processing of a significant amount of spatial information which can be used by GIS as an important tool for land use suitability analysis. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision analysis alongside with a geospatial analysis for the selection of hazardous waste landfill sites in Kurdistan Province, western Iran. The study employs a two-stage analysis to provide a spatial decision support system for hazardous waste management in a typically under developed region. The purpose of GIS was to perform an initial screening process to eliminate unsuitable land followed by utilization of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to identify the most suitable sites using the information provided by the regional experts with reference to new chosen criteria. Using 21 exclusionary criteria, as input layers, masked maps were prepared. Creating various intermediate or analysis map layers a final overlay map was obtained representing areas for hazardous waste landfill sites. In order to evaluate different landfill sites produced by the overlaying a landfill suitability index system was developed representing cumulative effects of relative importance (weights) and suitability values of 14 non-exclusionary criteria including several criteria resulting from field observation. Using this suitability index 15 different sites were visited and based on the numerical evaluation provided by MCDA most suitable sites were determined.

Anthropology and decision making about chronic technological disasters: Mixed waste remediation on the Oak Ridge Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfe, A.K.; Schweitzer, M.

1996-01-01

This paper discusses two related case studies of decision making about the remediation of mixed (hazardous and radioactive) wastes on the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. The three goals of the paper are to (1) place current decision-making efforts in the varied and evolving social, political, regulatory, economic, and technological contexts in which they occur; (2) present definitions and attributes of open-quotes successfulclose quotes environmental decision making from the perspectives of key constituency groups that participate in decision making; and (3) discuss the role of anthropology in addressing environmental decision making. Environmental decision making about remediation is extraordinarily complex, involving human health and ecological risks; uncertainties about risks, technological ability to clean up, the financial costs of clean up; multiple and sometimes conflicting regulations; social equity and justice considerations; and decreasing budgets. Anthropological theories and methods can contribute to better understanding and, potentially, to better decision making

Multi criteria decision analysis on a waste repository in Mol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carle, B.

2005-01-01

In Belgium, the management of radioactive waste is taken care of by ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials. Local partnerships with stakeholders from municipalities in existing nuclear zones were setup to facilitate the dialogue between the repository designers and the local community. Since the establishment of the partnership in Mol, MONA in February 2000, all aspects of a possible near-surface or a deep geological repository are discussed in 4 working groups by around 50 volunteer members. The outcome of the discussions in the partnership can be a shared project, supported by both local stakeholders and ONDRAF/NIRAS, in which the specifications and the conditions needed for establishing a repository in Mol are elaborated. MONA asked the Decision Strategy Research Department of SCK-CEN to organise a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) in the context of the deciding between a surface and a deep repository for low level radioactive waste. The objective of the multi criteria analysis is to support a number of representatives of the various working groups within MONA in their selection between two acceptable options for a repository of low level radioactive waste on the territory of Mol. The options are the surface repository developed by the working groups of MONA, and a deep repository in the clay layers underneath the nuclear site of Mol. This study should facilitate the selection between both options, or in case this appears to be difficult, at least to get a well-structured overview of all factors (criteria) of importance to the judgement, and to get insight into the degree in which the various criteria contribute to the selection

GREENER CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN ALTERNATIVES ARE REVEALED USING THE WASTE REDUCTION DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM (WAR DSS)

Science.gov (United States)

The Waste Reduction Decision Support System (WAR DSS) is a Java-based software product providing comprehensive modeling of potential adverse environmental impacts (PEI) predicted to result from newly designed or redesigned chemical manufacturing processes. The purpose of this so...

All hazardous waste politics is local: Grass-roots advocacy and public participation in siting and cleanup decisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lowry, R.C.

1998-12-31

The combined effects of federalism and interest group pluralism pose particularly difficult problems for hazardous waste siting and cleanup decisions. Most national environmental groups have only limited involvement in local hazardous waste politics, while local grass-roots advocates have very different interests and sometimes are pitted against one another. Both the Environmental protection Agency and the Department of energy recently have begun to use site-specific citizen advisory boards at cleanup sites. This approach appears to improve communications at some sites, but does not address the issues of ``not in my back yard`` politics and alleged inequitable exposure to hazardous wastes.

Decision in principle of 10 November 1983 on the objectives to be observed in carrying out research, surveys and planning in the field of nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The Council of State of Finland, in order to have the necessary resources to implement the nuclear waste management measures required from the viewpoint of safety, adopted this Decision in principle on nuclear waste management. The Decision provides for three main objectives to be achieved in the areas of spent fuel management, reactor waste management and nuclear power plant decommissioning. (NEA) [fr

Front Range Forest Health Partnership Phase 1 feasibility study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volkin, P

1998-09-01

The Front Range Forest Health Partnership is an alliance of individuals, citizen groups, federal, state, private, and nonprofit organizations that formed to promote forest health restoration and reduce fire risks on Colorado's Front Range. The partnership promotes selective thinning to restore forest health and supports economically feasible end uses for wood waste materials. The Phase I study was initiated to determine the environmental and economic feasibility of using wood wastes from forested and urban areas for the production of fuel-grade ethanol.

Public participation in the process of decision making related to site selection of low and intermediate radioactive waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerskov Klika, M.

1994-01-01

This paper presents the work with public related to the acceptance of low and intermediate radioactive waste disposal facility in the Republic of Croatia. Activities performing in the field of public relations in the Hazardous Waste Management Agency - APO have been described. The fact that all the important decisions on site selections and constructions of different facilities, frequently controversial, were made in the former system without involvement of the public, makes them more significant. Therefore, the public is afraid of being cheated and manipulated again. In order to represent APO not only as the expert ecologically interested actor in the decision-making process on site selection, the study on forming the ecological image of the agency, has been done. In accordance with the results of the study, the activities related to the permanent informing and educating of the public, are being performed. In the end, it has been concluded that it is not enough to inform the public properly, accurately and timely, but it is necessary to educate the public too, because only in the way the public can be thoroughly involved in the decision-making process on site selection of radioactive waste disposal

Technologies and decision support systems to aid solid-waste management: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Vitorino de Souza Melaré, Angelina; Montenegro González, Sahudy; Faceli, Katti; Casadei, Vitor

2017-01-01

Population growth associated with population migration to urban areas and industrial development have led to a consumption relation that results in environmental, social, and economic problems. With respect to the environment, a critical concern is the lack of control and the inadequate management of the solid waste generated in urban centers. Among the challenges are proper waste-collection management, treatment, and disposal, with an emphasis on sustainable management. This paper presents a systematic review on scientific publications concerning decision support systems applied to Solid Waste Management (SWM) using ICTs and OR in the period of 2010-2013. A statistical analysis of the eighty-seven most relevant publications is presented, encompassing the ICTs and OR methods adopted in SWM, the processes of solid-waste management where they were adopted, and which countries are investigating solutions for the management of solid waste. A detailed discussion on how the ICTs and OR methods have been combined in the solutions was also presented. The analysis and discussion provided aims to help researchers and managers to gather insights on technologies/methods suitable the SWM challenges they have at hand, and on gaps that can be explored regarding technologies/methods that could be useful as well as the processes in SWM that currently do not benefit from using ICTs and OR methods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A decision support model for waste management in support of developing low carbon, eco regions. Case studies of densely populated kampung settlements in urban areas in Jakarta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Candra Dewi, Ova

2013-06-14

Due to the various types of waste disposal, treatment, utilization and technologies, decision support model for waste management is needed to assist planners and decision makers in finding most suitable way to manage municipal solid waste efficiently. Many planners and decision makers in the area of municipal solid waste have a lack of thorough understanding of the complex chains of waste management system. Therefore the impact for the environment quality and the public health can only be judged at the rudimentary level. However, most existing models are primarily focusing on cost or environmental analysis. Only few consider other crucial factors such as the demographic condition, the characteristics of urban form and urban infrastructure, land transformation aspects due to urban development. Consequently, such models often meet difficulties to cope with cultural requirement. Based on those reasons, a decision support model to set up alternatives of most appropriate technology for sustainable waste management towards a low carbon eco-city on a regional basis is developed in this PhD study. The Low Carbon- and Eco-Region, in particular the contribution of waste management sector, is a vision of living in low rate of carbon generation, using fewer natural resources, and encouraging energy recovery and/or waste reduction at source by improving the used material quality (up-cycling). This decision support model is constructed mainly based on the cultural requirement and local context of a region and synergize the geographic, environmental, social capital and economics aspects in order to fulfill the needs of the respective region and its society. The method employed in this model is not solely a new developed model, but also an advanced model in material flow analysis (STAN), and life cycle assessment on solid waste system (EASEWASTE) and Geographic Information System (GIS). At the same time the model also assists the stakeholders in improving the environmental quality

A decision support model for waste management in support of developing low carbon, eco regions. Case studies of densely populated kampung settlements in urban areas in Jakarta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Candra Dewi, Ova

2013-01-01

Due to the various types of waste disposal, treatment, utilization and technologies, decision support model for waste management is needed to assist planners and decision makers in finding most suitable way to manage municipal solid waste efficiently. Many planners and decision makers in the area of municipal solid waste have a lack of thorough understanding of the complex chains of waste management system. Therefore the impact for the environment quality and the public health can only be judged at the rudimentary level. However, most existing models are primarily focusing on cost or environmental analysis. Only few consider other crucial factors such as the demographic condition, the characteristics of urban form and urban infrastructure, land transformation aspects due to urban development. Consequently, such models often meet difficulties to cope with cultural requirement. Based on those reasons, a decision support model to set up alternatives of most appropriate technology for sustainable waste management towards a low carbon eco-city on a regional basis is developed in this PhD study. The Low Carbon- and Eco-Region, in particular the contribution of waste management sector, is a vision of living in low rate of carbon generation, using fewer natural resources, and encouraging energy recovery and/or waste reduction at source by improving the used material quality (up-cycling). This decision support model is constructed mainly based on the cultural requirement and local context of a region and synergize the geographic, environmental, social capital and economics aspects in order to fulfill the needs of the respective region and its society. The method employed in this model is not solely a new developed model, but also an advanced model in material flow analysis (STAN), and life cycle assessment on solid waste system (EASEWASTE) and Geographic Information System (GIS). At the same time the model also assists the stakeholders in improving the environmental quality

Military Wastes-to-Energy Applications,

Science.gov (United States)

1980-11-01

6 Residual) and Used Oil ( Automotive Crankcase Drainings) .......... ........................ 109 60 Properties of Coal: Bituminous, Subbituminous...facilities Physical/Chemical e Biomass removal from forest land may upset the Environment natural balance of terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric...ripout wastes (asbestos), sand- blasting wasts (organotin), and welding wastes (acetylene sludge); * Miscellaneous aircraft repair wastes -- brake

The decision-making process and EIA in connection with the siting of nuclear waste facilities - a municipal perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlsson, Torsten [Oskarshamn Municipality (Sweden)

1995-12-01

Past experiences from siting of nuclear facilities at Oskarshamn, Sweden are reviewed. This siting were carried out in a traditional manner for that time, i e it was decided to locate the facility at a particular site, then this decision was made public, and finally the decision was defended. New plans now exists for locating nuclear waste facilities to Oskarshamn, and this contribution discusses what the local communities demand from the EIA and EIS processes for producing a meaningful basis for decision-making. 9 refs.

A web-based Decision Support System for the optimal management of construction and demolition waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Banias, G; Achillas, Ch; Vlachokostas, Ch; Moussiopoulos, N; Papaioannou, I

2011-12-01

Wastes from construction activities constitute nowadays the largest by quantity fraction of solid wastes in urban areas. In addition, it is widely accepted that the particular waste stream contains hazardous materials, such as insulating materials, plastic frames of doors, windows, etc. Their uncontrolled disposal result to long-term pollution costs, resource overuse and wasted energy. Within the framework of the DEWAM project, a web-based Decision Support System (DSS) application - namely DeconRCM - has been developed, aiming towards the identification of the optimal construction and demolition waste (CDW) management strategy that minimises end-of-life costs and maximises the recovery of salvaged building materials. This paper addresses both technical and functional structure of the developed web-based application. The web-based DSS provides an accurate estimation of the generated CDW quantities of twenty-one different waste streams (e.g. concrete, bricks, glass, etc.) for four different types of buildings (residential, office, commercial and industrial). With the use of mathematical programming, the DeconRCM provides also the user with the optimal end-of-life management alternative, taking into consideration both economic and environmental criteria. The DSS's capabilities are illustrated through a real world case study of a typical five floor apartment building in Thessaloniki, Greece. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interactions between payments for hydrologic services, landowner decisions, and ecohydrological consequences: synergies and disconnection in the cloud forest zone of central Veracruz, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heidi Asbjornsen

2017-06-01

hydrologic services and people's decisions, behavior, and knowledge regarding forest conservation and water. Using central Veracruz as our case study, we identify areas of both synchrony and disconnection between PHS goals and outcomes. Mature and regenerating cloud forests (targeted by PHS were found to produce enhanced hydrologic services relative to areas converted to pasture, including reduced peak flows during large rain events and maintenance of dry-season base flows. However, unexpectedly, these hydrologic benefits from cloud forests were not necessarily greater than those from other vegetation types. Consequently, the location of forests in strategic watershed positions (e.g., where deforestation risk or hydrologic recharge are high may be more critical than forest type in promoting hydrologic functions within watersheds and should be considered when targeting PHS payments. While our results suggest that participation in PHS improved the level of knowledge among watershed inhabitants about forest-water relationships, a mismatch existed between payment amounts and landowner opportunity costs, which may contribute to the modest success in targeting priority areas within watersheds. Combined, these findings underscore the complexity of factors that influence motivations for PHS participation and land use decisions and behavior, and the importance of integrating understanding of both ecohydrological and socioeconomic dynamics into PHS design and implementation. We conclude by identifying opportunities for improving the design of PHS programs and recommending priority areas for future research and monitoring, both in Mexico and globally.

Life-cycle assessment of municipal solid wastes: Development of the WASTED model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, R.; Warith, M.

2006-01-01

This paper describes the development of the Waste Analysis Software Tool for Environmental Decisions (WASTED) model. This model provides a comprehensive view of the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste management systems. The model consists of a number of separate submodels that describe a typical waste management process: waste collection, material recovery, composting, energy recovery from waste and landfilling. These submodels are combined to represent a complete waste management system. WASTED uses compensatory systems to account for the avoided environmental impacts derived from energy recovery and material recycling. The model is designed to provide solid waste decision-makers and environmental researchers with a tool to evaluate waste management plans and to improve the environmental performance of solid waste management strategies. The model is user-friendly and compares favourably with other earlier models

Application of the US decision support tool for materials and waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorneloe, Susan A.; Weitz, Keith; Jambeck, Jenna

2007-01-01

The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) launched the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) in 2002 to help reduce waste and move towards more sustainable resource consumption. The objective of the RCC is to help communities, industries, and the public think in terms of materials management rather than waste disposal. Reducing cost, finding more efficient and effective strategies to manage municipal waste, and thinking in terms of materials management requires a holistic approach that considers life-cycle environmental tradeoffs. The US EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory has led the development of a municipal solid waste decision support tool (MSW-DST). The computer software can be used to calculate life-cycle environmental tradeoffs and full costs of different waste management or materials recovery programs. The environmental methodology is based on the use of life-cycle assessment and the cost methodology is based on the use of full-cost accounting. Life-cycle inventory (LCI) environmental impacts and costs are calculated from the point of collection, handling, transport, treatment, and disposal. For any materials that are recovered for recycling, offsets are calculated to reflect potential emissions savings from use of virgin materials. The use of the MSW-DST provides a standardized format and consistent basis to compare alternatives. This paper provides an illustration of how the MSW-DST can be used by evaluating ten management strategies for a hypothetical medium-sized community to compare the life-cycle environmental and cost tradeoffs. The LCI results from the MSW-DST are then used as inputs into another US EPA tool, the Tool for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts, to convert the LCI results into impact indicators. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how the MSW-DST can be used to identify and balance multiple criteria (costs and environmental impacts) when evaluating options for materials and

Computer models used to support cleanup decision-making at hazardous and radioactive waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moskowitz, P.D.; Pardi, R.; DePhillips, M.P.; Meinhold, A.F.

1992-07-01

Massive efforts are underway to cleanup hazardous and radioactive waste sites located throughout the US To help determine cleanup priorities, computer models are being used to characterize the source, transport, fate and effects of hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials found at these sites. Although, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have provided preliminary guidance to promote the use of computer models for remediation purposes, no Agency has produced directed guidance on models that must be used in these efforts. To identify what models are actually being used to support decision-making at hazardous and radioactive waste sites, a project jointly funded by EPA, DOE and NRC was initiated. The purpose of this project was to: (1) Identify models being used for hazardous and radioactive waste site assessment purposes; and (2) describe and classify these models. This report presents the results of this study

Computer models used to support cleanup decision-making at hazardous and radioactive waste sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moskowitz, P.D.; Pardi, R.; DePhillips, M.P.; Meinhold, A.F.

1992-07-01

Massive efforts are underway to cleanup hazardous and radioactive waste sites located throughout the US To help determine cleanup priorities, computer models are being used to characterize the source, transport, fate and effects of hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials found at these sites. Although, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have provided preliminary guidance to promote the use of computer models for remediation purposes, no Agency has produced directed guidance on models that must be used in these efforts. To identify what models are actually being used to support decision-making at hazardous and radioactive waste sites, a project jointly funded by EPA, DOE and NRC was initiated. The purpose of this project was to: (1) Identify models being used for hazardous and radioactive waste site assessment purposes; and (2) describe and classify these models. This report presents the results of this study.

Strengthening the decision making in Spain, the national centralized waste storage project and the Cowam-Spain initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Bars, Y.

2007-01-01

Yves Le Bars, analysed the Spanish case within the European context. First, he summarised the evolution of policy-making approaches since the Second World War. In the first stage. decision-making authority was assigned to experts. Dialogue was not part of decision processes; opposition manifested itself in protest actions. In the second stage, society demanded the consideration of alternative solutions. Opponents organised legal actions and in this way decision-making authority was transferred to the courts, which based their judgements on hearing experts on differing sides of the question. The third stage is characterised by the involvement of relevant stakeholders and an interaction between decision makers, experts and stakeholders. According to this approach, public policy needs to be elaborated, adapted to, and adopted by different interest groups. He argued that the Spanish history of radioactive waste management went through the former two stages. The siting attempt for an underground disposal facility followed the approach of the first stage. Decision makers and experts were of the view that deep geological disposal was the best solution and they were not willing to share information with the public. This led to a failure and a moratorium. The Vandellos -I decommissioning case shows some features of the second stage. for example. the introduction of independent expertise in the Municipal Monitoring Commission. Finally, with the involvement of AMAC. a shift to the third stage can be seen: the COWAM-Spain project defined main principles for a decision-making process where policy makers, experts and stakeholders could collaborate to define a viable radioactive waste management policy. He observed that the current Spanish situation raises a number of questions. On the national level, the direction of radioactive waste management policy is defined by the national Plan. which is periodically revised. It is an open question as to how the national planning process

Choice of forest map has implications for policy analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seebach, Lucia Maria; McCallum, Ian; Fritz, Steffen

2012-01-01

/non-forest map (FMAP), the Corine Land Cover (CLC), the Calibrated European Forest Map (CEFM) and the Global Land Cover (GLC). Finally, the impact of potential differences owing to input datasets on decision-making was tested in a selected case study: reaching the EU 10% biofuel target through enhanced....... Similarly, depending on the choice of the input alternate options for decision-making were found within the hypothesized biofuel target (case study), demonstrating a substantial value of information. In general, it was demonstrated that input maps are the major driver of decision-making if forest resource...... outputs of the model are their basis. Improvement of the input forest map would result in immediate benefit for a better decision-making basis....

36 CFR 907.14 - Corporation decision making procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Corporation decision making procedures. 907.14 Section 907.14 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 907.14 Corporation decision making procedures. To ensure that at major decision making points all relevant...

Treatment and final disposal of nuclear waste. Supplement to the 1992 programme in response to the government decision of December 16, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-08-01

In response to criticism from the regulatory authorities, SKB has made this supplementary account to the 1992 R,D and D programme. The report describes the criteria and methods that form the basis for selection of a site suitable for a nuclear waste repository; a programme for specification of the design of a waste encapsulation plant and the repository; a programme for the safety assessments SKB intends to prepare; and an analysis of how different measures and decisions influence later decisions within the repository programme. 71 refs, 19 figs, 6 tabs

Fuzzy multi-objective decision making on a low and intermediate level waste repository safety assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemos, Francisco Luiz de; Deshpande, Ashok; Guimaraes, Lamartine

2002-01-01

Low and intermediate waste disposal facilities safety assessment is comprised of several steps from site selection , construction and operation to post-closure performance assessment. This is a multidisciplinary and complex task , and can not be analyzed by one expert only. This high complexity can lead to ambiguity and vagueness in information and consequently in the decision making process. In order to make the decision process clear and objective, there is the need to provide the decision makers with a clear and comprehensive picture of the whole process and, at the same time, simple and easily understandable by the public. This paper suggests the development of an inference system based on fuzzy decision making methodology. Fuzzy logic tools are specially suited to deal with ambiguous data by using language expressions. This process would be capable of integrating knowledge from various fields of environmental sciences. It has an advantage of keeping record of reasoning for each intermediate decision that lead to the final results which makes it more dependable and defensible as well. (author)

Technical change in forest sector models: the global forest products model approach

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph Buongiorno; Sushuai Zhu

2015-01-01

Technical change is developing rapidly in some parts of the forest sector, especially in the pulp and paper industry where wood fiber is being substituted by waste paper. In forest sector models, the processing of wood and other input into products is frequently represented by activity analysis (input–output). In this context, technical change translates in changes...

78 FR 17632 - Caribou-Targhee National Forest; Idaho and Wyoming; Amendment to the Targhee Revised Forest Plan...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

...; Amendment to the Targhee Revised Forest Plan--Canada Lynx Habitat AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION... Forest proposes to amend the Targhee Revised Forest Plan (1997) to include a map identifying specific... Administrative Review Process: The decision on this proposed plan amendment will be subject to the objection...

Life Cycle Assessment and Optimization-Based Decision Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling for a LEED-Certified University Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murat Kucukvar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The current waste management literature lacks a comprehensive LCA of the recycling of construction materials that considers both process and supply chain-related impacts as a whole. Furthermore, an optimization-based decision support framework has not been also addressed in any work, which provides a quantifiable understanding about the potential savings and implications associated with recycling of construction materials from a life cycle perspective. The aim of this research is to present a multi-criteria optimization model, which is developed to propose economically-sound and environmentally-benign construction waste management strategies for a LEED-certified university building. First, an economic input-output-based hybrid life cycle assessment model is built to quantify the total environmental impacts of various waste management options: recycling, conventional landfilling and incineration. After quantifying the net environmental pressures associated with these waste treatment alternatives, a compromise programming model is utilized to determine the optimal recycling strategy considering environmental and economic impacts, simultaneously. The analysis results show that recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals significantly contributed to reductions in the total carbon footprint of waste management. On the other hand, recycling of asphalt and concrete increased the overall carbon footprint due to high fuel consumption and emissions during the crushing process. Based on the multi-criteria optimization results, 100% recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, cardboard, plastic and glass is suggested to maximize the environmental and economic savings, simultaneously. We believe that the results of this research will facilitate better decision making in treating construction and debris waste for LEED-certified green buildings by combining the results of environmental LCA with multi-objective optimization modeling.

36 CFR 220.7 - Environmental assessment and decision notice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Environmental assessment and decision notice. 220.7 Section 220.7 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) COMPLIANCE § 220.7 Environmental assessment and decision notice. (a) Environmental assessment...

Annual Forest Inventory: An Industry Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Roger Lord

2000-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program serves important public interests by providing credible data for informed public forest policy debates as well as feedback to the forest-based economic market. This feedback, which affects timber price expectations, helps ensure resource sustainability by promoting better investment decision making within the forest products...

Forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melin, J.

1997-01-01

Forests have the capacity to trap and retain radionuclides for a substantial period of time. The dynamic behaviour of nutrients, pollution and radionuclides in forests is complex. The rotation period of a forest stand in the Nordic countries is about 100 years, whilst the time for decomposition of organic material in a forest environment can be several hundred years. This means that any countermeasure applied in the forest environment must have an effect for several decades, or be reapplied continuously for long periods of time. To mitigate the detrimental effect of a contaminated forest environment on man, and to minimise the economic loss in trade of contaminated forest products, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of transfer of radionuclides through the forest environment. It must also be stressed that any countermeasure applied in the forest environment must be evaluated with respect to long, as well as short term, negative effects, before any decision about remedial action is taken. Of the radionuclides studied in forests in the past, radiocaesium has been the main contributor to dose to man. In this document, only radiocaesium will be discussed since data on the impact of other radionuclides on man are too scarce for a proper evaluation. (EG)

Forest economics and policy in a changing environment: how market, policy, and climate transformations affect forests -- Proceedings of the 2016 Meeting of the International Society of Forest Resource Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory E. Frey; Prakash Nepal

2016-01-01

Economics can affect decisions about forest resource management and utilization, and in turn, the ecosystem benefits received. In a time of market, policy, and climate transformations, economic analyses are critical to help policy-makers and resource managers make appropriate decisions. At the 2016 Meeting of the International Society of Forest Resource Economics (...

Use of interactive data visualization in multi-objective forest planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Haara, Arto; Pykäläinen, Jouni; Tolvanen, Anne; Kurttila, Mikko

2018-03-15

Common to multi-objective forest planning situations is that they all require comparisons, searches and evaluation among decision alternatives. Through these actions, the decision maker can learn from the information presented and thus make well-justified decisions. Interactive data visualization is an evolving approach that supports learning and decision making in multidimensional decision problems and planning processes. Data visualization contributes the formation of mental image data and this process is further boosted by allowing interaction with the data. In this study, we introduce a multi-objective forest planning decision problem framework and the corresponding characteristics of data. We utilize the framework with example planning data to illustrate and evaluate the potential of 14 interactive data visualization techniques to support multi-objective forest planning decisions. Furthermore, broader utilization possibilities of these techniques to incorporate the provisioning of ecosystem services into forest management and planning are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An overview of decision theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansson, S.O.

1991-01-01

This paper has been written to provide a non-technical overview of modern decision theory and to identify some of the major ways in which decision theory is relevant to the nuclear waste issue. It concludes that the use of decision theory in the nuclear waste issue should be further developed, and more sophisticated tools should be made used of. In particular, the application of models for uncertainty and for collective decision-making is warranted, and the same applies to models that include the earlier phases of the decision-making process. (92 refs.)

75 FR 81037 - Waste Confidence Decision Update

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-23

... radioactive wastes produced by NPPs ``can be safely disposed of, to determine when such disposal or offsite... safe permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) would be available when they were needed... proceedings designed to assess the degree of assurance that radioactive wastes generated by nuclear power...

Under What Circumstances Do Wood Products from Native Forests Benefit Climate Change Mitigation?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heather Keith

Full Text Available Climate change mitigation benefits from the land sector are not being fully realised because of uncertainty and controversy about the role of native forest management. The dominant policy view, as stated in the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report, is that sustainable forest harvesting yielding wood products, generates the largest mitigation benefit. We demonstrate that changing native forest management from commercial harvesting to conservation can make an important contribution to mitigation. Conservation of native forests results in an immediate and substantial reduction in net emissions relative to a reference case of commercial harvesting. We calibrated models to simulate scenarios of native forest management for two Australian case studies: mixed-eucalypt in New South Wales and Mountain Ash in Victoria. Carbon stocks in the harvested forest included forest biomass, wood and paper products, waste in landfill, and bioenergy that substituted for fossil fuel energy. The conservation forest included forest biomass, and subtracted stocks for the foregone products that were substituted by non-wood products or plantation products. Total carbon stocks were lower in harvested forest than in conservation forest in both case studies over the 100-year simulation period. We tested a range of potential parameter values reported in the literature: none could increase the combined carbon stock in products, slash, landfill and substitution sufficiently to exceed the increase in carbon stock due to changing management of native forest to conservation. The key parameters determining carbon stock change under different forest management scenarios are those affecting accumulation of carbon in forest biomass, rather than parameters affecting transfers among wood products. This analysis helps prioritise mitigation activities to focus on maximising forest biomass. International forest-related policies, including negotiations under the UNFCCC, have failed to recognize

Expert (Peer) Reviews at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): Making Complex Information and Decision Making Transparent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksson, Leif G.

2001-01-01

On the 18th of May 1998, based on the information provided by the United Sates Department of Energy (DOE) in support of the 1996 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified the proposed deep geological repository for disposal of long-lived, defense-generated, transuranic radioactive waste at the WIPP site in New Mexico, United States of America, was compliant with all applicable radioactive waste disposal regulations. Seven domestic and one joint international peer reviews commissioned by the DOE were instrumental in making complex scientific and engineering information, as well as the related WIPP decision-making process, both credible and transparent to the majority of affected and interested parties and, ultimately, to the regulator

Expert (Peer) Reviews at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): Making Complex Information and Decision Making Transparent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksson, Leif G. [GRAM, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2001-07-01

On the 18th of May 1998, based on the information provided by the United Sates Department of Energy (DOE) in support of the 1996 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified the proposed deep geological repository for disposal of long-lived, defense-generated, transuranic radioactive waste at the WIPP site in New Mexico, United States of America, was compliant with all applicable radioactive waste disposal regulations. Seven domestic and one joint international peer reviews commissioned by the DOE were instrumental in making complex scientific and engineering information, as well as the related WIPP decision-making process, both credible and transparent to the majority of affected and interested parties and, ultimately, to the regulator.

36 CFR 6.7 - Mining wastes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mining wastes. 6.7 Section 6... DISPOSAL SITES IN UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM § 6.7 Mining wastes. (a) Solid waste from mining includes but is not limited to mining overburden, mining byproducts, solid waste from the extraction...

Linking Science and Management in an Interactive Geospatial, Mutli-Criterion, Structured Decision Support Framework: Use Case Studies of the "Future Forests Geo-visualization and Decision Support Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Pontius, J.; Duncan, J.

2017-12-01

Land managers are often faced with balancing management activities to accomplish a diversity of management objectives, in systems faced with many stress agents. Advances in ecosystem modeling provide a rich source of information to inform management. Coupled with advances in decision support techniques and computing capabilities, interactive tools are now accessible for a broad audience of stakeholders. Here we present one such tool designed to capture information on how climate change may impact forested ecosystems, and how that impact varies spatially across the landscape. This tool integrates empirical models of current and future forest structure and function in a structured decision framework that allows users to customize weights for multiple management objectives and visualize suitability outcomes across the landscape. Combined with climate projections, the resulting products allow stakeholders to compare the relative success of various management objectives on a pixel by pixel basis and identify locations where management outcomes are most likely to be met. Here we demonstrate this approach with the integration of several of the preliminary models developed to map species distributions, sugar maple health, forest fragmentation risk and hemlock vulnerability to hemlock woolly adelgid under current and future climate scenarios. We compare three use case studies with objective weightings designed to: 1) Identify key parcels for sugarbush conservation and management, 2) Target state lands that may serve as hemlock refugia from hemlock woolly adelgid induced mortality, and 3) Examine how climate change may alter the success of managing for both sugarbush and hemlock across privately owned lands. This tool highlights the value of flexible models that can be easily run with customized weightings in a dynamic, integrated assessment that allows users to hone in on their potentially complex management objectives, and to visualize and prioritize locations across the

Qualified public involvement in the decision making process of siting a waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Danielle Monegalha; Almeida, Ivan Pedro Salati de

2009-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to identify the most important characteristics required for the qualification of local communities for participating in the process of defining a specific site for a radioactive waste repository. It also compares the strategies used by Hungary, United Kingdom and Belgium to stimulate the public participation in the decision-making process of building and operating a radioactive waste repository, considering both the stepwise process and the spontaneous candidacy. Two main aspects are discussed as prerequisites to constitute a qualified public. The first aspect is how well the person or entity can be considered an effective representative of the community affected by the repository. This means the conditions the representative has to speak on behalf of the community and participate in the decision making process as its voice. The second characteristic is the level and quality of the information that the community and its representatives must have to participate actively in the decision-making process and what can be done to improve this status. Referring to the strategy to public involvement, this paper discusses the importance of transparency in the process, aiming the credibility of the entrepreneur as the first pace to gaining the confidence of the public affected by the project. Implementing an open dialog and listening to the needs and claims of the population are the first steps to being accepted as a true partner of the community. Preliminary discussions and explanations are important to introduce the subject and to reduce beliefs of false threats in the affected community. The constitution of a local committee is suggested, to act as a legal and formal channel to facilitate the partnership between local community, neighbors and the entrepreneur in order to achieve a positive result in the whole process. (author)

How to achieve public participation in nuclear waste decisions: Public relations or transparent adversary science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treichel, J.

1999-01-01

The current US nuclear waste disposal program began with passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and was modified by the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. The Amendments Act made many major changes to the original Act, the most significant of which was the singling out of Yucca Mountain as the only site to be studied for a deep geologic high-level nuclear waste repository. While that decision appeared to simplify and streamline the program, it vastly increased the levels of public resistance and protest, particularly in Nevada. To counter the lack of public acceptance of its programs, the Department of Energy has embarked on countless efforts purportedly aimed at creating public participation. However, nuclear proponents portray a Yucca Mountain repository as inevitable. With this a foregone conclusion, it is apparent to the public that opportunities for meaningful participation do not exist - the only allowable change is in their attitudes. This is purely paternalism and, as such, it is an insult to concerned citizens. Intelligent citizens believe that they cannot play a meaningful role in the current program. Their participation amounts to joining a game or contest that is rigged. All rules, regulations and standards governing the Yucca Mountain project are either changing or proposed to be changed. In a game of golf, players cannot determine their handicap midway through the course. While there are jokes told about such actions in sports, a nuclear waste policy is no laughing matter. In this case, the game, or site characterization program, is now referred to by many as 'advocacy science'. With Yucca Mountain as the only site, and the frantic cries of the commercial nuclear utilities that the lack of a disposal site is a national crisis, the investigations of the site appear to watchful citizens to be aimed at proving its suitability, rather than an objective study. Risk Assessment and risk communication, while very useful when applied

How to achieve public participation in nuclear waste decisions: Public relations or transparent adversary science

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treichel, J. [Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

1999-12-01

The current US nuclear waste disposal program began with passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and was modified by the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. The Amendments Act made many major changes to the original Act, the most significant of which was the singling out of Yucca Mountain as the only site to be studied for a deep geologic high-level nuclear waste repository. While that decision appeared to simplify and streamline the program, it vastly increased the levels of public resistance and protest, particularly in Nevada. To counter the lack of public acceptance of its programs, the Department of Energy has embarked on countless efforts purportedly aimed at creating public participation. However, nuclear proponents portray a Yucca Mountain repository as inevitable. With this a foregone conclusion, it is apparent to the public that opportunities for meaningful participation do not exist - the only allowable change is in their attitudes. This is purely paternalism and, as such, it is an insult to concerned citizens. Intelligent citizens believe that they cannot play a meaningful role in the current program. Their participation amounts to joining a game or contest that is rigged. All rules, regulations and standards governing the Yucca Mountain project are either changing or proposed to be changed. In a game of golf, players cannot determine their handicap midway through the course. While there are jokes told about such actions in sports, a nuclear waste policy is no laughing matter. In this case, the game, or site characterization program, is now referred to by many as 'advocacy science'. With Yucca Mountain as the only site, and the frantic cries of the commercial nuclear utilities that the lack of a disposal site is a national crisis, the investigations of the site appear to watchful citizens to be aimed at proving its suitability, rather than an objective study. Risk Assessment and risk communication, while very useful when

How private are Europe's private forests?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nichiforel, Liviu; Keary, Kevin; Deuffic, Philippe

2018-01-01

Private forests are widespread in Europe providing a range of ecosystem services of significant value to society, and there are calls for novel policies to enhance their provision and to face the challenges of environmental changes. Such policies need to acknowledge the importance of private...... across jurisdictions, we constructed an original Property Rights Index for Forestry encompassing five rights domains (access, withdrawal, management, exclusion and alienation). We documented substantial variation of the private forest owners' rights, and notably to i) make decisions in operational...... management and the formulation of management goals, ii) withdraw timber resources from their forest, and iii) exclude others from the use of forest resources. We identified broad relations between the scope for decision making of private forest owners and jurisdictions' former socio-political background...

36 CFR 13.1118 - Solid waste disposal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Solid waste disposal. 13.1118... Provisions § 13.1118 Solid waste disposal. (a) A solid waste disposal site may accept non-National Park Service solid waste generated within the boundaries of the park area. (b) A solid waste disposal site may...

36 CFR 13.1008 - Solid waste disposal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Solid waste disposal. 13.1008... § 13.1008 Solid waste disposal. (a) A solid waste disposal site may accept non-National Park Service solid waste generated within the boundaries of the park area. (b) A solid waste disposal site may be...

36 CFR 13.1912 - Solid waste disposal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Solid waste disposal. 13.1912....1912 Solid waste disposal. (a) A solid waste disposal site may accept non-National Park Service solid waste generated within the boundaries of the park area. (b) A solid waste disposal site may be located...

36 CFR 13.1604 - Solid waste disposal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Solid waste disposal. 13.1604... Solid waste disposal. (a) A solid waste disposal site may accept non-National Park Service solid waste generated within the boundaries of the park area. (b) A solid waste disposal site may be located within one...

Manufacturing combustible briquettes from forestry and timber industries` wastes in order to reduce the overexploitation of fuelwood in Central American forests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortiz, L.; Gonzalez, E. [Renewable Energies Institute, Soria (Spain)

1993-12-31

A serious degradation of Central American forest is currently taking place because of uncontrolled fuelwood overexploitation. As an example, in Guatemala over 40% of forest destruction is caused by this reason. In the meanwhile, waste biomass from the sawmills representing 30 to 50% of total wood volume processed, due to low technological level of the facilities, and having an energetic potential equivalent to their thermal and electric needs is destroyed through uncontrolled burning, thus causing important environmental and landscape impact, since the byproducts are incinerated outdoors on the spot the constant smoke together with the noise level produced by the diesel power generators makes working conditions painful for the large labor force usually operating these sawmills because of low wages in these countries. To help solve this increasing problem, it would be possible to use the waste biomass for the production of electric power, through cogeneration, for sawmill selfuse or selling to the public electric lines, or even manufacturing of fuel briquettes which would have a potential market in countries such as Republica Dominicana, Honduras Guatemala, etc. as a substitute for charcoal and fuelwood, thus permitting a considerable reduction of the environmental degradation and predation suffered by forest areas in these countries. For these reasons, we consider it of interest to study briquetting techniques and their intrinsic problems in depth. For such purpose, we have carried out a series of real scale briquetting experiences with different types of lignocelulosic wastes and mixtures of them under different conditions, aiming to optimize procedure methodology and reduce production expenses, thus making offer increase easier. Manufacturing procedure and analytics developed to carry out the experiences are described in the present document. Main results obtained are summarized, and mathematical, energetic, analytical and economic aspects are discussed as well.

Multicriteria decision methodology for selecting technical alternatives in the Mixed Waste Integrated Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrada, J.J.; Berry, J.B.

1993-11-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Mixed Waste Integrated Program (MWIP) has as one of its tasks the identification of a decision methodology and key decision criteria for the selection methodology. The aim of a multicriteria analysis is to provide an instrument for a systematic evaluation of distinct alternative projects. Determination of this methodology will clarify (1) the factors used to evaluate these alternatives, (2) the evaluator's view of the importance of the factors, and (3) the relative value of each alternative. The selected methodology must consider the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) decision-making criteria for application to the analysis technology subsystems developed by the DOE Office of Technology Development. This report contains a compilation of several decision methodologies developed in various national laboratories, institutions, and universities. The purpose of these methodologies may vary, but the core of the decision attributes are very similar. Six approaches were briefly analyzed; from these six, in addition to recommendations made by the MWIP technical support group leaders and CERCLA, the final decision methodology was extracted. Slight variations are observed in the many methodologies developed by different groups, but most of the analyzed methodologies address similar aspects for the most part. These common aspects were the core of the methodology suggested in this report for use within MWIP for the selection of technologies. The set of criteria compiled and developed for this report have been grouped in five categories: (1) process effectiveness, (2) developmental status, (3) life-cycle cost, (4) implementability, and (5) regulatory compliance

Contamination study of forest track soils located in a recreational area and filled with steel industry waste 30years ago.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Nubla, Leticia; Aramendia, Julene; Fdez-Ortiz de Vallejuelo, Silvia; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2017-11-15

The reuse of waste is increasingly widespread in order to avoid the exploitation of natural resources and to reduce costs. An example of that reuse is the employment of steel slag, a by-product from the steel making process. When the steel is produced through an electric arc furnace (EAF), two types of slag are generated: black and white slag. One application rarely used for this waste is as filler in forest tracks. In this work, two forest tracks of the Basque Country (northern Spain) filled with black and white slag 19 and 35years ago, respectively, have been studied. Leaching tests were performed using Milli-Q water and acetic acid over the slags collected in that area. Additionally, soil samples collected near the slags were subjected to acid digestion. In these soil samples, there were elements of natural origin and others that could come from the leaching of the slag. Some of the more leached elements from the black slag (Ca, Fe, K, Cr, Se, W, Mn and Mo) and white slag (Mg, Al, Na, Co, Ni and Cu) coincided with the elements of highest concentration found in the soil samples. Moreover, there were differences in some elemental concentrations of soil samples with only black slag (higher presence of Ca and Mg) and soil samples with a mixture of both types of slag. It was noticeable that the highest concentration values of the measured elements were found on a specific side of the forest tracks, possibly due to the runoff water or the higher inclination of that side. On the other hand, some areas of both forest tracks could be considered contaminated by Cr according to a standard values from the Basque regulation, posing a risk to human health since they are recreational areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Developing a deliberative process for ethically informed radioactive waste management decision making in the UK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cotton, Matthew [Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich (United Kingdom). Centre for Environmental Risk

2006-09-15

In the UK and internationally, there is widespread recognition that decision-making processes over long-term radioactive waste management are subject to a broad array of inherent technical, political, social, psychological and ethical issues. This paper seeks to specifically address the ethical aspects of long-term radioactive waste management and siting by proposing a framework for evaluating and integrating stakeholders' ethical values into a political decision-making process. Evaluation and integration of the ethical issues and related values takes place within the context of a comprehensive program of stakeholder engagement; a process necessary in fostering support amongst stakeholder groups and potentially affected communities - allowing legitimate and defensible political decisions to be made. In pluralistic democracies such as the UK, there is a recognition that a broad array of ethical values are held by the affected stakeholder groups, and the tools used to integrate ethical values into a stakeholder engagement process must be designed to reflect this pattern of moral diversity. This paper outlines the implications of this diversity for participatory decision making and addresses it by outlining a 'tool' or procedure for stakeholder deliberation as part of a broader 'toolbox' of deliberative methods: a tool that allows not only the elicitation of stakeholders' moral values, but also a critical re-evaluation of those values in light of ethical principles agreed upon by the participants themselves. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of ethical pragmatism, the goal is to turn what philosopher John Rawls has termed an ethical 'reflective equilibrium' into a practical procedure for stakeholder deliberation. The paper describes how the model of reflective equilibrium can be used as a basis for designing this deliberative procedure, in a way that is multi-staged and iterative in nature; with a goal to providing the

Developing a deliberative process for ethically informed radioactive waste management decision making in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cotton, Matthew

2006-01-01

In the UK and internationally, there is widespread recognition that decision-making processes over long-term radioactive waste management are subject to a broad array of inherent technical, political, social, psychological and ethical issues. This paper seeks to specifically address the ethical aspects of long-term radioactive waste management and siting by proposing a framework for evaluating and integrating stakeholders' ethical values into a political decision-making process. Evaluation and integration of the ethical issues and related values takes place within the context of a comprehensive program of stakeholder engagement; a process necessary in fostering support amongst stakeholder groups and potentially affected communities - allowing legitimate and defensible political decisions to be made. In pluralistic democracies such as the UK, there is a recognition that a broad array of ethical values are held by the affected stakeholder groups, and the tools used to integrate ethical values into a stakeholder engagement process must be designed to reflect this pattern of moral diversity. This paper outlines the implications of this diversity for participatory decision making and addresses it by outlining a 'tool' or procedure for stakeholder deliberation as part of a broader 'toolbox' of deliberative methods: a tool that allows not only the elicitation of stakeholders' moral values, but also a critical re-evaluation of those values in light of ethical principles agreed upon by the participants themselves. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of ethical pragmatism, the goal is to turn what philosopher John Rawls has termed an ethical 'reflective equilibrium' into a practical procedure for stakeholder deliberation. The paper describes how the model of reflective equilibrium can be used as a basis for designing this deliberative procedure, in a way that is multi-staged and iterative in nature; with a goal to providing the means for stakeholder participants to

Determining the number of samples required for decisions concerning remedial actions at hazardous waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skiles, J.L.; Redfearn, A.; White, R.K.

1991-01-01

The processing of collecting, analyzing, and assessing the data needed to make to make decisions concerning the cleanup of hazardous waste sites is quite complex and often very expensive. This is due to the many elements that must be considered during remedial investigations. The decision maker must have sufficient data to determine the potential risks to human health and the environment and to verify compliance with regulatory requirements, given the availability of resources allocated for a site, and time constraints specified for the completion of the decision making process. It is desirable to simplify the remedial investigation procedure as much as possible to conserve both time and resources while, simultaneously, minimizing the probability of error associated with each decision to be made. With this in mind, it is necessary to have a practical and statistically valid technique for estimating the number of on-site samples required to ''guarantee'' that the correct decisions are made with a specified precision and confidence level. Here, we will examine existing methodologies and then develop our own approach for determining a statistically defensible sample size based on specific guidelines that have been established for the risk assessment process

NED-1: integrated analyses for forest stewardship decisions

Science.gov (United States)

Mark J. Twery; H. Michael Rauscher; Deborah J. Bennett; Scott A. Thomasma; Susan L. Stout; James F. Palmer; Robin E. Hoffman; David S. DeCalesta; Eric Gustafson; J. Morgan Grove; Donald Nute; Geneho Kim; R. Peter Kollasch

2000-01-01

NED is a collective term for a set of software intended to help resource managers develop goals, assess current and potential conditions, and produce sustainable management plans for forest properties. The software tools are being developed by the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern and Southern Research Stations, in cooperation with many other collaborators. NED-1 is a...

Combining forest inventory, satellite remote sensing, and geospatial data for mapping forest attributes of the conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Mark Nelson; Greg Liknes; Charles H. Perry

2009-01-01

Analysis and display of forest composition, structure, and pattern provides information for a variety of assessments and management decision support. The objective of this study was to produce geospatial datasets and maps of conterminous United States forest land ownership, forest site productivity, timberland, and reserved forest land. Satellite image-based maps of...

The role of symbolic capital in stakeholder disputes: decision-making concerning intractable wastes.

Science.gov (United States)

Benn, Suzanne; Jones, Richard

2009-04-01

This paper examines almost 30 years of disputation concerning the disposal of the world's largest stockpile of the toxic organochlorine, hexachlorbenzene. It describes the study of a chemicals company in its attempt to manage the disposal of the toxic waste in a collaborative fashion with government, environmentalists and the local community. The study describes the new processes and structures specifically designed to address the decision-making and the issues of stakeholder perception and identity construction which have influenced the outcomes. Decision-making in such disputes is often theorized from the perspective of the emergence of highly individualized and reflexive risk communities and changing modes and expectations of corporate responsibility as a result of detraditionalization. We argue that the stakeholder interaction in this study reflects competing discourses in which corporate actors prioritize the building and maintaining of identity and symbolic capital rather than an active collaboration to solve the ongoing issue of the waste. As well, issues of access to expert knowledge highlight the relationship between conditions of uncertainty, technoscientific expertise and identity. The events of the study highlight the challenges faced by contemporary technoscientific corporations such as chemicals companies as they must deliver on requirements of transparency and openness, while maintaining technoscientific capacity and strong internal identity. We conclude that the study demonstrates the co-existence of social processes of individualization and detraditionalization with quasi-traditions which maintain authority, thus challenging the radical distinctions made in the literature between modernity and late or reflexive modernity.

Hyperspectral sensing of forests

Science.gov (United States)

Goodenough, David G.; Dyk, Andrew; Chen, Hao; Hobart, Geordie; Niemann, K. Olaf; Richardson, Ash

2007-11-01

Canada contains 10% of the world's forests covering an area of 418 million hectares. The sustainable management of these forest resources has become increasingly complex. Hyperspectral remote sensing can provide a wealth of new and improved information products to resource managers to make more informed decisions. Research in this area has demonstrated that hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to create more accurate products for forest inventory, forest health, foliar biochemistry, biomass, and aboveground carbon than are currently available. This paper surveys recent methods and results in hyperspectral sensing of forests and describes space initiatives for hyperspectral sensing.

Safety aspects related to the radioactively contaminated forest areas in Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SULLIVAN, T.; GIBBS, B.; ANDERSSON, K.G.; ROED, J.; RYMKEVICH, V.; BREKKE, D.

1998-01-01

Doses currently received in Belarus through various pathways related to the contamination of forests are evaluated through calculations. A major pathway is, as expected, generally found to be the external radiation from a contaminated forest floor. Also other pathways may in some cases be highly significant. Generally, it is found that the dose contributions to people spending time in the contaminated forest or consuming forest products are highest, whereas for instance doses received from domestic use of fire-wood are found to be negligible. Recommendations for storage of waste from combustion plants fired with radioactive forest material are also given, together with an estimate of the specific activity of the waste to be disposed of

Analysis of Swedish Forest Owners' Information and Knowledge-Sharing Networks for Decision-Making: Insights for Climate Change Communication and Adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

André, Karin; Baird, Julia; Gerger Swartling, Åsa; Vulturius, Gregor; Plummer, Ryan

2017-06-01

To further the understanding of climate change adaptation processes, more attention needs to be paid to the various contextual factors that shape whether and how climate-related knowledge and information is received and acted upon by actors involved. This study sets out to examine the characteristics of forest owners' in Sweden, the information and knowledge-sharing networks they draw upon for decision-making, and their perceptions of climate risks, their forests' resilience, the need for adaptation, and perceived adaptive capacity. By applying the concept of ego-network analysis, the empirical data was generated by a quantitative survey distributed to 3000 private forest owners' in Sweden in 2014 with a response rate of 31%. The results show that there is a positive correlation, even though it is generally weak, between forest owner climate perceptions and (i) network features, i.e. network size and heterogeneity, and (ii) presence of certain alter groups (i.e. network members or actors). Results indicate that forest owners' social networks currently serve only a minimal function of sharing knowledge of climate change and adaptation. Moreover, considering the fairly infrequent contact between respondents and alter groups, the timing of knowledge sharing is important. In conclusion we suggest those actors that forest owners' most frequently communicate with, especially forestry experts providing advisory services (e.g. forest owner associations, companies, and authorities) have a clear role to communicate both the risks of climate change and opportunities for adaptation. Peers are valuable in connecting information about climate risks and adaptation to the actual forest property.

Can decision rules simulate carbon allocation for years with contrasting and extreme weather conditions? A case study for three temperate beech forests

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Campioli, Matteo; Verbeeck, Hans; Van den Bossche, Joris

2013-01-01

The allocation of carbohydrates to different tree processes and organs is crucial to understand the overall carbon (C) cycling rate in forest ecosystems. Decision rules (DR) (e.g. functional balances and source-sink relationships) are widely used to model C allocation in forests. However, standard...... allocation and wood growth at beech stands with contrasting climate and standing stock. However, the allocation model required high quality GPP input and errors (even modest) in GPP resulted in large errors in the growth of the tree organs lowest in the modelled sink hierarchy (woody organs). The ability...

How citizen advisory boards provide input into major waste policy decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, E.; Murakami, L.; Hanson, L.

1995-01-01

Volunteer citizen boards, such as Site Specific Advisory Boards, can be a very important key to success for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Waste Management program. These boards can provide informed, independent recommendations reflecting the diversity of the community and its values. A successful volunteer process requires collaboration among regulators, DOE and other Boards; knowing how and when to interface with the broader public; understanding the diversity and representational issues of a citizens group; knowing the open-quotes ins and outsclose quotes of working with volunteers; education and training and most importantly, planning. Volunteers on a citizens board were created to tackle the big picture, policy decisions. The chair of the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board will describe her Board's successes, including the challenges in reaching consensus agreements, as well as the need for integration with other boards and the sites' on-going public involvement programs to provide the input the department is seeking. Finally, one of the greatest challenges for the boards is interfacing with the greater public-at-large, seeing how the CAB has overcome this challenge and integrating broader public input into its decisions

How citizen advisory boards provide input into major waste policy decisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogers, E.; Murakami, L.; Hanson, L. [Rocky Flats Citizen Advisory Board, Westminster, CO (United States)

1995-12-31

Volunteer citizen boards, such as Site Specific Advisory Boards, can be a very important key to success for the Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Waste Management program. These boards can provide informed, independent recommendations reflecting the diversity of the community and its values. A successful volunteer process requires collaboration among regulators, DOE and other Boards; knowing how and when to interface with the broader public; understanding the diversity and representational issues of a citizens group; knowing the {open_quotes}ins and outs{close_quotes} of working with volunteers; education and training and most importantly, planning. Volunteers on a citizens board were created to tackle the big picture, policy decisions. The chair of the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board will describe her Board`s successes, including the challenges in reaching consensus agreements, as well as the need for integration with other boards and the sites` on-going public involvement programs to provide the input the department is seeking. Finally, one of the greatest challenges for the boards is interfacing with the greater public-at-large, seeing how the CAB has overcome this challenge and integrating broader public input into its decisions.

GIS based approach for atmospheric carbon absorption strategies through forests development in Indian situations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Surendra Kumar

2013-01-01

Geographical information system (GIS) play important role in forest management. An effective strategy for enhancement of atmospheric carbon absorption productivity is through forests development in degraded forest areas and waste lands. Forestry sector has significant emissions removal capability which can further be enhanced by operationalizing major afforestation and reforestation initiatives like National Mission for a Green India besides continued strengthening of the present protection regime of forests. Secondary data was collected and analyzed. Different types of waste lands require different strategies for their development into forest areas; but few waste lands like rocky regions, glacier regions etc. cannot be developed into forest areas. Atmospheric carbon management is major problem before world community in present circumstances to control environmental pollution. Various forest ecosystems play significant role in carbon absorption. The diffusional net absorption rate of anthropogenic carbon to the biosphere is some unknown function of the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide. Estimations reveal that the average carbon absorption of the forests was around 1,240 grams (1.240 Kg) of carbon per square meter of canopy area. To stabilize atmospheric CO 2 , role of forestry depends on harvesting and disturbance rates, expectations of future forest productivity, and the ability to deploy technology and forest practices to increase the retention of sequestered CO 2 . There is a considerable self-damping effect that will moderate the future increase of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Capacity of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide is limited; but atmospheric carbon absorption potentiality of India forests can be increased tremendously through reforestation, afforestation and development of degraded forest areas and waste lands. About 60 % of Indian waste lands can be developed to increase forest cover with reasonable efforts. When

GIS based approach for atmospheric carbon absorption strategies through forests development in Indian situations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yadav, Surendra Kumar [CCS Univ., Meerut (India). SCRIET

2013-07-01

Geographical information system (GIS) play important role in forest management. An effective strategy for enhancement of atmospheric carbon absorption productivity is through forests development in degraded forest areas and waste lands. Forestry sector has significant emissions removal capability which can further be enhanced by operationalizing major afforestation and reforestation initiatives like National Mission for a Green India besides continued strengthening of the present protection regime of forests. Secondary data was collected and analyzed. Different types of waste lands require different strategies for their development into forest areas; but few waste lands like rocky regions, glacier regions etc. cannot be developed into forest areas. Atmospheric carbon management is major problem before world community in present circumstances to control environmental pollution. Various forest ecosystems play significant role in carbon absorption. The diffusional net absorption rate of anthropogenic carbon to the biosphere is some unknown function of the atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide. Estimations reveal that the average carbon absorption of the forests was around 1,240 grams (1.240 Kg) of carbon per square meter of canopy area. To stabilize atmospheric CO{sub 2}, role of forestry depends on harvesting and disturbance rates, expectations of future forest productivity, and the ability to deploy technology and forest practices to increase the retention of sequestered CO{sub 2}. There is a considerable self-damping effect that will moderate the future increase of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Capacity of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide is limited; but atmospheric carbon absorption potentiality of India forests can be increased tremendously through reforestation, afforestation and development of degraded forest areas and waste lands. About 60 % of Indian waste lands can be developed to increase forest cover with reasonable efforts. When

Who benefits from taxation of forest products in Nepal’s community forests?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Jens Friis; Baral, Keshab; Bhandari, Nirmala Singh

2014-01-01

-poor initiatives and to explore whether biases against certain groups in investments coincide with biases in their participation in decision-making. The paper is based upon data on taxation income and revenue expenditures of 45 community-forest user groups (CFUG) and on data from 1111 CFUG member households...... with the level of transparency about CFUG finances and decision-making processes. Further, poor and Dalit households are generally less knowledgeable on and participate less in CFUG management than other groups, and are less well represented on the CFUG executive committees. Thus, overall, the distribution......This paper is concerned with who benefits from taxation of forest products in Nepal's community forests. The objectives of the study are two-fold; to document who benefits from community forestry user groups' (CFUG) financing of investments in public services and infrastructure and pro...

Multiple criteria decision making of alternative fuels for waste collection vehicles in southeast region of Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Goran S.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper multiple criteria decision making approach of alternative fuels for waste collection vehicles in southeast region of Serbia was presented. Eight alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies were ranked according to thirteen criteria, including financial, socio-technical, and environmental. Assessment of alternatives was performed by using the weighted aggregated sum product assessment method and results were verified using multi-objective optimization on the basis of ratio analysis method. Considered criteria were obtained from previous researches and by assessment of professional experts from manufacturing industries, public utility companies, and academics institutions. The analysis showed that both biodiesel fuels - derived from used cooking oil or from vegetable oils are the best alternative fuels for Serbian waste collection vehicles in this point of time. Compressed natural gas-powered vehicles were also ranked high in this analysis, but due to the lack of financial capability for their purchase (especially in southeast region of Serbia, their gradual introduction into the waste collection fleet was proposed.

76 FR 52930 - Availability of Decisions

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-24

... Forest Supervisor Decisions Laramie Daily Boomerang, published daily in Laramie, Albany County, Wyoming. District Ranger Decisions Laramie District: Laramie Daily Boomerang, published daily in Laramie, Albany...

Development of a 2nd Generation Decision Support Tool to Optimize Resource and Energy Recovery for Municipal Solid Waste

Science.gov (United States)

In 2012, EPA’s Office of Research and Development released the MSW decision support tool (MSW-DST) to help identify strategies for more sustainable MSW management. Depending upon local infrastructure, energy grid mix, population density, and waste composition and quantity, the m...

Proceedings of the 1999 Sustainable Forest Management Network conference: science and practice : sustaining the boreal forest

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veeman, S.; Smith, D.W.; Purdy, B.G.; Salkie, F.J.; Larkin, G.A. [eds.

1999-05-01

The wide range and complex nature of research in sustainable forest management, supported cooperatively by the forest products industry, governments, the universities, First Nations and other groups, is reflected in the 128 papers presented at this conference. The range of topics discussed include historical perspectives of forest disturbances, including fires and harvesting, biological diversity, gaseous, liquid and solid wastes, community sustainability, public involvement, land aquatic interfaces, forest management planning tools, contaminant transfer, First Nations issues, certification, monitoring and resource trade-offs. The theme of the conference {sup S}cience and practice: sustaining the boreal forest` was selected to identify the key efforts of the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Network on boreal forest research. The objective of the conference was to exchange knowledge and integrate participants into a better working network for the improvement of forest management. refs., tabs., figs.

Let the market help prescribe forest management practices

Science.gov (United States)

Gary W. Zinn; Edward Pepke

1989-01-01

To obtain the best economic returns from a hardwood forest, you must consider markets. Management decisions made now will affect a stand's future character and value, whether or not the decision results in immediate timber sales. Progressive forest landowners will have a management plan for their woodlots. Typically, such plans are largely land- and resource-...

Recommendation for basis for decision on a Danish ultimate storage for low and intermediate radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-12-01

In 2003 the Danish Parliament consented to let the government start the preparation of a basis for decision on a Danish ultimate storage for low and intermediate radioactive wastes. The present report is the result of the preparation process, and it describes the fundamental safety and environmental principles for establishing an ultimate storage, including determining the principles for the site selection, storage construction, and safety analyses. (LN)

Management of the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site using Decision-based, Probabilistic Performance Assessment Modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carilli, J.; Crowe, B.; Black, P.; Tauxe, J.; Stockton, T.; Catlett, K.; Yucel, V.

2003-01-01

Low-level radioactive waste from cleanup activities at the Nevada Test Site and from multiple sites across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex is disposed at two active Radioactive Waste Management Sites (RWMS) on the Nevada Test Site. These facilities, which are managed by the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office, were recently designated as one of two regional disposal centers and yearly volumes of disposed waste now exceed 50,000 m3 (> 2 million ft3). To safely and cost-effectively manage the disposal facilities, the Waste Management Division of Environmental Management has implemented decision-based management practices using flexible and problem-oriented probabilistic performance assessment modeling. Deterministic performance assessments and composite analyses were completed originally for the Area 5 and Area 3 RWMSs located in, respectively, Frenchman Flat and Yucca Flat on the Nevada Test Site. These documents provide the technical bases for issuance of disposal authorization statements for continuing operation of the disposal facilities. Both facilities are now in a maintenance phase that requires testing of conceptual models, reduction of uncertainty, and site monitoring all leading to eventual closure of the facilities and transition to long-term stewardship

Decision support framework for evaluating the operational environment of forest bioenergy production and use: Case of four European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Pezdevšek Malovrh, Špela; Kurttila, Mikko; Hujala, Teppo; Kärkkäinen, Leena; Leban, Vasja; Lindstad, Berit H; Peters, Dörte Marie; Rhodius, Regina; Solberg, Birger; Wirth, Kristina; Zadnik Stirn, Lidija; Krč, Janez

2016-09-15

Complex policy-making situations around bioenergy production and use require examination of the operational environment of the society and a participatory approach. This paper presents and demonstrates a three-phase decision-making framework for analysing the operational environment of strategies related to increased forest bioenergy targets. The framework is based on SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis and the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART). Stakeholders of four case countries (Finland, Germany, Norway and Slovenia) defined the factors that affect the operational environments, classified in four pre-set categories (Forest Characteristics and Management, Policy Framework, Technology and Science, and Consumers and Society). The stakeholders participated in weighting of SWOT items for two future scenarios with SMART technique. The first scenario reflected the current 2020 targets (the Business-as-Usual scenario), and the second scenario contained a further increase in the targets (the Increase scenario). This framework can be applied to various problems of environmental management and also to other fields where public decision-making is combined with stakeholders' engagement. The case results show that the greatest differences between the scenarios appear in Germany, indicating a notably negative outlook for the Increase scenario, while the smallest differences were found in Finland. Policy Framework was a highly rated category across the countries, mainly with respect to weaknesses and threats. Intensified forest bioenergy harvesting and utilization has potentially wide country-specific impacts which need to be anticipated and considered in national policies and public dialogue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consumption of forest chips as an energy source as part of the national action plan for renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ylitalo, E.

2004-01-01

A specific Action Plan for Renewable Energy was introduced in 1999 in order to increase the utilisation of renewable energy sources in Finland. The Plan was renewed in 2002, taking into account a revision of the goals defined in the statements given by the Parliament in the de-bate on national Climate Strategy and the decision on building a new nuclear power plant. The main reason for increasing the consumption of renewable energy is the aim of decreasing emissions of greenhouse gases caused by fossil fuels. The renewed Action Plan includes aims and means of how to increase the consumption of renewable energy in practice in the future. Specific goals for separate renewable energy sources were set for the years 2005, 2010 and 2025. Proportional targets were set for the consumption of forest chips: in 2010 consumption is expected to be four times larger than in 2001 and in 2025 seven times larger. In Finland, the most important source for renewable energy is wood and wood waste, which currently makes up approximately 20 per cent of total energy consumption. Wood waste (incl. waste liquor and solid wood waste) produced by the forest industries can be considered as being fully utilized at the moment. Therefore, the most important means of increasing the consumption of wood energy in the future is in the utilisation of forest chips resources. Since 2000, the Finnish Forest Re-search Institute has compiled statistics on the consumption of forest chips and forest industry by-products used in energy generation. One aim of these statistics is to monitor the fruition of the Action Plan mentioned. In 2003, the volume of forest chips consumed in energy generation was 2.1 mill. m3, i.e. approximately five per cent of all energy sources consumed. According to the statistics, the consumption of forest chips has doubled during the period 2000-2003 with an annual average increase of 0.4 mill. m 3 . The goals set in the Action Plan can be considered to be high. In order to achieve

Decision support tools for policy and planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacyk, P.; Schultz, D.; Spangenberg, L.

1995-01-01

A decision support system (DSS) is being developed at the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The DSS will be used to evaluate alternatives for improving LANL's existing central radioactive waste water treatment plant and to evaluate new site-wide liquid waste treatment schemes that are required in order to handle the diverse waste streams produced at LANL. The decision support system consists of interacting modules that perform the following tasks: rigorous process simulation, configuration management, performance analysis, cost analysis, risk analysis, environmental impact assessment, transportation modeling, and local, state, and federal regulation compliance checking. Uncertainty handling techniques are used with these modules and also with a decision synthesis module which combines results from the modules listed above. We believe the DSS being developed can be applied to almost any other industrial water treatment facility with little modification because in most situations the waste streams are less complex, fewer regulations apply, and the political environment is simpler. The techniques being developed are also generally applicable to policy and planning decision support systems in the chemical process industry

Decision analysis for the determination of biomass in the territory Tuscia Romana by geographic information system and forest management plans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Colantoni

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The growing interest in the development of chains for the use of agroforestry biomass for energy demand, is due to the awareness they are a crucial element to mitigate the global climatic change effects. The true effort is to have a reliable estimation of biomass availability by some instruments like forest management plans, which allow to locate the forest supply and to know the forest biomass availability in a medium period. In this paper we carried out a decision analysis by geographic information system, in Tuscia Romana area comprising 11 municipalities for a total amount of 813 km2. An estimation was carried out taking into account the bibliographic data on the analyzed species, reporting the biomass in weight taken out by the forest cut utilization. A comparison was also performed in field on chestnut trees cut in a sampling area near Bracciano and in a close sawmill. The results show long, medium and short-term dynamics, but some critical points were found related to the process of estimation and to the real procurement of biomass in some years. The results suggest to be care in a possible project of a biomass plant.

Waste Tax 1987-1996

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, M. S.; Dengsøe, N.; Brendstrup, S.

The report gives an ex-post evaluation of the Danish waste tax from 1987 to 1996. The evaluation shows that the waste tax has had a significant impact on the reductions in taxable waste. The tax has been decisive for the reduction in construction and demolition waste, while for the heavier...

Waste management, final waste disposal, fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rengeling, H.W.

1991-01-01

Out of the legal poblems that are currently at issue, individual questions from four areas are dealt with: privatization of ultimate waste disposal; distribution of responsibilities for tasks in the field of waste disposal; harmonization and systematization of regulations; waste disposal - principles for making provisions for waste disposal - proof of having made provisions for waste disposal; financing and fees. A distinction has to be made between that which is legally and in particular constitutionally imperative or, as the case may be, permissible, and issues where there is room for political decision-making. Ultimately, the deliberations on the amendment are completely confined to the sphere of politics. (orig./HSCH) [de

Forest inventories generate scientifically sound information on the forest resource, but do our data and information really matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Christoph Keinn; Goran Stahl

2009-01-01

Current research in forest inventory focuses very much on technical-statistical problems geared mainly to the optimization of data collection and information generation. The basic assumption is that better information leads to better decisions and, therefore, to better forest management and forest policy. Not many studies, however, strive to explicitly establish the...

Forest management under uncertainty for multiple bird population objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, C.T.; Plummer, W.T.; Conroy, M.J.; Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D.

2005-01-01

We advocate adaptive programs of decision making and monitoring for the management of forest birds when responses by populations to management, and particularly management trade-offs among populations, are uncertain. Models are necessary components of adaptive management. Under this approach, uncertainty about the behavior of a managed system is explicitly captured in a set of alternative models. The models generate testable predictions about the response of populations to management, and monitoring data provide the basis for assessing these predictions and informing future management decisions. To illustrate these principles, we examine forest management at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, where management attention is focused on the recovery of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) population. However, managers are also sensitive to the habitat needs of many non-target organisms, including Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) and other forest interior Neotropical migratory birds. By simulating several management policies on a set of-alternative forest and bird models, we found a decision policy that maximized a composite response by woodpeckers and Wood Thrushes despite our complete uncertainty regarding system behavior. Furthermore, we used monitoring data to update our measure of belief in each alternative model following one cycle of forest management. This reduction of uncertainty translates into a reallocation of model influence on the choice of optimal decision action at the next decision opportunity.

Studying the use of forest management decision support systems: An initial synthesis of lessons learned from case studies compiled using a semantic wiki

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gordon, S.N.; Floris, A.; Boerboom, L.G.J.; Lamas, T.; Eriksson, L.O.; Nieuwenhuis, M.G.; Rodriguez, L.

2014-01-01

In order to share information on the development and use of forest management decision support systems (FMDSS), a European-initiated network has established a wiki website as part of its activities. Case studies and associated lessons learned were solicited from the network using semantic structures

Increment and mortality in a virgin Douglas-fir forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Robert W. Steele; Norman P. Worthington

1955-01-01

Is there any basis to the forester's rule of thumb that virgin forests eventually reach an equilibrium where increment and mortality approximately balance? Are we wasting potential timber volume by failing to salvage mortality in old-growth stands?

Forest products decomposition in municipal solid waste landfills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barlaz, Morton A.

2006-01-01

Cellulose and hemicellulose are present in paper and wood products and are the dominant biodegradable polymers in municipal waste. While their conversion to methane in landfills is well documented, there is little information on the rate and extent of decomposition of individual waste components, particularly under field conditions. Such information is important for the landfill carbon balance as methane is a greenhouse gas that may be recovered and converted to a CO 2 -neutral source of energy, while non-degraded cellulose and hemicellulose are sequestered. This paper presents a critical review of research on the decomposition of cellulosic wastes in landfills and identifies additional work that is needed to quantify the ultimate extent of decomposition of individual waste components. Cellulose to lignin ratios as low as 0.01-0.02 have been measured for well decomposed refuse, with corresponding lignin concentrations of over 80% due to the depletion of cellulose and resulting enrichment of lignin. Only a few studies have even tried to address the decomposition of specific waste components at field-scale. Long-term controlled field experiments with supporting laboratory work will be required to measure the ultimate extent of decomposition of individual waste components

51 climate change perception, awareness and adaptation decision ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2 Environment Department, University of York, York, UK. Corresponding author: ... The perception of climate change and adaptation decision of forest .... well as the broader characteristics of the production system and ... mangrove forest, Guinea savanna, montane forest ...... forecastsand regional climate-risk management.

Radwaste Decision Support System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westrom, G.; Vance, J.N.; Gelhaus, F.E.

1989-01-01

The purpose of the Radwaste Decision Support System (RDSS) is to provide expert advice, analysis results and instructional material relative to the treatment, handling, transport and disposal of low-level radioactive waste produced in nuclear power plants. This functional specification addresses the following topics: Functions of the RDSS, Relationships and interfaces between the function, Development of the decisions and logic tree structures embodied in waste management, Elements of the database and the characteristics required to support the decision-making process, Specific User requirements for the RDSS, Development of the user interface, Basic software architecture, and Concepts for the RDSS usage including updating and maintenance

National Report on Sustainable Forests--2010

Science.gov (United States)

Guy Robertson; Peter Gaulke; Ruth McWilliams; Sarah LaPlante; Richard Guldin

2011-01-01

The United States is richly endowed with forests, and their care and conservation have been a national concern for more than a century. This report, the National Report on Sustainable Forests—2010, provides data and analysis aimed at addressing this concern by enhancing dialogue and decisions in pursuit of the goal of forest sustainability. The report relies on the...

Durban Climate Conference: new perspectives on forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perugini L

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The recent Durban Climate Conference can be considered a step forward in the agroforestry sector within the international climate regulatory regime. After four years of negotiations the long-awaited decision on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol was agreed, including a new activity (wetland drainage and rewetting, defining the accounting rules for forest management (which was shifted from voluntary to mandatory, the accounting for harvested wood products and the treatment of emissions from natural disturbances. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conservation, sustainable management of forest, and the enhancement of forest carbon stock (REDD+ has moved ahead as well, with the agreement of two decisions as an intermediate step for the finalization of the REDD+ mechanism architecture. The first decision is about methodological aspects on guidance on system for providing information on how safeguards are addressed and respected and on modalities relating to forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels that are benchmarks for assessing country’s performance in implementing REDD+ activities. The second decision is about policy approaches and incentives on REDD+ activities, that is the controversial issue on the sources of financing for REDD+ mechanism. As source of finance for result-based actions, a wide variety of sources are recognized: public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including the Green Climate Fund, provided that they are new, additional and predictable. Both market and non-market approaches were also considered as possible tool for financing REDD+ action, to be developed by the Conference of Parties. Although a more ambitious outcome would have been desirable, the conference in Durban concluded with the finalization of key outcomes in the forestry sector providing important operational instruments to incentivize sustainable

Alaska High School Students Integrate Forest Ecology, Glacial Landscape Dynamics, and Human Maritime History in a Field Mapping Course at Cape Decision Lighthouse, Kuiu Island, Southeast Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Connor, C. L.; Carstensen, R.; Domke, L.; Donohoe, S.; Clark, A.; Cordero, D.; Otsea, C.; Hakala, M.; Parks, R.; Lanwermeyer, S.; Discover Design Research (Ddr)

2010-12-01

Alaskan 10th and 11th graders earned college credit at Cape Decision Lighthouse as part of a 12-day, summer field research experience. Students and faculty flew to the southern tip of Kuiu Island located 388 km south of Juneau. Kuiu is the largest uninhabited island in southeastern Alaska. This field-based, introduction-to-research course was designed to engage students in the sciences and give them skills in technology, engineering, and mathematics. Two faculty, a forest naturalist and a geologist, introduced the students to the use of hand held GPS receivers, GIS map making, field note-taking and documentary photography, increment borer use, and soil studies techniques. Daily surveys across the region, provided onsite opportunities for the faculty to introduce the high schoolers to the many dimensions of forest ecology and plant succession. Students collected tree cores using increment borers to determine “release dates” providing clues to past wind disturbance. They discovered the influence of landscape change on the forest by digging soil pits and through guided interpretation of bedrock outcrops. The students learned about glacially influenced hydrology in forested wetlands during peat bog hikes. They developed an eye for geomorphic features along coastal traverses, which helped them to understand the influences of uplift through faulting and isostatic rebound in this tectonically active and once glaciated area. They surveyed forest patches to distinguish between regions of declining yellow-cedar from wind-disturbed spruce forests. The students encountered large volumes of primarily plastic marine debris, now stratified by density and wave energy, throughout the southern Kuiu intertidal zone. They traced pre-European Alaska Native subsistence use of the area, 19th and 20th century Alaska Territorial Maritime history, and learned about the 21st century radio tracking of over 10,000 commercial vessels by the Marine Exchange of Alaska from its many stations

Keeping Hawai’i’s forest birds one step ahead of avian diseases in a warming world: a focus on Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. A case study from the National Conservation and Training Center Structured Decision Making Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Paxton, Eben H.; Burgett, Jeff; McDonald-Fadden, Eve; Bean, Ellen; Atkinson, Carter T.; Ball, Donna; Cole, Colleen; Crampton, Lisa H.; Kraus, Jim; LaPointe, Dennis A.; Mehrhoff, Loyal; Samuel, Michael D.; Brewer, Donna; Converse, Sarah J.; Morey, Steve

2011-01-01

This report is a product of a one-week workshop on using Structured Decision Making to identify and prioritize conservation actions to address the threat of climate change on Hawaii‟s native forest bird community. Specifically, t his report addresses the issue of global warming ‟s likely role in increasing disease prevalence in upper elevation forests of Hawaii, negatively impacting native bird populations susceptible to the disease but currently disease - free because of the cooler temperatures at high elevations. 

Immobilized High-Level Waste (HLW) Interim Storage Alternative Generation and analysis and Decision Report - second Generation Implementing Architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CALMUS, R.B.

2000-01-01

Two alternative approaches were previously identified to provide second-generation interim storage of Immobilized High-Level Waste (IHLW). One approach was retrofit modification of the Fuel and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) to accommodate IHLW. The results of the evaluation of the FMEF as the second-generation IHLW interim storage facility and subsequent decision process are provided in this document

An interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method approach for the analysis of barriers of waste recycling in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Chauhan, Ankur; Singh, Amol; Jharkharia, Sanjay

2018-02-01

Increasing amount of wastes is posing great difficulties for all countries across the world. The problem of waste management is more severe in developing countries such as India where the rates of economic growth and urbanization are increasing at a fast pace. The governments in these countries are often constrained by limited technical and financial capabilities, which prevent them from effectively addressing these problems. There is a limited participation from the private players too in terms of setting up of waste recycling units. The present study aims at identifying various barriers that challenge the establishment of these units, specific to India. Further, it attempts to identify the most influential barriers by utilizing multicriterion decision-making tools of interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL). The findings of the study suggest that the lack of funds, input material, and subsidy are the most influential barriers that are needed to be addressed for the development of waste recycling infrastructure in India. This work has been carried out to address the problem of proper waste management in India. To deal with this problem, the method of waste recycling has been felt appropriate by the government of various countries, including India. Therefore, the barriers that play vital role in waste recycling for private players have been identified and their importance has been established with the help of ISM and DEMATEL methods. Doing so will assist the government to take appropriate steps for the betterment of waste recycling infrastructure in India and enhance waste management.

Reversibility of Decisions and Retrievability of Radioactive Waste: An Overview of Regulatory Positions and Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz-Lopez, Carmen; Pescatore, Claudio

2015-02-01

The Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) of the NEA has been at the forefront worldwide in examining the topic of Reversibility and Retrievability (R and R). As early as 2001, an NEA survey-based report entitled 'Reversibility and Retrievability in Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste' provided an overview of R and R by an ad-hoc group of experts from 11 NEA Member countries. The 2001 report (NEA 2001) observed that national safety regulations dealt mainly with operational safety and design targets for long-term (post-closure) safety and relatively little consideration was given to retrievability/reversibility or its implications. Yet, policy frames saw benefits from retrievability. In 2007, the RWMC launched the NEA R and R project with participation from 15 countries and two international organisations. The project included, amongst its members, representatives of six organisations involved in regulation, five regulatory authorities of five countries and one technical support organisation to the safety authorities. The project aimed to improve awareness amongst the RWMC constituency of the breadth of issues and positions regarding the concepts of R and R with the goal of providing a neutral overview of relevant issues and viewpoints in OECD countries. Hence substantial attention was given to R and R regulatory issues mainly in the context of decision making for repository development. The report (NEA 2011) points out regulatory issues, including safety criteria and licensing considerations. The present document presents an overview of findings, positions, boundary conditions and issues based on the results of the R and R project of 2007-2011 (stepwise decision making and reversibility, regulatory authorisations and R and R, decision making for retrieval) and of the Reims conference of December 2010 (terminology and definitions, legal and policy context, motivations for R and R, practical aspects, stakeholders confidence aspects)

A positionism epitomology applied to small group decision-making in radioactive waste management. Doctoral thesis prepared at SCK-CEN and defended in 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bombaerts, G.

2005-01-01

The article refers to an abstract of a doctoral thesis. Assuring the safety of technological developments is becoming one of the most important tasks in society. For nuclear waste repositories, it is important to know what will remain valuable of current performance and safety assessments within a few hundred years. The core of the PhD concerns the meaning that can be attributed to safety assessments. This study develops a new philosophical theory to explain how small group decision-making on technoscientific problems takes place. It is applied to the specific problem of decision-making on radioactive waste disposal and its related risk assessment. The new philosophical theory is based on Latour's interactionism theory, which in its essence states that facts are only facts if they are accepted by the network. The theory adds that fact-building or decision-making happens in a certain context by interaction of different context elements. The word context has a very specific meaning. It refers to a problem solving situations in which individuals work out a problem framing and use attitudes, personalities, group cultures, and objects. Decisions or fact-building within the group will happen by interaction between these context elements that will get different hierarchical positions and lead to contextual dissonance reduction. This is called positionism. An international questionnaire has been carried out asking for estimations by technologists and scientists of the risks and uncertainties of a high level waste repository on the one hand and their personality, group culture and background characteristics on the other hand. Two important indicators occur. High neuroticism -a personality measure indicating the general tendency to experience affects such as fear, sadness, or distrust- correlates with high assessments of the waste repository risks. Scientists with high confidence in science give significant lower estimations of the repository risks. These results illustrate

Broad Scale Monitoring in the US Forest Service: Institutional Challenges and Collaborative Opportunites for Improving Planning and Decision-Making in an Era of Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Wurtzebach, Z.

2016-12-01

In 2012, the United States Forest Service promulgated new rules to guide Forest planning efforts in accordance with the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). One important component of the 2012 rule is a requirement for Regionally coordinated cross-boundary "broad scale" monitoring strategies that are designed to inform and facilitate Forest-level adaptive management and planning. This presentation will examine institutional challenges and opportunites for developing effective broad scale monitoring strategies identified in 90 interviews with USFS staff and partner organizations, and collaborative workshops held in Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico. Internal barriers to development include funding and human resource constraints, organizational culture, problematic incentives and accountability structures, data management issues, and administrative barriers to collaboration. However, we also identify several opportunities for leveraging interagency collaboration, facilitating multi-level coordination, generating efficiencies in data collection and analysis, and improving strategies for reporting and communication to Forest level decision-makers and relevant stakeholders.

Regulation and Control of Hazardous Wastes

OpenAIRE

Hans W. Gottinger

1994-01-01

Hazardous waste regulations require disposal in approved dumpsites, where environmental consequences are minimal but entry may be privately very costly. Imperfect policing of regulations makes the socially more costly option illicit disposal preferable form the perspective of the private decision maker. The existence of the waste disposal decision, its economic nature, production independence, and the control over environmental damage are key issues in the economics of hazardous waste managem...

BPEO as a Guide to Decision Making in the Authorisation of Radioactive Waste Discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egan, Michael; Collier, David; Stone, Andrew; Keep, Matthew

2003-01-01

development and application of regulatory guidance on the use of BPEO in the authorisation of radioactive waste discharges Guidance. In reviewing how BPEO has been interpreted in other regulatory contexts, as well as in a number of landmark examples and case studies, the Agencies sought to identify key messages that needed to be carried forward for application in relation to regulatory decision making for radioactive waste discharge authorisation

Nuclear risk management on stage: a decision analysis perspective on the UK's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Alec; Airoldi, Mara; Phillips, Lawrence D

2009-05-01

In 2003, the UK government set up a broad-based Committee on radioactive waste management (CoRWM) to look at the UK's policy on radioactive waste management with a view to jumpstarting a stalled policy process. The committee's brief was to come up with a set of recommendations that would protect the public and the environment, and be capable of inspiring public confidence. After consulting widely with the public and stakeholders, and drawing on advice from scientists and other experts, CoRWM arrived at a remarkably well-received set of recommendations. On the basis of our experiences of working on CoRWM's multi-criteria decision analysis of different management options, study of CoRWM documentation, and interviews with committee members, we describe the explicit and implicit principles that guided CoRWM. We also give an account of the process by which CoRWM arrived at its conclusions, covering four phases: framing, shortlisting, option assessment, and integration; and four cross-cutting activities: public and stakeholder engagement (PSE), science and engineering input, ethics and social science input, and learning from overseas practice. We finish by outlining some of the key developments in the UK's radioactive waste management process, which followed on from the publication of CoRWM's report, and present our reflections for the benefit of the risk and decision analysts of future committees that, like CoRWM, are charged with recommending to government on the management of technically complex and risky technologies, drawing on extensive public and stakeholder consultation.

VALUE OF ECOLOGIC COMPONENT IN FOREST MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING. CASE STUDY: FORESTS ADJACENT TO BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Valentina RADULESCU

2016-06-01

Full Text Available To say environment management is, nowadays, of outmost importance for any ecosystem concerned in an understatement; nevertheless, in Romania, especially – as least, since the present paper analyses Romanian ecologic statu quo – improving forest management, so to speak, in Romania, is all the more important, since social and economic decisionmaking as to forests (e.g. forests close to Romania’s capital, Bucharest includes necessarily an ecologic component. The main issue is how to make this component as visible and important as posible, without simultaneously reducing the economic and social components.

Pathways analyses and their role in the decision making process for selection of low-level waste disposal sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pin, F.G.; Oblow, E.M.

1985-01-01

Pathways analyses have been extensively used to evaluate the suitability of proposed sites for disposal of low-level radioactive waste. The analyses rely on conservative scenarios to describe potential human exposure to the waste. Conceptual and numerical models are used to simulate the long-term transport of contamination to man and additional conservatism generally is built into the analysis when assumptions concerning future events have to be made or when uncertainties concerning site or waste characteristics exist. This conservatism is useful in ascertaining whether the site provides an adequate buffer to persons outside the site boundary. In reaching conclusions concerning site capacity and site acceptability, however, considerations must be given to the uncertainties involved in the analysis. Analytical methods to quantitatively assess the sensitivity of the results to data uncertainties may prove useful in the decision making process for site suitability. 7 references, 1 figure

Assessment and Mapping of Forest Parcel Sizes

Science.gov (United States)

Brett J. Butler; Susan L. King

2005-01-01

A method for analyzing and mapping forest parcel sizes in the Northeastern United States is presented. A decision tree model was created that predicts forest parcel size from spatially explicit predictor variables: population density, State, percentage forest land cover, and road density. The model correctly predicted parcel size for 60 percent of the observations in a...

A multi-criteria risk analysis to evaluate impacts of forest management alternatives on forest health in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jactel, H.; Branco, M.; Duncker, P.; Gardiner, B.; Grodzki, W.; Langström, B.; Moreira, F.; Netherer, S.; Nicoll, B.; Orazio, C.; Piou, D.; Schelhaas, M.J.; Tojic, K.

2012-01-01

Due to climate change, forests are likely to face new hazards, which may require adaptation of our existing silvicultural practices. However, it is difficult to imagine a forest management approach that can simultaneously minimize all risks of damage. Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) has been

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 428: Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office

2000-02-08

This Corrective Action Decision Document identifies and rationalizes the US Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's selection of a recommended corrective action alternative (CAA) appropriate to facilitate the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 428, Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in Area 3 at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) in Nevada, CAU 428 is comprised of two Corrective Action Sites (CASs): (1) CAS 03-05-002-SW01, Septic Waste System 1 and (2) CAS 03-05-002- SW05, Septic Waste System 5. A corrective action investigation performed in 1999 detected analyte concentrations that exceeded preliminary action levels; specifically, contaminants of concern (COCs) included benzo(a) pyrene in a septic tank integrity sample associated with Septic Tank 33-1A of Septic Waste System 1, and arsenic in a soil sample associated with Septic Waste System 5. During this investigation, three Corrective Action Objectives (CAOs) were identified to prevent or mitigate exposure to contents of the septic tanks and distribution box, to subsurface soil containing COCs, and the spread of COCs beyond the CAU. Based on these CAOs, a review of existing data, future use, and current operations in Area 3 of the TTR, three CAAs were developed for consideration: Alternative 1 - No Further Action; Alternative 2 - Closure in Place with Administrative Controls; and Alternative 3 - Clean Closure by Excavation and Disposal. These alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of the evaluation, the preferred CAA was Alternative 3. This alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will eliminate potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated soils at the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5.

Decision making using AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and fuzzy set theory in waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, J.Y.; Lee, K.J.; Kim, C.D.

1995-01-01

The major problem is how to consider the differences in opinions, when many experts are involved in decision making process. This paper provides a simple general methodology to treat the differences in various opinions. The authors determined the grade of membership through the process of magnitude estimation derived from pairwise comparisons and AHP developed by Saaty. They used fuzzy set theory to consider the differences in opinions and obtain the priorities for each alternative. An example, which can be applied to radioactive waste management, also was presented. The result shows a good agreement with the results of averaging methods

Waste retrieval plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-03-01

The US DOE has prepared this plan to meet the requirements of Public Law 102579, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) LWA, The purpose. is to demonstrate readiness to retrieve from the WIPP underground transuranic radioactive waste that will be used for testing should retrieval be needed. The WIPP, a potential geologic repository for transuranic wastes generated in national-defense activities, has been constructed in southeastern New Mexico. Because the transuranic wastes will remain radioactive for a very long time, the WIPP must reasonably ensure safe performance over thousands of years. The DOE therefore decided to develop the facility in phases, to preclude premature decisions and to conduct the performance assessments needed to demonstrate long-term safety. Surface facilities for receiving waste have been built, and considerable underground excavation, 2150 feet below the surface, has been completed. The next step is a test phase, including underground experiments called ''bin tests'' and ''alcove test(s)'' with contact-handled transuranic waste. The objective of these waste tests is to collect relevant data about the gas-generation potential and volatile organic compound (VOC) source term of the waste for developing a basis for demonstrating long term safety by compliance with the applicable disposal regulations (40 CFR 191, 264 and 268). The test phase will end when a decision is made to begin disposal in the WIPP or to terminate the project if regulatory compliance cannot be determined and demonstrated. Authorization to receive transuranic waste at the WIPP for the test phase is given by the WIPP LWA provided certain requirements are met

Plans for Managing Hanford Remote Handled Transuranic (TRU) Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MCKENNEY, D.E.

2001-01-01

The current Hanford Site baseline and life-cycle waste forecast predicts that approximately 1,000 cubic meters of remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste will be generated by waste management and environmental restoration activities at Hanford. These 1,000 cubic meters, comprised of both transuranic and mixed transuranic (TRUM) waste, represent a significant portion of the total estimated inventory of RH-TRU to be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). A systems engineering approach is being followed to develop a disposition plan for each RH-TRU/TRUM waste stream at Hanford. A number of significant decision-making efforts are underway to develop and finalize these disposition plans, including: development and approval of a RH-TRU/TRUM Waste Project Management Plan, revision of the Hanford Waste Management Strategic Plan, the Hanford Site Options Study (''Vision 2012''), the Canyon Disposal Initiative Record-of-Decision, and the Hanford Site Solid (Radioactive and Hazardous) Waste Program Environmental Impact Statement (SW-EIS). Disposition plans may include variations of several options, including (1) sending most RH-TRU/TRUM wastes to WIPP, (2) deferrals of waste disposal decisions in the interest of both efficiency and integration with other planned decision dates and (3) disposition of some materials in place consistent with Department of Energy Orders and the regulations in the interest of safety, risk minimization, and cost. Although finalization of disposition paths must await completion of the aforementioned decision documents, significant activities in support of RH-TRU/TRUM waste disposition are proceeding, including Hanford participation in development of the RH TRU WIPP waste acceptance criteria, preparation of T Plant for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel sludge, sharing of technology information and development activities in cooperation with the Mixed Waste Focus Area, RH-TRU technology demonstrations and deployments, and

A Framework for Treating Uncertainty to Facilitate Waste Disposal Decision Making - Application of the Approach to GCD Performance Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, T.J.; Cochran, J.R.; Gallegos, D.P.

1999-01-01

This paper presents an approach for treating uncertainty in the performance assessment process to efficiently address regulatory performance objectives for radioactive waste disposal and discusses the application of the approach at the Greater Confinement Disposal site. In this approach, the performance assessment methodology uses probabilistic risk assessment concepts to guide effective decisions about site characterization activities and provides a path toward reasonable assurance regarding regulatory compliance decisions. Although the approach is particularly amenable to requirements that are probabilistic in nature, the approach is also applicable to deterministic standards such as the dose-based and concentration-based requirements

Unearthing Secrets of the Forest

Science.gov (United States)

Beldin, Sarah I.; Perakis, Steven S.

2009-01-01

Forests are a defining feature for large areas of the Pacific northwestern United States from northern California to Alaska. Coniferous temperate rainforests in the western Cascade and coastal mountain ranges are appreciated for their aesthetic value and abundant natural resources. Few people recognize the riches beneath the forest floor; yet, soil is a key ecosystem component that makes each type of forest unique. Soils harbor immense biological diversity and control the release of water and nutrients that support life above ground. Understanding how carbon and nutrients cycle in forests, known as forest biogeochemistry, is crucial for evaluating forest productivity, composition, diversity, and change. At the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, research in the Terrestrial Ecosystems Laboratory focuses on nutrient cycling in five themes: climate change, nutrition and sustainability, fire effects, restoration, and forest-stream linkages. This research is essential to understand the entire forest ecosystem and to use the best science available to make informed policy and management decisions.

Determining the number of samples required for decisions concerning remedial actions at hazardous waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skiles, J.L.; Redfearn, A.; White, R.K.

1991-01-01

An important consideration for every risk analyst is how many field samples should be taken so that scientifically defensible decisions concerning the need for remediation of a hazardous waste site can be made. Since any plausible remedial action alternative must, at a minimum, satisfy the condition of protectiveness of human and environmental health, we propose a risk-based approach for determining the number of samples to take during remedial investigations rather than using more traditional approaches such as considering background levels of contamination or federal or state cleanup standards

The climate and the forest - basis for national research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonesson, Johan

2006-01-01

This report describes a proposed interdisciplinary research program to develop support tools to help decision-makers in forestry to adapt forest management practices to meet challenges posed by anticipated, but uncertain, climatic changes. The Climate and the forest Committee at the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA) invited around 30 scientists from different disciplines to a two-day workshop. During the workshop objectives, goals, and methods for a research program were formulated. The participants of the workshop subsequently made contributions to this document, which has been completed by the four named editors. Climate changes would inevitably affect Swedish forestry. The forests have a direct effect on the climate and forestry may have to adapt to the new conditions. Uncertainties about the future climate pose new challenges for forest management of which we have no experience. To support decision-making in this new situation we need new knowledge as well as rational methods to handle uncertainty and risk. Despite uncertainties in the climate scenarios and lack of knowledge about the responses of forests to likely climatic changes, we can still predict some probable effects of anticipated warming on the Swedish forests. Increased potential for biomass production can be expected, as well as greater opportunities to utilise new tree species in commercial forestry. At the same time, the risks for several kind of damage is likely to increase. The basic assumption underlying this research program is that knowledge of likely climate changes and associated uncertainties will increase the possibility to achieve forestry objectives. We advocate a research program consisting of the following three modules, each focusing on different aspects of these issues: Module 1 FORESTRY with the objectives to: Develop a framework to handle uncertainty and risks in forestry. Develop decision-maps that systematically describe the consequences of both single and

Hyperspectral forest monitoring and imaging implications

Science.gov (United States)

Goodenough, David G.; Bannon, David

2014-05-01

The forest biome is vital to the health of the earth. Canada and the United States have a combined forest area of 4.68 Mkm2. The monitoring of these forest resources has become increasingly complex. Hyperspectral remote sensing can provide a wealth of improved information products to land managers to make more informed decisions. Research in this area has demonstrated that hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to create more accurate products for forest inventory (major forest species), forest health, foliar biochemistry, biomass, and aboveground carbon. Operationally there is a requirement for a mix of airborne and satellite approaches. This paper surveys some methods and results in hyperspectral sensing of forests and discusses the implications for space initiatives with hyperspectral sensing

Open absorption heat pump for waste heat utilization in the forest industry. A study of technical and economic potential; Oeppen absorptionsvaermepump foer uppgradering av spillvaerme fraan skogsindustrin. Studie av teknisk och ekonomisk potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Westermark, Mats; Vidlund, Anna

2006-02-15

Waste heat from the forest industry is mainly humid air or humid flue gases with somewhat too low dew point for direct use as district heating or for other qualified purposes. Upgrading of the temperature by heat pumps is thus often necessary for the full use of the waste heat. This study evaluates an open absorption heat, based on hygroscopic condensation. The hygroscopic condenser has the potential to replace mechanical heat pumps or conventional absorption heat pumps (based on lithium bromide) for the upgrading of heat from humid gases. The goal for the project is to evaluate technology and potential for an open absorption heat pump for heat recovery from humid gases in the forest industry. In an open heat pump the humid gas is brought in direct contact with the hygroscopic liquid (whereas a conventional heat pump uses an intermediate circuit with evaporation of water in the evaporator). The direct contact makes it possible to recover the heat at a higher temperature than the dew point of the humid gas without the use of evaporator. The target group for the study is the forest industry and its suppliers of technology and knowledge. The study has been carried out in cooperation with representatives from the forest industry and from suppliers of equipment. The study shows that the forest industry has good potential to upgrade waste heat from humid air to district heating. The waste heat can be extracted from various humid gases such as exit air from paper machines, wood driers, green liquid quenchers and flue gases from soda boilers, mesa kilns, bark-fired boilers and gas engines. Hygroscopic condensation is considered to give economic and environmental advantages compared to conventional absorption heat pumps due to much less consumption of driving heat. An interesting special case is the regeneration of the hygroscopic medium by direct contact with hot flue gases and for this application a patent application has been filed. Upgrading of waste heat to process

Radioactive waste management policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, R.W.

1983-06-01

The speaker discusses the development of government policy regarding radioactive waste disposal in Canada, indicates overall policy objectives, and surveys the actual situation with respect to radioactive wastes in Canada. He also looks at the public perceptions of the waste management situation and how they relate to the views of governmental decision makers

Regeneration decisions in forestry under climate change related uncertainties and risks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Erik; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark; Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl

2015-01-01

) assigned to each outcome. Results show that the later a forest manager expects to obtain certainty about climate change or the more skewed their belief distribution, the more will decisions be based on ex ante assessments — suggesting that if forest managers believe that climate change uncertainty......Future climate development and its effects on forest ecosystems are not easily predicted or described in terms of standard probability concepts. Nevertheless, forest managers continuously make long-term decisions that will be subject to climate change impacts. The manager's assessment of possible...... to generate a set of alternative outcomes, investigating effects on decision making of three aspects of uncertainty: (i) the perceived time horizon before there will be certainty on outcome, (ii) the spread of impacts across the set of alternative outcomes, and (iii) the subjective probability (belief...

Forest Inventory-based Projection Systems for Wood and Biomass Availability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barreiro, Susana; Schelhaas, M.; McRoberts, Ronald E.; Kändler, Gerald

2017-01-01

Well-managed forests and woodlands are a renewable resource, producing essential
raw material with minimum waste and energy use. Rich in habitat and species diversity, forests may contribute to increased ecosystem stability. They can absorb the effects of unwanted deposition and other

Pleurotus pulmonarius cultivation on amended palm press fibre waste

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bola

2015-05-13

May 13, 2015 ... waste, prevention of environmental pollution problems and conversion of low quality waste biomasses ... forests and farmland for sale in Africa (Onuoha et al., ..... maize in the absence of synthetic fertilizers (Nottidge et.

VALDOR. Values in decisions on risk. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Kjell

1999-12-01

This symposium is devoted to decision-making in controversial projects, specifically the need for transparency in risk assessment and decision processes. It should support the further development of transparent decision processes through contribution and cross-fertilisation between different areas of decision making. The sponsoring organisations of the symposium are all active in radioactive waste management, in which risk assessment is a key function. Traditionally, risk assessment has been the domain solely of experts in the different areas of science and technology. However, as radioactive waste programmes in the various countries proceed toward decisions on, for example, site selection, local communities and members of the public are becoming increasingly involved. We must appreciate that moral and ethical values held by individuals and societies in general are equally important as impersonal factual considerations. This is why the name VALDOR, meaning VALues in Decisions On Risk, has been chosen for the symposium. We may even discover that some of the underlying assumptions in seemingly neutral risk assessments are based on value judgements. It is crucial to have procedures that to the extent possible can identify the factual issues and the value issues in the decision-making process. The controversy surrounding the long-term disposal of radioactive waste provides opportunity for discussing these issues. Such discussions, however, should not be limited to radioactive waste, since the issues are relevant to decision making in modern society in a much broader context. Our hope is therefore that the symposium will draw participants also from other areas where decision-making depends on a multitude of disciplines and values. The ultimate goal will be to look at ways to develop more transparent decision processes in a democratic society. We hope the meeting will lead us in this direction. (48 conference contributions have been separately indexed)

Chestnut green waste composting for sustainable forest management: Microbiota dynamics and impact on plant disease control.

Science.gov (United States)

Ventorino, Valeria; Parillo, Rita; Testa, Antonino; Viscardi, Sharon; Espresso, Francesco; Pepe, Olimpia

2016-01-15

Making compost from chestnut lignocellulosic waste is a possible sustainable management strategy for forests that employs a high-quality renewable organic resource. Characterization of the microbiota involved in composting is essential to better understand the entire process as well as the properties of the final product. Therefore, this study investigated the microbial communities involved in the composting of chestnut residues obtained from tree cleaning and pruning. The culture-independent approach taken highlighted the fact that the microbiota varied only slightly during the process, with the exception of those of the starting substrate and mature compost. The statistical analysis indicated that most of the bacterial and fungal species in the chestnut compost persisted during composting. The dominant microbial population detected during the process belonged to genera known to degrade recalcitrant lignocellulosic materials. Specifically, we identified fungal genera, such as Penicillium, Fusarium, Cladosporium, Aspergillus and Mucor, and prokaryotic species affiliated with Bacilli, Actinobacteria, Flavobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria. The suppressive properties of compost supplements for the biocontrol of Sclerotinia minor and Rhizoctonia solani were also investigated. Compared to pure substrate, the addition of compost to the peat-based growth substrates resulted in a significant reduction of disease in tomato plants of up to 70 % or 51 % in the presence of Sclerotinia minor or Rhizoctonia solani, respectively. The obtained results were related to the presence of putative bio-control agents and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria belonging to the genera Azotobacter, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Bacillus, Flavobacterium, Streptomyces and Actinomyces in the chestnut compost. The composting of chestnut waste may represent a sustainable agricultural practice for disposing of lignocellulosic waste by transforming it into green waste compost that can be used to

The role of knowledge management tools in supporting sustainable forest management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Vacik

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Aim of study: Knowledge Management (KM tools facilitate the implementation of knowledge processes by identifying, creating, structuring, and sharing knowledge through use of information technology in order to improve decision-making. In this contribution, we review the way in which KM tools and techniques are used in forest management, and categorize a selected set of them according to their contribution to support decision makers in the phases of problem identification, problem modelling, and problem solving.Material and Methods: Existing examples of cognitive mapping tools, web portals, workflow systems, best practices, and expert systems as well as intelligent agents are screened for their applicability and use in the context of decision support for sustainable forest management. Evidence from scientific literature and case studies is utilized to evaluate the contribution of the different KM tools to support problem identification, problem modelling, and problem solving.Main results: Intelligent agents, expert systems and cognitive maps support all phases of the forest planning process strongly. Web based tools have good potential to support participatory forest planning. Based on the needs of forest management decision support and the thus-far underutilized capabilities of KM tools it becomes evident that future decision analysis will have to consider the use of KM more intensively. Research highlights: As the problem-solving process is the vehicle for connecting both knowledge and decision making performance, the next generation of DSS will need to better encapsulate practices that enhance and promote knowledge management. Web based tools will substitute desktop applications by utilizing various model libraries on the internet.Keywords: best practices; cognitive mapping; expert systems; intelligent agents; web portals; workflow systems; Decision Support Systems. 

Siting a municipal solid waste disposal facility, part II: the effects of external criteria on the final decision.

Science.gov (United States)

Korucu, M Kemal; Karademir, Aykan

2014-02-01

The procedure of a multi-criteria decision analysis supported by the geographic information systems was applied to the site selection process of a planning municipal solid waste management practice based on twelve different scenarios. The scenarios included two different decision tree modes and two different weighting models for three different area requirements. The suitability rankings of the suitable sites obtained from the application of the decision procedure for the scenarios were assessed by a factorial experimental design concerning the effect of some external criteria on the final decision of the site selection process. The external criteria used in the factorial experimental design were defined as "Risk perception and approval of stakeholders" and "Visibility". The effects of the presence of these criteria in the decision trees were evaluated in detail. For a quantitative expression of the differentiations observed in the suitability rankings, the ranking data were subjected to ANOVA test after a normalization process. Then the results of these tests were evaluated by Tukey test to measure the effects of external criteria on the final decision. The results of Tukey tests indicated that the involvement of the external criteria into the decision trees produced statistically meaningful differentiations in the suitability rankings. Since the external criteria could cause considerable external costs during the operation of the disposal facilities, the presence of these criteria in the decision tree in addition to the other criteria related to environmental and legislative requisites could prevent subsequent external costs in the first place.

Operator models for delivering municipal solid waste management services in developing countries: Part B: Decision support.

Science.gov (United States)

Soós, Reka; Whiteman, Andrew D; Wilson, David C; Briciu, Cosmin; Nürnberger, Sofia; Oelz, Barbara; Gunsilius, Ellen; Schwehn, Ekkehard

2017-08-01

This is the second of two papers reporting the results of a major study considering 'operator models' for municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in emerging and developing countries. Part A documents the evidence base, while Part B presents a four-step decision support system for selecting an appropriate operator model in a particular local situation. Step 1 focuses on understanding local problems and framework conditions; Step 2 on formulating and prioritising local objectives; and Step 3 on assessing capacities and conditions, and thus identifying strengths and weaknesses, which underpin selection of the operator model. Step 4A addresses three generic questions, including public versus private operation, inter-municipal co-operation and integration of services. For steps 1-4A, checklists have been developed as decision support tools. Step 4B helps choose locally appropriate models from an evidence-based set of 42 common operator models ( coms); decision support tools here are a detailed catalogue of the coms, setting out advantages and disadvantages of each, and a decision-making flowchart. The decision-making process is iterative, repeating steps 2-4 as required. The advantages of a more formal process include avoiding pre-selection of a particular com known to and favoured by one decision maker, and also its assistance in identifying the possible weaknesses and aspects to consider in the selection and design of operator models. To make the best of whichever operator models are selected, key issues which need to be addressed include the capacity of the public authority as 'client', management in general and financial management in particular.

The Evolving Image and Role of the Regulator in Societal Decision Making for the Long-term Management of Radioactive Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, Carmen Ruiz; Pescatore, Claudio

2003-01-01

Institutions involved in long-term management of radioactive waste are facing a rapidly evolving environment stemming from societal changes, the new information technology, new roles for media, etc. This is taking place at the same time as some national programmes are in transition from research and development to site selection and implementation of a repository, whilst others are reviewing and defining their policies in the waste management area. As in many environmental areas, a demand for public participation in decision-making leads to a need for new approaches to involving stakeholders. The NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) has identified Public Perception and Confidence as one of the strategic areas where progress would be of most benefit to the further development of radioactive waste management programmes. The Committee intends to promote common understanding amongst its institutional members and provide bases for enhanced dialogue amongst all interested parties. In this light, the RWMC launched the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC). The FSC is intended to keep under review the worldwide experience of its participating organisations in outreach programs, to identify and examine stakeholder confidence issues, to distil the lessons that can be learnt and to help prepare the dialogue across institutional and non-institutional boundaries. The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) has carried out an intense and fruitful activity since its inauguration in August 2000. The alternation of workshops with FSC plenary meetings to analyse the lessons learnt has proved to be highly efficient, providing: A wide range of views by stakeholders, including implementers, regulators, policy makers, representatives of municipalities, oversight bodies, academics, and NGOs. A productive interaction between technical experts and experts in social sciences. Culture, politics, and history vary from country to country, providing differing contexts for

Efficient recovery and upgrading of waste heat from humid air in the forest industry. Pre-feasibility study; Energieffektivisering inom skogsindustrin genom spillvaermeaatervinning fraan vaatluft. Foerprojektering och loensamhetsbedoemning av anlaeggningsalternativ

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ingman, Daniel; Gustafsson, Maria; Westermark, Mats

2007-12-15

efficiency for the heat upgrading process. The project was started with a questionnaire to the forest industry, including questions on temperature requirements for the upgraded heat. Out of 16 addressed and evaluated industries, three were selected for a more in-deep assessment. The following mills were selected: Braviken, Froevi and Malaa saw mill. Cost effective process solutions production of both process steam and district heating were studied for a number of waste heat sources. Upgraded waste heat is primary considered on the level of 85-90 deg C, but also hot water and process steam on 1-3 bar level. Waste heat sources evaluated in the techno-economic assessment are paper machine outlet, flue gases from power and recovery boilers as well as from lumber dryers. The results within every category are considered to be relatively general for similar companies in the forest industry. For all cases, a heat factor (coefficient of performance) 1.5-1.7 is calculated, i.e. the relation between upgraded waste heat (when applicable also incl. process steam) and the driving steam. A feasibility study for the three industries was carried out for four different process solutions for a pre-fabricated module of approximately 5 MW upgraded waste heat capacity. The investment cost for these modules was calculated to MSEK 14-19 on a +-30% level. The specific investment cost in relation to the upgraded waste heat capacity, varies between SEK 2,700 and 3,700 per kW of useful heat. The economic assessment shows a payback time under 2 years for three of the four processes that produce hot water and LLP steam. The forth process, for upgrading waste heat to LP steam (3 bara) via steam compression, is not profitable with the present assumptions. With the current energy costs there are no incentives to upgrade waste heat to LP steam with an absorption heat pump and steam compression. The study has shown that this novel absorption heat pump technology has technical and economical potential to

The role of knowledge management tools in supporting sustainable forest management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vacik, H.; Torresan, C.; Hujala, T.; Khadka, C.; Reynolds, K.

2013-07-01

Aim of study: Knowledge Management (KM) tools facilitate the implementation of knowledge processes by identifying, creating, structuring, and sharing knowledge through use of information technology in order to improve decision-making. In this contribution, we review the way in which KM tools and techniques are used in forest management, and categorize a selected set of them according to their contribution to support decision makers in the phases of problem identification, problem modelling, and problem solving. Material and methods: Existing examples of cognitive mapping tools, web portals, work flow systems, best practices, and expert systems as well as intelligent agents are screened for their applicability and use in the context of decision support for sustainable forest management. Evidence from scientific literature and case studies is utilized to evaluate the contribution of the different KM tools to support problem identification, problem modelling, and problem solving. Main results: Intelligent agents, expert systems and cognitive maps support all phases of the forest planning process strongly. Web based tools have good potential to support participatory forest planning. Based on the needs of forest management decision support and the thus-far under utilized capabilities of KM tools it becomes evident that future decision analysis will have to consider the use of KM more intensively. Research highlights: As the problem-solving process is the vehicle for connecting both knowledge and decision making performance, the next generation of DSS will need to better encapsulate practices that enhance and promote knowledge management. Web based tools will substitute desktop applications by utilizing various model libraries on the internet. (Author)

Decision support tools for evaluation and selection of technologies for soil remediation and disposal of halogenated waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khelifi, O.; Zinovyev, S.; Lodolo, A.; Vranes, S.; Miertus, S. [ICS-UNIDO, Trieste (Italy)

2004-09-15

One of the most justified demands in abating the pollution created by polychlorinated substances is the remediation of contaminated sites, mainly soil remediation, which is also the most complex technical task in removing pollution because of the necessity to process huge quantities of matrix and to account for numerous side factors. The commercial technologies are usually based on rather direct and simplified but also secure processes, which often approach remediation in a general way, where different types of pollutants can be decontaminated at the same time by each technology. A number of different soil remediation technologies are nowadays available and the continuous competition among environmental service companies and technology developers generates a further increase in the clean-up options. The demand for decision support tools that could help decision makers in selecting the most appropriate technology for the specific contaminated site has consequently increased. These decision support tools (DST) are designed to help decision makers (site owners, local community representatives, environmentalists, regulators, etc.) to assess available technologies and preliminarily select the preferred remedial options. The analysis for the identification of the most suitable options in the DST is based on technical, economic, environmental, and social criteria. These criteria are ranked by all parties involved in the decision process to determine their relative importance for a particular remediation project. The aim of the present paper is to present the new approach for building decision support tool to evaluate different technologies for remediation and disposal of halogenated waste.

Applying a life cycle decision methodology to Fernald waste management alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuracko, K.L.; Gresalfi, M.; Yerace, P.

1996-01-01

During the past five years, a number of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded efforts have demonstrated the technical efficacy of converting various forms of radioactive scrap metal (RSM) into useable products. From the development of large accelerator shielding blocks, to the construction of low-level waste containers, technology has been applied to this fabrication process in a safe and stakeholder supported manner. The potential health and safety risks to both workers and the public have been addressed. The question remains: can products be fabricated from RSM in a cost efficient and market competitive manner? This paper presents a methodology for use within DOE to evaluate the costs and benefits of recycling and reusing some RSM, rather than disposing of this RSM in an approved burial site. This life cycle decision methodology, developed by both the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and DOE Fernald, is the focus of the following analysis

Trends in decision making for the siting of waste management facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vari, A.

2000-01-01

Over the last two decades a number of research studies on waste management facility siting have been produced. A Facility Siting Credo exists (Kunreuther et al., 1993). It identifies a comprehensive set of criteria for successful siting, but relationships between them (complementary, conflicting) have not been investigated. An attempt has been made to identify a conceptual framework which helps to structure siting criteria based on Competing Values Approach (CVA) to organisational analysis (Quinn and Rohrbaugh, 1983). Competing values include goal-centred, data-based, participatory, and adaptable processes, as well as efficient, accountable, supportable, and legitimate decisions. Case studies: Analysing LLRW disposal facility siting processes in the US (California, Illinois, Nebraska, New York, and Texas), Canada, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland (1980-1993) by using the CVA framework (Vari et al., 1994). Analysis of LALW siting processes in Hungary (1985-99) (Juhasz et al., 1993; Ormai et al., 1998; Ormai, 1999). (author)

Performance assessment in support of the 1996 compliance certification application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: A decision analysis perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helton, J.C.; Basabilvazo, G.

1998-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is under development by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic disposal of transuranic waste. The primary regulatory requirements (i.e., 40 CFR 191 and 40 CFR 194) placed on the WIPP by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) involve a complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) for normalized radionuclide releases to the accessible environment. The interpretation and use of this CCDF from a decision analysis perspective is discussed and illustrated with results from the 1996 performance assessment for the WIPP, which was carried out to support a compliance certification application by the DOE to the EPA for the WIPP

Decision Document for Heat Removal from High-Level Waste Tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WILLIS, W.L.

2000-01-01

This document establishes the combination of design and operational configurations that will be used to provide heat removal from high-level waste tanks during Phase 1 waste feed delivery to prevent the waste temperature from exceeding tank safety requirement limits. The chosen method--to use the primary and annulus ventilation systems to remove heat from the high-level waste tanks--is documented herein

Decision support system for the optimal location of electrical and electronic waste treatment plants: A case study in Greece

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Achillas, Ch.; Vlachokostas, Ch.; Moussiopoulos, N.; Banias, G.

2010-01-01

Environmentally sound end-of-life management of Electrical and Electronic Equipment has been realised as a top priority issue internationally, both due to the waste stream's continuously increasing quantities, as well as its content in valuable and also hazardous materials. In an effort to manage Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), adequate infrastructure in treatment and recycling facilities is considered a prerequisite. A critical number of such plants are mandatory to be installed in order: (i) to accommodate legislative needs, (ii) decrease transportation cost, and (iii) expand reverse logistics network and cover more areas. However, WEEE recycling infrastructures require high expenditures and therefore the decision maker need to be most precautious. In this context, special care should be given on the viability of infrastructure which is heavily dependent on facilities' location. To this end, a methodology aiming towards optimal location of Units of Treatment and Recycling is developed, taking into consideration economical together with social criteria, in an effort to interlace local acceptance and financial viability. For the decision support system's needs, ELECTRE III is adopted as a multicriteria analysis technique. The methodology's applicability is demonstrated with a real-world case study in Greece.

Family forest owners and federal taxes

Science.gov (United States)

John L. Greene; Brett J. Butler; Paul F. Catanzaro; Jaketon H. Hewes; Michael A. Kilgore; David B. Kittredge; Zhao Ma; Mary L. Tyrrell

2014-01-01

Focus groups were conducted with family forest owners to investigate the effect of government tax policies on their decisions regarding their land. Two groups each were held in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Washington, USA, one with owners enrolled in the state preferential property tax program for forested land and one with owners who were not...

Forest Resilience, Biodiversity, and Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

I. Thompson; B. Mackey; S. McNulty; A. Mosseler

2009-01-01

This paper reviews the concepts of ecosystem resilience, resistance, and stability in forests and their relationship to biodiversity, with particular reference to climate change. The report is a direct response to a request by the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD, in decision IX/51, to explore the links between biodiversity, forest ecosystem...

Radiological survey of the low-level radioactive waste burial site at the Palos Forest Preserve, Illinois

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayes, K.A.

1982-01-01

Two landfill sites containing low-level radioactive waste material, Site A and Plot M, are located 14 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois in the Palos Forest Preserve. Site A is the former location of the Argonne National Laboratory. Buried at Site A in 1956 were the dismantled reactor shells, building walls, and cooling towers from three of the world's first nuclear reactors. Plot M was used from 1943 to 1949 for burial of low-level radioactive wastes derived from Site A operations and from the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory. Tritiated water was detected in 1973 in some of the Forest Preserve picnic wells located 500 to 1000 yards north of Plot M. An extensive surveillance program was initiated in 1976 to: (1) study the elevated tritium content of some picnic wells and its observed seasonal fluctuations, (2) establish if other radionuclides buried in Plot M or remaining at Site A have migrated, (3) establish the rate of groundwater movement in the glacial till and underlying dolomite aquifer, (4) determine the tritium content of the till and aquifer, and (5) predict future tritium levels in the well water. Several test wells were installed in the soil and dolomite bedrock to monitor radioactivity in groundwater, measure water levels, and provide other geohydrological information. Tritium has migrated from the Plot M burial trenches into the surrounding drift. The tritium plume, the contaminated zone in the drift in which tritium concentrations exceed 10 nanocuries per liter of water (nCi/L), has migrated at least 165 feet horizontally northward and 130 feet vertically downward to the bedrock surface. Small amounts of other radionuclides - uranium, plutonium, and strontium-90 - have been found in boreholes beneath the concrete cap covering Plot M, but not in the subsoil outside of the Plot. The radionuclide concentrations found to date are too low to result in any measureable radiation exposure to the public

Kelp forest monitoring 1993 annual report. Channel Islands National Park. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kushner, D.; Walder, R.; Gorodezky, L.; Lerma, D.; Richards, D.

1993-06-01

The 1993 results of the Channel Islands National Park Kelp Forest Monitoring Project are described in this report. Population dynamics of 68 taxa or categories of algea, fish, and invertebrates were measured at 16 permanent sites around the five islands within the park. Survey techniques utilized SCUBA and surface-supplied-air, and included quadrats, band transects, random contacts, fish transects, video transects, size frequency measurements, artificial recruitment modules, and species list surveys. Temperature data was collected using Sea Data batheothermographs, and HOBOTEMP temperature loggers. Temperature loggers were installed at each of the sixteen sites. Size frequency measurements were taken from artifical recruitment modules at nine sites. In 1993, 13 sites had giant kelp, Macrocysts pyrifera, forests, one site was dominated by the aggregating red sea cucumber, pachythyone rubra, one site was dominated by red sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, and another by purple sea urchins, S. purpuratus. The 13 sites with kelp forests consisted of 10 mature and three young kelp forests. Wasting disease was observed in sea stars and wasting syndrome was apparent in sea urchins. Sea urchins wasting syndrome appears to have caused mass mortality of purple sea urchins, S. purpuratus, at two Santa Barbara Island sites.

Remote Assessment of Forest Ecosystem Stress (RAFES): Development of a Real Time Decision Support Tool for the Eastern U.S

Science.gov (United States)

Clinton, B.; Vose, J.; Novick, K.; Liu, Y.

2011-12-01

Drier and warmer conditions predicted with climate change models are likely to significantly impact forest ecosystems over the next several decades. The U.S. has experienced significant droughts over the past several years that have increased the susceptibility of forests to insect outbreaks, disease, and wildfire. Weather data collected with traditional approaches provide an indirect measure of drought or temperature stress; however, the significance of short-term or prolonged climate-related stress varies considerably across the landscape as topography, elevations, edaphic condition and antecedent conditions vary. This limits the capacity of land managers to anticipate and initiate management activities that could offset the impacts of climate-related forest stress. Decision support tools are needed that allow fine scale monitoring of stress conditions in forest ecosystems in real time to help land managers evaluate response strategies. To assist land managers in managing the impacts of climate change, we are developing a stress monitoring and decision support system across multiple sites in the eastern U.S. that (1) provides remote data capture of environmental parameters that quantify climate-related forest stress, (2) links remotely captured data with physiologically-based indices of tree water stress, and (3) provides a PC-based analytical tool for land managers to monitor and assess the severity of climate-related stress. Currently the network represents southern coastal plain pine plantation, Atlantic coastal flatwoods mixed pine-hardwood, southern piedmont upland mixed pine-hardwood, southern Appalachian dry ridge and mesic riparian, southern Arkansas managed mature pine, and northern Minnesota mature aspen. The strategy for selecting additional sites for the network will be a focus on at-risk ecosystems deemed particularly vulnerable to the affects of predicted climate change such as those in ecotonal transition regions, or those at the fringes of their

Assessment of health-care waste disposal methods using a VIKOR-based fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hu-Chen; Wu, Jing; Li, Ping

2013-12-01

Nowadays selection of the appropriate treatment method in health-care waste (HCW) management has become a challenge task for the municipal authorities especially in developing countries. Assessment of HCW disposal alternatives can be regarded as a complicated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem which requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. The objective of this paper is to present a new MCDM technique based on fuzzy set theory and VIKOR method for evaluating HCW disposal methods. Linguistic variables are used by decision makers to assess the ratings and weights for the established criteria. The ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers into a group assessment. The computational procedure of the proposed framework is illustrated through a case study in Shanghai, one of the largest cities of China. The HCW treatment alternatives considered in this study include "incineration", "steam sterilization", "microwave" and "landfill". The results obtained using the proposed approach are analyzed in a comparative way. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Empirical guidelines for forest management decision support systems based on the past experiences of the expert's community

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marques, A. F.; Ficko, A.; Kangas, A.; Rosset, C.; Ferreti, F.; Rasinmaki, J.; Packalen, T.; Gordom, S.

2013-09-01

Aim of the study: Decision support systems for forest management (FMDSS) have been developed world wide to account for a broad range of forest ecosystems, management goals and organizational frameworks (e.g. the wiki page of the FORSYS project reports 62 existing FMDSSs from 23 countries). The need to enhance the collaboration among this diverse community of developers and users fostered the rise of new group communication processes that could capture useful knowledge from past experiences in order to efficiently provide it to new FMDSS development efforts. Material and methods: This paper presents and tests an exploratory process aiming to identify the empirical guidelines assisting developers and users of FMDSS. This process encompasses a Delphi survey built upon the consolidation of the lessons-learned statements that summarize the past experiences of the experts involved in the FORSYS project. The experts come from 34 countries and have diverse interests, ranging from forest planners, IT developers, social scientists studying participatory planning, and researchers with interests in knowledge management and in quantitative models for forest planning. Main results: The proposed 37 empirical guidelines that group 102 lessons-learned cover a broad range of issues including the DSS development cycle, involvement of the stakeholders, methods, models and knowledge based techniques in use. Research highlights: These results may be used for improving new FMDSS development processes, teaching and training and further suggest new features of FMDSS and future research topics. Furthermore, the guidelines may constitute a knowledge repository that may be continuously improved by a community of practice. (Author)

The WIPP decision plan: Charting the course for openness in the decision making process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagers, J.

1992-01-01

In June of 1989, the Secretary of Energy requested that a plan be developed that would clearly outline the prerequisites to opening the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). It was to provide the basis for a decision making process that was not only visible to the public, but one which included public participation. It must also be dynamic enough to effectively deal with the changing legislative, regulatory, and technical environments. Based on a recognized need for openness, the Secretary's Draft Decision Plan was developed. The plan charted the course for ultimately making the decision to declare WIPP ready to receive waste for the start of test phase operations. It outlined to critics and supporters alike the rigorous and thorough process by which the internal decisions were made. The plan identified all internal prerequisites to the decision; charted the review cycles, and targeted the completion dates. It also outlined the processes outside the control of the Department, institutional issues, such as legislative land withdrawal, issuance of permits, and designation of transportation routes

Decision-Making Tool for Cost-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Wood Mobilisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matevž Triplat

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: With development of forest management technologies, the efficiency of wood production was significantly improved, and thus the impact on forests has changed as well. The article presents a practical decision-making tool for selection of most suitable harvesting system, considering given terrain as well as expected soil conditions on harvesting sites. The decision-making tool should support cost-efficient and environmentally friendly mobilisation of wood. Materials and Methods: The presented decision-making tool is based on ground bearing capacities (relevant environmental parameter and nominal ground pressure (harvesting system characteristics. Soil and terrain (slope characteristics were taken into account for selection of the most suitable harvesting system. Three-step methodological approach was suggested, where soil and terrain conditions were defined in first step, while harvesting system were described using wood process charts (“functiogramms” in second step. In final step ecological and technological requirements were matched. Results: To exemplify the three-step methodology, a decision-making tool was prepared for the three selected harvesting systems. The proposed harvesting systems differ in technological, ecological and economic aspects, but each is limited by at least one of the aspect. Conclusions: The decision-making tool in combination with the presented wood process charts (“functiogramms” can simplify and facilitate forest production planning, although it can also be used in case of unforeseen event e.g. changing of soil moisture, machinery failure and insufficient current capacities. Considering the envisaged quantities and types of forest wooden assortments, it is possible to use the decision-making tool for a basic selection of most appropriate harvesting systems. The main idea behind the suggested three step methodological approach is that forest workers can prepare individual decision

Life cycle assessments of energy from solid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finnveden, Goeran; Johansson, Jessica; Lind, Per; Moberg, Aasa [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Systems Ecology/Natural Resoruces Management Inst.]|[Defence Research Establishment, Stockholm (Sweden). Div. of Defence Analysis

2000-09-01

The overall aim of the present study is to evaluate different strategies for treatment of solid waste based on a life-cycle perspective. Important goals are to identify advantages and disadvantages of different methods for treatment of solid waste, and to identify critical factors in the systems, including the background systems, which may significantly influence the results. Included in the study are landfilling, incineration, recycling, digestion and composting. The waste fractions considered are the combustible and recyclable or compostable fractions of municipal solid waste. The methodology used is Life Cycle Assessment. The results can be used for policy decisions as well as strategic decisions on waste management systems.

A SPATIAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN CASPIAN HYRCANIAN MIXED FORESTS ECOREGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALI BALI

Full Text Available Ecotourism, as a form of sustainable nature-based tourism, promotes conservation of ecological and scenic values. In this study, a Spatial Decision Support System, SDSS, was developed based upon Multi Criteria Evaluation, MCE, for ecotourism development in the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests ecoregion, northern Iran. For this, important criteria and constraints for ecotourism development were shortlisted using the Delphi Method. The criteria were weighted using Analytical Hierarchy Process, AHP. The obtained results indicated that "distance from water resources", "land use", "slope", "soil", "climate", "distance from roads", "land cover density", "erosion", and "distance from residential areas" were the most important criteria, respectively. The findings suggest that GIS-based SDSS is suitable to engage the various criteria affecting the development of ecotourism destinations. This empirical research develops a new method that can significantly facilitate planning forecotourism development with respect to ecological capability of ecotourism destinations.

Computer models for economic and silvicultural decisions

Science.gov (United States)

Rosalie J. Ingram

1989-01-01

Computer systems can help simplify decisionmaking to manage forest ecosystems. We now have computer models to help make forest management decisions by predicting changes associated with a particular management action. Models also help you evaluate alternatives. To be effective, the computer models must be reliable and appropriate for your situation.

The logging waste as inexhaustible resource for alternative energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gryazkin Anatoliy V.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article shows that during the production and consumption of fuel wood for bioenergy projects in the organization of the Northwest and other regions of Russia there is the problem of lack of raw materials. It is established that the waste timber, during cutting on average, about 20% of the stock of standing timber. This value varies according to region, type forest resources and the skills, and technical equipment performer. Therefore, the main purpose of the article is a system evaluation of the use of forest residues in Russia. The authors present data on volumes of raw materials for production of wood chips and pellets on example, the Northwest region of Russia. Only about 30% of wood chips are now received from wood waste, bulk wood chips, and pellets produced from the wood of stems. Small volume of use of bark, twigs, branches, tops, stumps, and roots is due imperfection of processing technologies. Another important issue addressed in the article – the lack of standards and guides taxation inventory valuation and structure of the waste in many regions of Russia. This primarily relates to the hardwood. Research has shown that, depending on tree species, the structure and volume of waste are significantly different. Expert evaluation conducted by the authors shows that the proportion of forest residues from 5 to 20% of the stock of wood. It is found that in different forest types share twigs, branches, stumps, and roots vary considerably according to species of tree. But even within the forest reserves such as twigs, branches, and underground parts of the same species depend strongly on the age of stands and their completeness, and the differences may reach 2 to 5 times the size.

Capturing forest dependency in the central Himalayan region: Variations between Oak (Quercus spp.) and Pine (Pinus spp.) dominated forest landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Anusheema; Joshi, Pawan Kumar; Sachdeva, Kamna

2018-05-01

Our study explores the nexus between forests and local communities through participatory assessments and household surveys in the central Himalayan region. Forest dependency was compared among villages surrounded by oak-dominated forests (n = 8) and pine-dominated forests (n = 9). Both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate variations in the degree of dependency based on proximity to nearest forest type. Households near oak-dominated forests were more dependent on forests (83.8%) compared to households near pine-dominated forests (69.1%). Forest dependency is mainly subsistence-oriented for meeting basic household requirements. Livestock population, cultivated land per household, and non-usage of alternative fuels are the major explanatory drivers of forest dependency. Our findings can help decision and policy makers to establish nested governance mechanisms encouraging prioritized site-specific conservation options among forest-adjacent households. Additionally, income diversification with respect to alternate livelihood sources, institutional reforms, and infrastructure facilities can reduce forest dependency, thereby, allowing sustainable forest management.

Updating beliefs and combining evidence in adaptive forest management under climate change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yousefpour, Rasoul; Temperli, Christian; Bugmann, Harald

2013-01-01

We study climate uncertainty and how managers' beliefs about climate change develop and influence their decisions. We develop an approach for updating knowledge and beliefs based on the observation of forest and climate variables and illustrate its application for the adaptive management of an even...... variables may influence a decision maker's beliefs about climate development and thereby management decisions. While forest managers may be inclined to rely on observed forest variables to infer climate change and impacts, we found that observation of climate state, e.g. temperature or precipitation...... on when managers switch to forward-looking management schemes. Thus, robust climate adaptation policies may depend crucially on a better understanding of what factors influence managers' belief in climate change....

Mixed waste treatment at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, M.M.; Hunt, L.F.; Sanow, D.J.

1988-01-01

The Idaho Operations Office of the Department of Energy (DOE) made the decision in 1984 to prohibit the disposal of mixed waste (MW) (combustible waste-toxic metal waste) in the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facility. As a result of this decision and due to there being no EPA-permitted MW treatment/storage/disposal (T/S/D) facilities, the development of waste treatment methods for MW was initiated and a storage facility was established to store these wastes while awaiting development of treatment systems. This report discusses the treatment systems developed and their status. 3 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

A framework for identifying carbon hotspots and forest management drivers

Science.gov (United States)

Nilesh Timilsina; Francisco J. Escobedo; Wendell P. Cropper; Amr Abd-Elrahman; Thomas Brandeis; Sonia Delphin; Samuel Lambert

2013-01-01

Spatial analyses of ecosystem system services that are directly relevant to both forest management decision making and conservation in the subtropics are rare. Also, frameworks that identify and map carbon stocks and corresponding forest management drivers using available regional, national, and international-level forest inventory datasets could provide insights into...

A GIS-based decision support system for determining the shortest and safest route to forest fires: a case study in Mediterranean Region of Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Akay, Abdullah E; Wing, Michael G; Sivrikaya, Fatih; Sakar, Dursun

2012-03-01

The ability of firefighting vehicles and staff to reach a fire area as quickly as possible is critical in fighting against forest fires. In this study, a Geographical Information System-based decision support system was developed to assist fire managers in determining the fastest and the safest or more reliable access routes from firefighting headquarters to fire areas. The decision support system was tested in the Kahramanmaras Forestry Regional Directoratein the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The study area consisted of forested lands which had been classified according to fire sensitivity. The fire response routing simulations considered firefighting teams located in 20 firefighting headquarter locations. The road network, the locations of the firefighting headquarters, and possible fire locations were mapped for simulation analysis. In alternative application simulations, inaccessible roads which might be closed due to fire or other reasons were indicated in the network analysis so that the optimum route was not only the fastest but also the safest and most reliable path. The selection of which firefighting headquarters to use was evaluated by considering critical response time to potential fire areas based on fire sensitivity levels. Results indicated that new firefighting headquarters should be established in the region in order to provide sufficient firefighting response to all forested lands. In addition, building new fire access roads and increasing the design speed on current roads could also increase firefighting response capabilities within the study area.

A mixed-methods analysis of social-ecological feedbacks between urbanization and forest persistence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Todd BenDor

2014-09-01

Full Text Available We examined how social-ecological factors in the land-change decision-making process influenced neighboring decisions and trajectories of alternative landscape ecologies. We decomposed individual landowner decisions to conserve or develop forests in the rapidly growing Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. region, exposing and quantifying the effects of forest quality, and social and cultural dynamics. We tested the hypothesis that the intrinsic value of forest resources, e.g., cultural attachment to land, influence woodland owners' propensity to sell. Data were collected from a sample of urban, nonindustrial private forest (U-NIPF owners using an individualized survey design that spatially matched land-owner responses to the ecological and timber values of their forest stands. Cluster analysis (n = 126 revealed four woodland owner typologies with widely ranging views on the ecosystem, cultural, and historical values of their forests. Classification tree analysis revealed woodland owners' willingness to sell was characterized by nonlinear, interactive factors, including sense of place values regarding the retention of native vegetation, the size of forest holdings, their connectedness to nature, 'pressure' from surrounding development, and behavioral patterns, such as how often landowners visit their land. Several ecological values and economic factors were not found to figure in the decision to retain forests. Our study design is unique in that we address metropolitan forest persistence across urban-rural and population gradients using a unique individualized survey design that richly contextualizes survey responses. Understanding the interplay between policies and landowner behavior can also help resource managers to better manage and promote forest persistence. Given the region's paucity of policy tools to manage the type and amount of development, the mosaic of land cover the region currently enjoys is far from stable.

Opportunity costs of implementing forest plans

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Bruce; Keller, Mary Anne; Schlosberg, Andrew J.; Vlahovich, James E.

1989-01-01

Intellectual concern with the National Forest Management Act of 1976 has followed a course emphasizing the planning aspects of the legislation associated with the development of forest plans. Once approved, however, forest plans must be implemented. Due to the complex nature of the ecological systems of interest, and the multiple and often conflicting desires of user clientele groups, the feasibility and costs of implementing forest plans require immediate investigation. For one timber sale on the Coconino National Forest in Arizona, forest plan constraints were applied and resulting resource outputs predicted using the terrestrial ecosystem analysis and modeling system (TEAMS), a computer-based decision support system developed at the School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, With forest plan constraints for wildlife habitat, visual diversity, riparian area protection, and soil and slope harvesting restrictions, the maximum timber harvest obtainable was reduced 58% from the maximum obtainable without plan constraints.

Exploring interactions between payment for hydrologic service policies, landowner decisions, and ecohydrology in a Mexican cloud forest watershed: Is there a disconnect between the policy and the resource?

Science.gov (United States)

Asbjornsen, H.; Geissert, D.; Gomez-Tagle, A.; Holwerda, F.; Manson, R.; Perez-Maqueo, O.; Munoz-Villers, L.; Scullion, J.

2013-05-01

Payment for hydrologic service (PHS) programs are increasingly being used as a means to incentivize watershed protection by compensating upstream 'water producers' with payments made by downstream 'water consumers'. However, the effectiveness of PHS programs in achieving their target goals is often poorly understood. Here, we draw from insights obtained from socioeconomic and ecohydrological research in Veracruz, Mexico to explore interactions between PHS policies, landowner decisions, and hydrologic services. GIS analysis of land-cover changes during 2003-2009 combined with interviews of PHS participants indicated that despite lower deforestation rates on properties receiving PES payments, other factors were likely to have a greater influence on land use decisions than PHS payments per se, including opportunity costs and personal conservation ethic. The interviews also highlighted a general lack of trust and cooperation between the citizen participants and government administrators, which was reflected in the relatively low level of knowledge of the PHS programs' regulations and goals, the role of forests in protecting water resources, and a low level of co-financing by the private sector. An important premise of PHS programs is that protecting existing forest cover (and planting trees) will enhance water supply, especially in upland cloud forests that are due to their perceived role as water producers. Measurements of climate, steamflow, canopy fog interception, plant transpiration, soil water dynamics, and hydrologic flow paths were collected over a 3-year period to assess stand water balance and streamflow response under four different land covers: mature cloud forest, pasture, regenerating cloud forest, pine reforestation. Results suggested relatively minor additional inputs of fog to increasing streamflow in cloud forest watersheds, while conversion of forest to pasture did not markedly decrease dry season flows, but did increase annual flows due to lower

Marketing a national forest: the resource manager's dilemma

Science.gov (United States)

Howard A. Clonts; Jeffrey R. Hibbert

1995-01-01

National Forests throughout the United States are facing critical management decisions regarding optimal resource use amidst strong countervailing pressures for access. Visitors to Talladega National Forest in Alabama were surveyed to develop appropriate marketing strategies. Cluster analysis showed that separate homogeneous user groups exist. This information was...

Idaho forest carbon projections from 2017 to 2117 under forest disturbance and climate change scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Hudak, A. T.; Crookston, N.; Kennedy, R. E.; Domke, G. M.; Fekety, P.; Falkowski, M. J.

2017-12-01

Commercial off-the-shelf lidar collections associated with tree measures in field plots allow aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation with high confidence. Predictive models developed from such datasets are used operationally to map AGB across lidar project areas. We use a random selection of these pixel-level AGB predictions as training for predicting AGB annually across Idaho and western Montana, primarily from Landsat time series imagery processed through LandTrendr. At both the landscape and regional scales, Random Forests is used for predictive AGB modeling. To project future carbon dynamics, we use Climate-FVS (Forest Vegetation Simulator), the tree growth engine used by foresters to inform forest planning decisions, under either constant or changing climate scenarios. Disturbance data compiled from LandTrendr (Kennedy et al. 2010) using TimeSync (Cohen et al. 2010) in forested lands of Idaho (n=509) and western Montana (n=288) are used to generate probabilities of disturbance (harvest, fire, or insect) by land ownership class (public, private) as well as the magnitude of disturbance. Our verification approach is to aggregate the regional, annual AGB predictions at the county level and compare them to annual county-level AGB summarized independently from systematic, field-based, annual inventories conducted by the US Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program nationally. This analysis shows that when federal lands are disturbed the magnitude is generally high and when other lands are disturbed the magnitudes are more moderate. The probability of disturbance in corporate lands is higher than in other lands but the magnitudes are generally lower. This is consistent with the much higher prevalence of fire and insects occurring on federal lands, and greater harvest activity on private lands. We found large forest carbon losses in drier southern Idaho, only partially offset by carbon gains in wetter northern Idaho, due to anticipated climate change. Public and

Assessment of radiological properties of wastes from urban decontamination procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Da Silva, D.N.G.; Guimarães, J.R.D.; Rochedo, E.R.R.; Rochedo, P.R.R.; De Luca, C.

2015-01-01

One important activity associated to urban areas contaminated from accidental releases to the atmosphere of nuclear power plants is the management of radioactive wastes generated from decontamination procedures. This include the collection, conditioning, packing, transport and temporary/final disposition. The final destination is defined usually through a political decision. Thus, transport of packed radioactive wastes shall depend on decisions not just under the scope of radiological protection issues. However, the simulations performed to assess doses for the public and decontamination workers allows the estimate of radiological aspects related to the waste generated and these characteristics may be included in a multi-criteria decision tool aiming to support, under the radiological protection point of view, the decision-making process on post-emergency procedures. Important information to decision makers are the type, amount and activity concentration of wastes. This work describes the procedures to be included in the urban area model to account for the assessment of qualitative and quantitative description of wastes. The results will allow the classification of different procedures according to predefined criteria that shall then feed the multi-criteria assessment tool, currently under development, considering basic radiological protection aspects of wastes generated by the different available cleanup procedures on typical tropical urban environments. (authors)

Levels of uncertainty, decision making and risk communication: the siting of nuclear waste in France and the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poumadere, M.

1999-01-01

The social demand for increased risk control is considered here as it applies to nuclear waste management. Britain's Sellafield Repository Project and France's Mediation Mission to site underground research laboratories are compared. While both management approaches show evolution away from an authoritarian model of decision making and towards implementation of a more socially responsive model, distinct methods of dealing with scientific and social uncertainty appear as well. (author)

Levels of uncertainty, decision making and risk communication: the siting of nuclear waste in France and the United Kingdom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poumadere, M

1999-11-01

The social demand for increased risk control is considered here as it applies to nuclear waste management. Britain`s Sellafield Repository Project and France`s Mediation Mission to site underground research laboratories are compared. While both management approaches show evolution away from an authoritarian model of decision making and towards implementation of a more socially responsive model, distinct methods of dealing with scientific and social uncertainty appear as well. (author)

The Waswanipi Cree Model Forest: Demonstrating Aboriginal leadership in sustainable forest management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jolly, A.

1999-09-01

Experiences of the Waswanipi Cree community in being partners in sustainable forest management are discussed. The Waswanipi Cree Model Forest was designated as such in 1997. Since then, it has come to be seen as a forum for the community to express its needs, goals and objectives for the future, and as the first opportunity for the Cree community to exercise leadership and decision-making authority related to land management issues. The Waswanipi land is situated on the southernmost tip of eastern James Bay. It extends to some 35,000 sq km, divided into 52 family hunting territories, called traplines. Each trapline has a designated custodian, who is responsible for ensuring that wildlife is harvested in a sustainable manner. Community life is organized around the traplines, although families will sometimes temporarily relocate close to paid employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the purpose of employment is always to return to the bush, with sufficient materials and supplies to last the hunting and trapping season. Prior to the designation of the Model Forest, the major problems have been the rate and extent of forestry activities on Cree land by outside timber companies, the absence of opportunities for the Cree to have a meaningful role in decisions that impacted their future and the difficulties of convincing government experts and forestry companies to allow the Cree to bring their experience-based knowledge to bear on forest resource management issues. The manner in which the new partnership resulting from the designation of the Model Forest is opening the way to better understanding, mitigation of the negative effects of forestry operations on traplines, mediation of conflicts between trappers and forestry companies with timber licences on Waswanipi land, are described as one of the major achievements of the Model Forest Program. The rate and extent of cutting continues to be a problem, however, there are signs of a growing understanding among the timber

Possible global environmental impacts of solid waste practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, M.M.; Holter, G.M.; DeForest, T.J.; Stapp, D.C. [Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Dibari, J.C. [Heritage College, Toppenish, WA (United States)

1994-09-01

Pollutants resulting from the management of solid waste have been shown to affect the air, land, oceans, and waterways. In addition, solid wastes have other, more indirect impacts such as reduction in feedstocks of natural resources, because useful materials are disposed of rather than recycled. The objective of this study is to evaluate solid waste management practices that have negative implications on the global environment and develop recommendations for reducing such impacts. Recommendations identifying needed changes are identified that will reduce global impacts of solid waste practices in the future. The scope of this study includes the range of non-hazardous solid wastes produced within our society, including municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid waste (ISW), as well as industry-specific wastes from activities such as construction, demolition, and landclearing. Most solid waste management decisions continue to be made and implemented at very local levels, predominantly with a short-term focus to respond to relatively immediate pressures of landfill shortages, funding problems, political considerations, and the like. In this rush to address immediate local problems, little consideration is being given to potential impacts, either short- or long-term, at the national or global level resulting from solid waste management practices. More and more, the cumulative impacts from local decisions concerning solid waste management are beginning to manifest themselves in broader, longer-term impacts than are being addressed by the decision-makers or, at the very least, are presenting a greater and greater potential for such impacts.

Forests and competing land uses in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Allaway, James; Cox, Pamela M. J.

1989-03-01

Indigenous forests in Kenya, as in other developing countries, are under heavy pressure from competing agricultural land uses and from unsustainable cutting. The problem in Kenya is compounded by high population growth rates and an agriculturally based economy, which, even with efforts to control birth rates and industrialize, will persist into the next century. Both ecological and economic consequences of these pressures need to be considered in land-use decision making for land and forest management to be effective. This paper presents one way to combine ecological and economic considerations. The status of principal forest areas in Kenya is summarized and competing land uses compared on the basis of ecological functions and economic analysis. Replacement uses do not match the ecological functions of forest, although established stands of tree crops (forest plantations, fuel wood, tea) can have roughly comparable effects on soil and water resources. Indigenous forests have high, although difficult to estimate, economic benefits from tourism and protection of downstream agricultural productivity. Economic returns from competing land uses range widely, with tea having the highest and fuel wood plantations having returns comparable to some annual crops and dairying. Consideration of ecological and economic factors together suggests some trade-offs for improving land allocation decisions and several management opportunities for increasing benefits or reducing costs from particular land uses. The evaluation also suggests a general strategy for forest land management in Kenya.

Inventory decision in a closed-loop supply chain with inspection, sorting, and waste disposal

Science.gov (United States)

Dwicahyani, A. R.; Jauhari, W. A.; Kurdhi, N. A.

2016-02-01

The study of returned item inventory management in a closed-loop supply chain system has become an important issue in recent years. So far, investigations about inventory decision making in a closed-loop supply chain system have been confined to traditional forward and reverse oriented material flow supply chain. In this study, we propose an integrated inventory model consisting a supplier, a manufacturer, and a retailer where the manufacturer inspects all of the returned items collected from the customers and classifies them as recoverable or waste. Returned items that recovered through the remanufacturing process and the newly manufactured products are then used to meet the demand of the retailer. However, some recovered items which are not comparable to the ones in quality, classified as refurbished items, are sold to a secondary market at a reduced price. This study also suggests that the flow of returned items is controlled by a decision variable, namely an acceptance quality level of recoverable item in the system. We apply multiple remanufacturing cycle and multiple production cycle policy to the proposed model and give the corresponding iterative procedure to determine the optimal solutions. Further, numerical examples are presented for illustrative purpose.

Prospects of nuclear waste management and radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koprda, V.

2015-01-01

The policy of radioactive waste management in the Slovak Republic is based on the principles defined by law on the National Nuclear Fund (NJF) and sets basic objectives: 1 Safe and reliable nuclear decommissioning; 2 The minimization of radioactive waste; 3. Selection of a suitable fuel cycle; 4 Safe storage of radioactive waste (RAW) 5 Security chain management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel (SNF); 6 Nuclear safety; 7 The application of a graduated approach; 8 Respect of the principle 'a polluter pays'; 9 Objective decision-making process; 10 Responsibility. In connection with the above objectives, it appears necessary to build required facilities that are listed in this article.

Description of a ceramic waste form and canister for Savannah River Plant high-level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butler, J.L.; Allender, J.S.; Gould, T.H. Jr.

1982-04-01

A canistered ceramic waste form for possible immobilization of Savannah River Plant (SRP) high-level radioactive wastes is described. Characteristics reported for the form include waste loading, chemical composition, heat content, isotope inventory, mechanical and thermal properties, and leach rates. A conceptual design of a potential production process for making this canistered form are also described. The ceramic form was selected in November 1981 as the primary alternative to the reference waste form, borosilicate glass, for making a final waste form decision for SRP waste by FY-1983. 11 tables

Integrating concerns about wood production and sustainable forest management in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

R.W. Haynes

2007-01-01

The implementation of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in the United States is strongly influenced by U.S. forest products markets and the numerous management decisions made by individual landowners and managers. These decisions are influenced by a mix of market incentives and regulatory actions reducing predictability in assessing progress towards SFM and causing...

A decision methodology for the evaluation of mixed low-level radioactive waste management options for DOE sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bassi, J. [Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States); Abashian, M.S.; Chakraborti, S.; Devarakonda, M.; Djordjevic, S.M. [IT Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1993-03-01

Currently, many DOE sites are developing site-specific solutions to manage their mixed low-level wastes. These site-specific MLLW programs often result in duplication of efforts between the different sites, and consequently, inefficient use of DOE system resources. A nationally integrated program for MLLW eliminates unnecessary duplication of effort, but requires a comprehensive analysis of waste management options to ensure that all site issues are addressed. A methodology for comprehensive analysis of the complete DOE MLLW system is being developed by DOE-HQ to establish an integrated and standardized solution for managing MLLW. To be effective, the comprehensive systems analysis must consider all aspects of MLLW management from cradle-to-grave (i.e. from MLLW generation to disposal). The results of the analysis will include recommendations for alternative management options for the complete DOE MLLW system based on various components such as effectiveness, cost, health and safety risks, and the probability of regulatory acceptance for an option. Because of the diverse nature of these various components and the associated difficulties in comparing between them, a decision methodology is being developed that will integrate the above components into a single evaluation scheme for performing relative comparisons between different MLLW management options. The remainder of this paper provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities of the various participants of the DOE MLLW Program, and discusses in detail the components involved in the development of the decision methodology for a comprehensive systems analysis.

Defense waste management plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-06-01

Defense high-level waste (HLW) and defense transuranic (TRU) waste are in interim storage at three sites, namely: at the Savannah River Plant, in South Carolina; at the Hanford Reservation, in Washington; and at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, in Idaho. Defense TRU waste is also in interim storage at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee; at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico; and at the Nevada Test Site, in Nevada. (Figure E-2). This document describes a workable approach for the permanent disposal of high-level and transuranic waste from atomic energy defense activities. The plan does not address the disposal of suspect waste which has been conservatively considered to be high-level or transuranic waste but which can be shown to be low-level waste. This material will be processed and disposed of in accordance with low-level waste practices. The primary goal of this program is to utilize or dispose of high-level and transuranic waste routinely, safely, and effectively. This goal will include the disposal of the backlog of stored defense waste. A Reference Plan for each of the sites describes the sequence of steps leading to permanent disposal. No technological breakthroughs are required to implement the reference plan. Not all final decisions concerning the activities described in this document have been made. These decisions will depend on: completion of the National Environmental Policy Act process, authorization and appropriation of funds, agreements with states as appropriate, and in some cases, the results of pilot plant experiments and operational experience. The major elements of the reference plan for permanent disposal of defense high-level and transuranic waste are summarized

Solving the E-waste problem (StEP) green paper. E-waste country study Ethiopia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manhart, Andreas [Oeko-Institut, Inst. fuer Angewandte Oekologie e.V., Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany); Amera, Tadesse; Belay, Mehari [PAN (Ethiopia)

2013-04-10

The generation and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) is an increasing concern in many African countries. Attempts to bridge the digital divide as well as rapid economic development continue to boost the market penetration of many types of electricity powered devices. This also leads to rapidly increasing e-waste volumes, which are mostly not yet managed in an environmentally sound manner. In order to build a strong foundation for the development of Ethiopia's e-waste management strategy, it was deemed necessary to generate reliable data on e-waste volumes and current management practices and options, as well as to investigate possibilities for improved e-waste management and other relevant aspects. This study, financed by the Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) Initiative under a grant of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA), was jointly carried out by the Oeko-Institut e.V. and PAN-Ethiopia. It aims to fill key knowledge gaps and provide a more solid base for further decision making for both, national decision-makers and co-operation projects in this field. The information contained in this report is derived from existing literature sources and statistics, interviews conducted in Ethiopia, and field assessments in Addis Ababa in August 2012.

Application of ANP and DEMATEL to evaluate the decision-making of municipal solid waste management in Metro Manila.

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Ming-Lang

2009-09-01

A municipal solid waste management (MSW) expert group was consulted in order to mirror how government officials might reach an effective solution regarding municipal solid waste management in Metro Manila. A critical issue regarding this is how the expert group can better evaluate and select a favorable MSW management solution using a series of criteria. MSW management solution selection is a multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, which requires the consideration of a large number of complex criteria. A robust MCDM method should consider the interactions among these criteria. The analytic network process (ANP) is a relatively new MCDM method which can deal with all kinds of interactions systematically. The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) not only can convert the relations between cause and effect of criteria into a structural model, but also can be used as a way to handle the inner dependences within a set of criteria. Hence, this paper applies an effective solution based on a combined ANP and DEMATEL method to assist the expert group evaluating different MSW management solutions. According to the results, the best solution is for each city to have its own type of thermal process technology and resource recovery facility before landfill rather than entering a joint venture with enterprises or going into build-operate-transfer projects in order to be able to construct thermal process technologies and resource recovery facilities.

Turning refuse plastic into multi-walled carbon nanotube forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugene Oh, Jaegeun Lee, Seung-Ho Jung, Seungho Cho, Hye-Jin Kim, Sung-Hyun Lee, Kun-Hong Lee, Kyong-Hwa Song, Chi-Hoon Choi and Do Suck Han

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A novel and effective method was devised for synthesizing a vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT forest on a substrate using waste plastic obtained from commercially available water bottles. The advantages of the proposed method are the speed of processing and the use of waste as a raw material. A mechanism for the CNT growth was also proposed. The growth rate of the CNT forest was ~2.5 μm min−1. Transmission electron microscopy images indicated that the outer diameters of the CNTs were 20–30 nm on average. The intensity ratio of the G and D Raman bands was 1.27 for the vertically aligned CNT forest. The Raman spectrum showed that the wall graphitization of the CNTs, synthesized via the proposed method was slightly higher than that of commercially available multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs. We expect that the proposed method can be easily adapted to the disposal of other refuse materials and applied to MWCNT production industries.

Turning refuse plastic into multi-walled carbon nanotube forest

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Eugene; Lee, Jaegeun; Jung, Seung-Ho; Cho, Seungho; Kim, Hye-Jin; Lee, Sung-Hyun; Lee, Kun-Hong; Song, Kyong-Hwa; Choi, Chi-Hoon; Han, Do Suck

2012-01-01

A novel and effective method was devised for synthesizing a vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forest on a substrate using waste plastic obtained from commercially available water bottles. The advantages of the proposed method are the speed of processing and the use of waste as a raw material. A mechanism for the CNT growth was also proposed. The growth rate of the CNT forest was ∼2.5 μm min−1. Transmission electron microscopy images indicated that the outer diameters of the CNTs were 20–30 nm on average. The intensity ratio of the G and D Raman bands was 1.27 for the vertically aligned CNT forest. The Raman spectrum showed that the wall graphitization of the CNTs, synthesized via the proposed method was slightly higher than that of commercially available multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). We expect that the proposed method can be easily adapted to the disposal of other refuse materials and applied to MWCNT production industries. PMID:27877482

78 FR 34031 - Burned Area Emergency Response, Forest Service

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-06

...;and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, #0;delegations of authority...-wildfire threats to human safety, property and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest... efforts to improve cost efficiencies. These cost issues affect the Forest Service BAER program since...

Recommendations on national radioactive waste management policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

As a nation, we have learned that sound technical solutions to the problems of waste disposal cannot be carried out without public acceptance. The key to gaining the public's confidence is a process of decision making which is open and accessible to elected officials from all levels of government. The Council believes that such a process can be put in place through a renewal of the traditional principles of our federal system of government. State, local, and tribal officials must become working partners with the federal government in making the crucial decisions about how radioactive wastes will be handled, transported, and ultimately disposed. A workable and effective partnership must include, first the full sharing of information and plans regarding waste disposal activities among all levels of government and, second, the opportunity for state, local, and tribal governments to participate effectively in waste management decisions which affect their jurisdictions. Finally, althougcome this difficulty

Audit Report on 'Waste Processing and Recovery Act Acceleration Efforts for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste at the Hanford Site'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management's (EM), Richland Operations Office (Richland), is responsible for disposing of the Hanford Site's (Hanford) transuranic (TRU) waste, including nearly 12,000 cubic meters of radioactive contact-handled TRU wastes. Prior to disposing of this waste at the Department's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Richland must certify that it meets WIPP's waste acceptance criteria. To be certified, the waste must be characterized, screened for prohibited items, treated (if necessary) and placed into a satisfactory disposal container. In a February 2008 amendment to an existing Record of Decision (Decision), the Department announced its plan to ship up to 8,764 cubic meters of contact-handled TRU waste from Hanford and other waste generator sites to the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) at Idaho's National Laboratory (INL) for processing and certification prior to disposal at WIPP. The Department decided to maximize the use of the AMWTP's automated waste processing capabilities to compact and, thereby, reduce the volume of contact-handled TRU waste. Compaction reduces the number of shipments and permits WIPP to more efficiently use its limited TRU waste disposal capacity. The Decision noted that the use of AMWTP would avoid the time and expense of establishing a processing capability at other sites. In May 2009, EM allocated $229 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funds to support Hanford's Solid Waste Program, including Hanford's contact-handled TRU waste. Besides providing jobs, these funds were intended to accelerate cleanup in the short term. We initiated this audit to determine whether the Department was effectively using Recovery Act funds to accelerate processing of Hanford's contact-handled TRU waste. Relying on the availability of Recovery Act funds, the Department changed course and approved an alternative plan that could increase costs by about $25 million

A Spatial Decision Support System Framework for the Evaluation of Biomass Energy Production Locations: Case Study in the Regional Unit of Drama, Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantinos Ioannou

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Renewable Energy Sources are expected to play a very important role in energy production in the following years. They constitute an energy production methodology which, if properly enabled, can ensure energy sufficiency as well as the protection of the environment. Energy production from biomass in particular is a very common method, which exploits a variety of resources (wood and wood waste, agricultural crops and their by-products after cultivation, animal wastes, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW and food processing wastes for the production of energy. This paper presents a Spatial Decision Support System, which enables managers to locate the most suitable areas for biomass power plant installation. For doing this, fuzzy logic and fuzzy membership functions are used for the creation of criteria layers and suitability maps. In this paper, we use a Multicriteria Decision Analysis methodology (Analytical Hierarchy Process combined with fuzzy system elements for the determination of the weight coefficients of the participating criteria. Then, based on the combination of fuzzy logic and theAnalytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, a final proposal is created thatdivides the area into four categories regarding their suitability forsupporting a biomass energy production power plant. For the two optimal locations, the biomass is also calculated.The framework is applied to theRegional Unit of Drama, which is situated in Northern Greece and is very well known for the area’s forest and agricultural production.

Mine waste management legislation. Gold mining areas in Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Maftei, Raluca-Mihaela; Filipciuc, Constantina; Tudor, Elena

2014-05-01

Agency for Mineral Resources (NAMR) manages, on behalf of the state, the mineral resources. Waste management framework Nowadays, Romania, is trying to align its regulation concerning mining activity to the European legislation taking into consideration waste management and their impact on the environment. Therefore the European Waste Catalog (Commission Decision 2001/118/EC) has been updated and published in the form of HG 856/2002 Waste management inventory and approved wastes list, including dangerous wastes. The HG 349/2005 establishes the legal framework for waste storage activity as well as for the monitoring of the closing and post-closing existing deposits, taking into account the environment protection and the health of the general population. Based on Directive 2000/60/EC the Ministry of Waters Administration, Forests and Environment Protection from Romania issued the GO No 756/1997 (amended by GO 532/2002 and GO 1144/2002),"Regulations for environment pollution assessment" that contains alarm and intervention rates for soil pollution for contaminants such as metals, metalloids (Sb, Ag, As, Be, Bi, B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, TI, V, Zn) and cyanides. Also GO No 756/1997 was amended and updated by Law No 310/2004 and 112/2006 in witch technical instructions concerning general framework for the use of water sources in the human activities including mining industry, are approved. Chemical compounds contained in industrial waters are fully regulated by H. G. 352/2005 concerning the contents of waste water discharged. Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the management of waste from extractive industries and amending Directive 2004/35/EC is transposed into the national law of the Romanian Government under Decision No 856/2008. The 856/2008 Decision on the management of waste from extractive industries establishes "the legal framework concerning the guidelines, measures and procedures to prevent or reduce as far

The carbon balance and greenhouse effects of the Finnish forest sector at present, in the past and future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingoud, K [Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

1997-12-31

In this study the greenhouse impact of the total Finnish forest sector was considered, which means that the estimated emissions and sink effects from exported forest products were also included. The forest biomass is and seems to be in the next decades the most important factor in the carbon balance of the total forest sector. The development alternatives of forest industries and waste management practices has still a remarkable influence on the greenhouse impact of the Finnish forest sector. The waste management practices in the future has an important influence on the emissions but the exact net greenhouse impact of the landfills is still uncertain. However, the methane emissions from existing landfills can be reduced essentially by gas recovery. Increased incineration and energy recovery of wood waste (and replacing fossil fuel use by it) is also a future alternative for reducing the greenhouse effects in the forest sector. The sequestration of carbon by increasing the storages of long-lived wood products in use meets difficulties in practice because of all the material losses in wood using chain and the natural removal of old wood products. An important advantage of mechanical wood processing and the succeeding refinement chain is still their relative low use of energy

The carbon balance and greenhouse effects of the Finnish forest sector at present, in the past and future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingoud, K. [Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

1996-12-31

In this study the greenhouse impact of the total Finnish forest sector was considered, which means that the estimated emissions and sink effects from exported forest products were also included. The forest biomass is and seems to be in the next decades the most important factor in the carbon balance of the total forest sector. The development alternatives of forest industries and waste management practices has still a remarkable influence on the greenhouse impact of the Finnish forest sector. The waste management practices in the future has an important influence on the emissions but the exact net greenhouse impact of the landfills is still uncertain. However, the methane emissions from existing landfills can be reduced essentially by gas recovery. Increased incineration and energy recovery of wood waste (and replacing fossil fuel use by it) is also a future alternative for reducing the greenhouse effects in the forest sector. The sequestration of carbon by increasing the storages of long-lived wood products in use meets difficulties in practice because of all the material losses in wood using chain and the natural removal of old wood products. An important advantage of mechanical wood processing and the succeeding refinement chain is still their relative low use of energy

Forest industries energy research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, G. C.

1977-10-15

Data on energy use in the manufacturing process of the wood products industry in 1974 are tabulated. The forest industries contributed 10% of New Zealand's factory production and consumed 25% of all industrial energy (including that produced from self-generated sources such as waste heat liquors and wood wastes) in that year. An evaluation of the potential for savings in process heat systems in existing production levels is shown to be 3% in the short, medium, and long-term time periods. The industry has a high potential for fuel substitution in all sectors. The payback periods for the implementation of the conservation measures are indicated.

Historical Accumulation of Nonindigenous Forest Pests in the Continental United States

Science.gov (United States)

J.E. Aukema; D.G. McCullough; B.V. Holle; A.M. Liebhold; S.J. Frankel

2010-01-01

Nonindigenous forest insects and pathogens affect a range of ecosystems, industries, and property owners in the United States. Evaluating temporal patterns in the accumulation of these nonindigenous forest pests can inform regulatory and policy decisions. We compiled a comprehensive species list to assess the accumulation rates of nonindigenous forest insects and...

Examining incentives for adjacent non-industrial private forest landowners to cooperate

Science.gov (United States)

Melinda Vokoun; Gregory S Amacher; Jay Sullivan; Dave Wear

2010-01-01

Individual landowners may capture non-timber benefits from both their own forested parcels and adjacent parcels owned by different landowners. These benefits may affect incentives for landowners to cooperate in their forest management decisions. Landowner survey data is used to examine incentives to cooperate concerning joint forest management and coordination of...

MILDLY-DAMAGED FOREST AREAS IN BOREAL FORESTS OF THE WORLD. THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, IMPOTANCE AND PROBABLE FUTURE OF THE CONCEPT OF MILDLY-DAMAGED FOREST AREAS WITH REGARD TO BOREAL FORESTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.V. Zhuravleva

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The most important environmental goals at the global level, relating to forests, are conservation of biological diversity in the natural environment of its habitat and preservation of the environmental role (especially regarding the climate of forests. Major forest areas, not fragmented by infrastructure and preserving the diversity of relationships between landscape elements, are of crucial importance for solution of both these problems. Since many decisions, concerning conservation and management, are taken at inter-regional and inter-state levels or within the framework of various international processes, it is important to have clear and uniform criteria for identification of such areas. The article deals with occurrence, development and current state of the most common concepts of allocation thereof – the concept of mildly-damaged forest areas, based on the use of remote sensing data, especially images from Landsat satellites. The article substantiates a necessity of further development and update of the concept of intact forest landscapes: unification of approaches to their identification near northern boundaries of forests, adjustment of approaches to registering impacts of forest fires in the context of global climate change and land-use practices, adaption to new public data of remote sensing of the Earth.

Assessment of health-care waste disposal methods using a VIKOR-based fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Hu-Chen [School of Management, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552 (Japan); Wu, Jing [Department of Public Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Li, Ping, E-mail: yiwuchulp@126.com [Shanghai Pudong New Area Zhoupu Hospital, No. 135 Guanyue Road, Shanghai 201318 (China); East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, No. 150 Jimo Road, Shanghai 200120 (China)

2013-12-15

Highlights: • Propose a VIKOR-based fuzzy MCDM technique for evaluating HCW disposal methods. • Linguistic variables are used to assess the ratings and weights for the criteria. • The OWA operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers. • A case study is given to illustrate the procedure of the proposed framework. - Abstract: Nowadays selection of the appropriate treatment method in health-care waste (HCW) management has become a challenge task for the municipal authorities especially in developing countries. Assessment of HCW disposal alternatives can be regarded as a complicated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem which requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. The objective of this paper is to present a new MCDM technique based on fuzzy set theory and VIKOR method for evaluating HCW disposal methods. Linguistic variables are used by decision makers to assess the ratings and weights for the established criteria. The ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers into a group assessment. The computational procedure of the proposed framework is illustrated through a case study in Shanghai, one of the largest cities of China. The HCW treatment alternatives considered in this study include “incineration”, “steam sterilization”, “microwave” and “landfill”. The results obtained using the proposed approach are analyzed in a comparative way.

Assessment of health-care waste disposal methods using a VIKOR-based fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Hu-Chen; Wu, Jing; Li, Ping

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Propose a VIKOR-based fuzzy MCDM technique for evaluating HCW disposal methods. • Linguistic variables are used to assess the ratings and weights for the criteria. • The OWA operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers. • A case study is given to illustrate the procedure of the proposed framework. - Abstract: Nowadays selection of the appropriate treatment method in health-care waste (HCW) management has become a challenge task for the municipal authorities especially in developing countries. Assessment of HCW disposal alternatives can be regarded as a complicated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem which requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. The objective of this paper is to present a new MCDM technique based on fuzzy set theory and VIKOR method for evaluating HCW disposal methods. Linguistic variables are used by decision makers to assess the ratings and weights for the established criteria. The ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers into a group assessment. The computational procedure of the proposed framework is illustrated through a case study in Shanghai, one of the largest cities of China. The HCW treatment alternatives considered in this study include “incineration”, “steam sterilization”, “microwave” and “landfill”. The results obtained using the proposed approach are analyzed in a comparative way

Decision-Making Tool for Cost-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Wood Mobilisation

OpenAIRE

Matevž Triplat; Peter Prislan; Nike Krajnc

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose: With development of forest management technologies, the efficiency of wood production was significantly improved, and thus the impact on forests has changed as well. The article presents a practical decision-making tool for selection of most suitable harvesting system, considering given terrain as well as expected soil conditions on harvesting sites. The decision-making tool should support cost-efficient and environmentally friendly mobilisation of wood. Materials a...

Tribal Decisions-Makers Guide to Solid Waste Management: Chapter 2 - Developing Solid Waste Management Plans

Science.gov (United States)

Solid waste management plans offer a host of benefits for tribes and Alaskan Native villages. Through the preparation of these plans, you can assess your cur-rent and future waste management needs, set priorities, and allocate resources accordingly.

Western North Carolina report card on forest sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Susan Fox; Bill Jackson; Sarah Jackson; Gary Kauffmann; Mary Carol Koester; Robert Mera; Terry Seyden; Charles Van Sickle; Sealy Chipley; Jim Fox; Jeff Hicks; Matt Hutchins; Karin Lichtenstein; Kelsie Nolan; Todd Pierce; Beth Porter

2011-01-01

Western North Carolina encompasses 4.8 million acres of highly valued temperate forests. To help address future management and conservation decisions surrounding these resources, the report card evaluates environmental, social, and economic conditions in recent decades across an 18 county area. The report card describes the status of indicators of forest sustainability...

Tank Waste Remediation System Guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robershotte, M.A.; Dirks, L.L.; Seaver, D.A.; Bothers, A.J.; Madden, M.S.

1995-06-01

The scope, number and complexity of Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) decisions require an integrated, consistent, and logical approach to decision making. TWRS has adopted a seven-step decision process applicable to all decisions. Not all decisions, however, require the same degree of rigor/detail. The decision impact will dictate the appropriate required detail. In the entire process, values, both from the public as well as from the decision makers, play a key role. This document concludes with a general discussion of the implementation process that includes the roles of concerned parties

Promoting Sustainable Forest Management Among Stakeholders in the Prince Albert Model Forest, Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glen T Hvenegaard

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Model Forests are partnerships for shared decision-making to support social, environmental, and economic sustainability in forest management. Relationships among sustainable forest management partners are often strained, but the Prince Albert Model Forest (PAMF represents a process of effective stakeholder involvement, cooperative relationships, visionary planning, and regional landscape management. This article seeks to critically examine the history, drivers, accomplishments, and challenges associated with the PAMF. Four key phases are discussed, representing different funding levels, planning processes, research projects, and partners. Key drivers in the PAMF were funding, urgent issues, provincial responsibility, core of committed people, evolving governance, desire for a neutral organisation, role of protected areas, and potential for mutual benefits. The stakeholders involved in the Model Forest, including the forest industry and associated groups, protected areas, Aboriginal groups, local communities, governments, and research groups, were committed to the project, cooperated on many joint activities, provided significant staffing and financial resources, and gained many benefits to their own organisations. Challenges included declining funding, changing administrative structures, multiple partners, and rotating representatives. The PAMF process promoted consultative and integrated land resource management in the region, and demonstrated the positive results of cooperation between stakeholders interested in sustainable forest management.

A multiattribute utility analysis of sites nominated for characterization for the first radioactive-waste repository: A decision-aiding methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

1986-05-01

In December 1984, the Department of Energy (DOE) published draft environmental assessments (EAs) to support the proposed nomination of five sites and the recommendation of three sites for characterization for the first radioactive-waste repository. A chapter common to all the draft EAs (Chapter 7) presented rankings of the five sites against the postclosure and the preclosure technical siting guidelines. To determine which three sites appeared most favorable for recommendation for characterization, three simple quantitative methods were used to aggregate the rankings assigned to each site for the various technical guidelines. In response to numerous comments on the methods, the DOE has undertaken a formal application of one of them (hereafter referred to as the decision-aiding methodology) for the purpose of obtaining a more rigorous evaluation of the nominated sites. The application of the revised methodology is described in this report. The method of analysis is known as multiattribute utility analysis; it is a tool for providing insights as to which sites are preferable and why. The decision-aiding methodology accounts for all the fundamental considerations specified by the siting guidelines and uses as source information the data and evaluations reported or referenced in the EAs. It explicitly addresses the uncertainties and value judgments that are part of all siting problems. Furthermore, all scientific and value judgments are made explicit for the reviewer. An independent review of the application of the decision-aiding methodology has been conducted by the Board on Radioactive Waste Management of the National Academy of Sciences; the comments of the Board are included as an appendix to this report.

A multiattribute utility analysis of sites nominated for characterization for the first radioactive-waste repository: A decision-aiding methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

In December 1984, the Department of Energy (DOE) published draft environmental assessments (EAs) to support the proposed nomination of five sites and the recommendation of three sites for characterization for the first radioactive-waste repository. A chapter common to all the draft EAs (Chapter 7) presented rankings of the five sites against the postclosure and the preclosure technical siting guidelines. To determine which three sites appeared most favorable for recommendation for characterization, three simple quantitative methods were used to aggregate the rankings assigned to each site for the various technical guidelines. In response to numerous comments on the methods, the DOE has undertaken a formal application of one of them (hereafter referred to as the decision-aiding methodology) for the purpose of obtaining a more rigorous evaluation of the nominated sites. The application of the revised methodology is described in this report. The method of analysis is known as multiattribute utility analysis; it is a tool for providing insights as to which sites are preferable and why. The decision-aiding methodology accounts for all the fundamental considerations specified by the siting guidelines and uses as source information the data and evaluations reported or referenced in the EAs. It explicitly addresses the uncertainties and value judgments that are part of all siting problems. Furthermore, all scientific and value judgments are made explicit for the reviewer. An independent review of the application of the decision-aiding methodology has been conducted by the Board on Radioactive Waste Management of the National Academy of Sciences; the comments of the Board are included as an appendix to this report

DWPF waste form compliance plan (Draft Revision)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plodinec, M.J.; Marra, S.L.

1991-01-01

The Department of Energy currently has over 100 million liters of high-level radioactive waste in storage at the Savannah River Site (SRS). In the late 1970's, the Department of Energy recognized that there were significant safety and cost advantages associated with immobilizing the high-level waste in a stable solid form. Several alternative waste forms were evaluated in terms of product quality and reliability of fabrication. This evaluation led to a decision to build the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at SRS to convert the easily dispersed liquid waste to borosilicate glass. In accordance with the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process, an Environmental Impact Statement was prepared for the facility, as well as an Environmental Assessment of the alternative waste forms, and issuance of a Record of Decision (in December, 1982) on the waste form. The Department of Energy, recognizing that start-up of the DWPF would considerably precede licensing of a repository, instituted a Waste Acceptance Process to ensure that these canistered waste forms would be acceptable for eventual disposal at a federal repository. This report is a revision of the DWPF compliance plan

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Strategic Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-03-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Strategic Plan is to provide decision makers, project participants, and the public with a high-level overview of the objectives, issues, and strategiesthat impact a decision on the suitability of WIPP as a permanent, safe disposal facility for transuranic (TRU) waste that has resulted from defense activities. This document is a component of an integrated planning process and is a key management tool that is coordinated and consistent with the Secretary's Disposal Decision Plan and the Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) Five-Year Plan. This documentsupports other US Department of Energy (DOE) planning efforts, including the TRU Waste Program. The WIPP Strategic Plan addresses the WIPP Program Test Phase, Disposal Decision, Disposal Phase, and Decommissioning Phase (decontamination and decommissioning). It describes the actions and activities that the DOE will conduct to ensure that WIPP will comply with applicable, relevant, and appropriate requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State of New Mexico, and other applicable federal and state regulations. It also includes the key assumptions under which the strategy was developed. A comprehensive discussion of the multitude of activities involved in the WIPP Program cannot be adequately presented in this document. The specific details of these activities are presented in other, more detailed WIPP planningdocuments

77 FR 39675 - Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Baker County, OR; North Fork Burnt River Mining

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-05

...-Whitman National Forest, Baker County, OR; North Fork Burnt River Mining AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA... North Fork Burnt River Mining Record of Decision will replace and supercede the 2004 North Fork Burnt River Mining Record of Decision only where necessary to address the inadequacies identified by the court...

Alternative-waste-form evaluation for Savannah River Plant high-level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gould, T.H. Jr.; Crandall, J.L.

1982-01-01

Results of the waste form evaluation are summarized as: risks of human exposure are comparable and extremely small for either borosilicate glass or Synroc ceramic. Waste form properties are more than adequate for either form. The waste form decision can therefore be made on the basis of practicality and cost effectiveness. Synroc offers lower costs for transportation and emplacement. The borosilicate glass form offers the lowest total disposal cost, much simpler and less costly production, an established and proven process, lower future development costs, and an earlier startup of the DWPF

Land cover and forest formation distributions for St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Grenada and Barbados from decision tree classification of cloud-cleared satellite imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Helmer, E.H.; Kennaway, T.A.; Pedreros, D.H.; Clark, M.L.; Marcano-Vega, H.; Tieszen, L.L.; Ruzycki, T.R.; Schill, S.R.; Carrington, C.M.S.

2008-01-01

Satellite image-based mapping of tropical forests is vital to conservation planning. Standard methods for automated image classification, however, limit classification detail in complex tropical landscapes. In this study, we test an approach to Landsat image interpretation on four islands of the Lesser Antilles, including Grenada and St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Eustatius, testing a more detailed classification than earlier work in the latter three islands. Secondly, we estimate the extents of land cover and protected forest by formation for five islands and ask how land cover has changed over the second half of the 20th century. The image interpretation approach combines image mosaics and ancillary geographic data, classifying the resulting set of raster data with decision tree software. Cloud-free image mosaics for one or two seasons were created by applying regression tree normalization to scene dates that could fill cloudy areas in a base scene. Such mosaics are also known as cloud-filled, cloud-minimized or cloud-cleared imagery, mosaics, or composites. The approach accurately distinguished several classes that more standard methods would confuse; the seamless mosaics aided reference data collection; and the multiseason imagery allowed us to separate drought deciduous forests and woodlands from semi-deciduous ones. Cultivated land areas declined 60 to 100 percent from about 1945 to 2000 on several islands. Meanwhile, forest cover has increased 50 to 950%. This trend will likely continue where sugar cane cultivation has dominated. Like the island of Puerto Rico, most higher-elevation forest formations are protected in formal or informal reserves. Also similarly, lowland forests, which are drier forest types on these islands, are not well represented in reserves. Former cultivated lands in lowland areas could provide lands for new reserves of drier forest types. The land-use history of these islands may provide insight for planners in countries currently considering

A Near Real-time Decision Support System Improving Forest Management in the Tropics

Science.gov (United States)

Tabor, K.; Musinsky, J.; Ledezma, J.; Rasolohery, A.; Mendoza, E.; Kistler, H.; Steininger, M.; Morton, D. C.; Melton, F. S.; Manwell, J.; Koenig, K.

2013-12-01

Conservation International (CI) has a decade of experience developing near real-time fire and deforestation monitoring and forecasting systems that channel monitoring information from satellite observations directly to national and sub-national government agencies, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and local communities. These systems are used to strengthen forest surveillance and monitoring, fire management and prevention, protected areas management and sustainable land use planning. With support from a NASA Wildland Fires grant, in September 2013 CI will launch a brand new near real-time alert system (FIRECAST) to better meet the outstanding needs and challenges users face in addressing ecosystem degradation from wildland fire and illegal forest activities. Outreach efforts and user feedback have indicated the need for seasonal fire forecasts for effective land use planning, faster alert delivery to enhance response to illegal forest activities, and expanded forest monitoring capabilities that enable proactive responses and that strengthen forest conservation and sustainable development actions. The new FIRECAST system addresses these challenges by integrating the current fire alert and deforestation systems and adding improved ecological forecasting of fire risk; expanding data exchange capabilities with mobile technologies; and delivering a deforestation alert product that can inform policies related to land use management and Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). In addition to demonstrating the capabilities of this new real-time alert system, we also highlight how coordination with host-country institutions enhances the system's capacity to address the implementation needs of REDD+ forest carbon projects, improve tropical forest management, strengthen environmental law enforcement, and facilitate the uptake of near real-time satellite monitoring data into business practices of these national/sub-national institutions.

Waste minimization in analytical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.W.; Smith, L.L.; Crain, J.S.; Boparai, A.S.; Kiely, J.T.; Yaeger, J.S. Schilling, J.B.

1995-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will require a large number of waste characterizations over a multi-year period to accomplish the Department's goals in environmental restoration and waste management. Estimates vary, but two million analyses annually are expected. The waste generated by the analytical procedures used for characterizations is a significant source of new DOE waste. Success in reducing the volume of secondary waste and the costs of handling this waste would significantly decrease the overall cost of this DOE program. Selection of appropriate analytical methods depends on the intended use of the resultant data. It is not always necessary to use a high-powered analytical method, typically at higher cost, to obtain data needed to make decisions about waste management. Indeed, for samples taken from some heterogeneous systems, the meaning of high accuracy becomes clouded if the data generated are intended to measure a property of this system. Among the factors to be considered in selecting the analytical method are the lower limit of detection, accuracy, turnaround time, cost, reproducibility (precision), interferences, and simplicity. Occasionally, there must be tradeoffs among these factors to achieve the multiple goals of a characterization program. The purpose of the work described here is to add waste minimization to the list of characteristics to be considered. In this paper the authors present results of modifying analytical methods for waste characterization to reduce both the cost of analysis and volume of secondary wastes. Although tradeoffs may be required to minimize waste while still generating data of acceptable quality for the decision-making process, they have data demonstrating that wastes can be reduced in some cases without sacrificing accuracy or precision

Regulatory decision making in the presence of uncertainty in the context of the disposal of long lived radioactive wastes. Third report of the Working group on principles and criteria for radioactive waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-10-01

Plans for disposing of radioactive wastes have raised a number of unique and mostly philosophical problems, mainly due to the very long time-scales which have to be considered. While there is general agreement on disposal concepts and on many aspects of a safety philosophy, consensus on a number of issues remains to be achieved. The IAEA established a subgroup under the International Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (INWAC). The subgroup started its work in 1991 as the ''INWAC Subgroup on Principles and Criteria for Radioactive Waste Disposal''. With the reorganization in 1995 of IAEA senior advisory committees in the nuclear safety area, the title of the group was changed to ''Working Group on Principles and Criteria for Radioactive Waste Disposal''. The working group is intended to provide an open forum for: (1) the discussion and resolution of contentious issues, especially those with an international component, in the area of principles and criteria for safe disposal of waste; (2) the review and analysis of new ideas and concepts in the subject area; (3) establishing areas of consensus; (4) the consideration of issues related to safety principles and criteria in the IAEA's Radioactive Waste Safety Standards (RADWASS) programme; (5) the exchange of information on national safety criteria and policies for radioactive waste disposal. This is the third report of the working group and it deals with the subject of regulatory decision making under conditions of uncertainty which is a matter of concern with respect to disposal of radioactive wastes underground. 14 refs

Legal Opportunities for Public Participation in Forest Management in the Republic of Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi Sun Park

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Participation by multiple actors has been emphasized in managing state forests to meet various demands on forests within a global society. Public participation was also suggested as an approach to sustainable forest management. This paper aims to investigate the legal opportunities of public participation in managing state forests in the case of the Republic of Korea (ROK. Relevant legal and policy documents were selected for content analysis and were analyzed with the levels of participation. Litigation regarding state forest conflicts was analyzed. The ROK legal system includes multiple levels of participation in managing state forests: information sharing, consultation, collaborative decision-making, and implementation. The research results indicate that various stakeholders need legal opportunities to participate in the formation and implementation of policies for the management of state forests. Regulatory enforcement is required for guaranteeing environmental rights—access to information, participation in decision-making, and standing in court. Based on research results, this paper provides us with legal insights on promoting public participation in managing state forests.

Radiation protection aspects of waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beninson, D.

1992-01-01

Waste disposal, particularly of high level waste and some alpha-waste, involves very long times of isolation from the biosphere. The basic radiation protection requirements of 'optimisation of protection' and 'limitation of individual risk' must be complemented with policy decisions regarding the level of ambition of protection for future individuals and populations. Decisions are also necessary for the risk assessments applicable to different time periods. These assessments include considerable uncertainty and determinations of compliance with regulatory requirements must contemplate a policy for taking account of such uncertainties. The paper deals with 'normal' scenarios and with disruptive events as mechanisms for the return of nuclides to the biosphere, in the framework of the Recommendations of the ICRP. (author)

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) startup plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-03-01

To allow the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to transition from a Major System Acquisition to an operating demonstration facility, the Acquisition Executive and the Energy System Acquisition Advisory Board (ESAAB) must concur in the facility's readiness to receive waste. This action, designated in DOE Order 4700.1 as Key Decision Four, concludes with the Chairman of the ESAAB issuing a Record of Decision. Since the meeting leading to the Record of Decision is scheduled for August 1988, plans must be made to ensure all activities contributing to that decision are completed in a clear and well-coordinated process. To support that effort, this Start-Up Plan was prepared to identify and track key events necessary to verify WIPP's readiness to receive waste; this provides a management/scheduling/tracking tool for the DOE WIPP Project Office (WPO) and a tracking mechanism for the DOE Albuquerque Operations Office (DOE-AL) and for DOE Headquarters (DOE-HQ); and describe the process to ensure readiness is documented by providing relevant data and reports to the cognizant decision makers. The methods by which these two purposes are achieved are discussed in further detail in the remainder of this plan

What rights and benefits? The implementation of participatory forest management in Kenya

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mutune, Jane M.; Hansen, Christian P.; Wahome, Raphael G.

2017-01-01

, and a household survey showed that implementation of PFM has triggered new income opportunities for forest adjacent communities in seedling production and beekeeping. However, PFM bestowed no real decision-making powers to the established Community Forest Associations (CFAs) over important forest resources......The study espoused the access analytical framework to investigate how introduction of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) in Kenya has changed the various actors’ ability to benefit from the forest resources of Eastern Mau Forest Reserve. Data collected through key informant interviews...

A Multicriteria Risk Analysis to Evaluate Impacts of Forest Management Alternatives on Forest Health in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hervé Jactel

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Due to climate change, forests are likely to face new hazards, which may require adaptation of our existing silvicultural practices. However, it is difficult to imagine a forest management approach that can simultaneously minimize all risks of damage. Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA has been developed to help decision makers choose between actions that require reaching a compromise among criteria of different weights. We adapted this method and produced a multicriteria risk analysis (MCRA to compare the risk of damage associated with various forest management systems with a range of management intensity. The objective was to evaluate the effect of four forest management alternatives (FMAs (i.e., close to nature, extensive management with combined objectives, intensive even-aged plantations, and short-rotation forestry for biomass production on biotic and abiotic risks of damage in eight regional case studies combining three forest biomes (Boreal, Continental, Atlantic and five tree species (Eucalyptus globulus, Pinus pinaster, Pinus sylvestris, Picea sitchensis, and Picea abies relevant to wood production in Europe. Specific forest susceptibility to a series of abiotic (wind, fire, and snow and biotic (insect pests, pathogenic fungi, and mammal herbivores hazards were defined by expert panels and subsequently weighted by corresponding likelihood. The PROMETHEE ranking method was applied to rank the FMAs from the most to the least at risk. Overall, risk was lower in short-rotation forests designed to produce wood biomass, because of the reduced stand susceptibility to the most damaging hazards. At the opposite end of the management intensity gradient, close-to-nature systems also had low overall risk, due to lower stand value exposed to damage. Intensive even-aged forestry appeared to be subject to the greatest risk, irrespective of tree species and bioclimatic zone. These results seem to be robust as no significant differences in relative

A design methodology to reduce waste in the construction process

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

AndrewN.BALDWIN; SimonA.AUSTIN; AndrewKEYS

2003-01-01

This paper describes a conceptual tool to enable construction professional to identify where waste is generated during the construction of buildings and address how it can be reduced. It allows an improvement in the waste management practices on site by forecasting future waste types and volumes. It will reduce waste volumes on site through identification of wasteful design practices. The tool contributes to all stages of design and construction. At the Concept Stage of Design the proposed methodology provides a framework for reducing waste through better informed decisions. At the Detailed Design Stage it gives a methodology to address the areas of concern and provide focused information to aid the reduction of waste through informed design decisions. During construction it provides a tool to predict waste types arising on site thus allowing a system of proaclive waste management that will aid skip segregation strategies leading to improved waste recycling and waste reuse.

Forest biomass diversion in the Sierra Nevada: Energy, economics and emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Bruce Springsteen; Thomas Christofk; Robert A. York; Tad Mason; Stephen Baker; Emily Lincoln; Bruce Hartsough; Takuyuki Yoshioka

2015-01-01

As an alternative to open pile burning, use of forest wastes from fuel hazard reduction projects at Blodgett Forest Research Station for electricity production was shown to produce energy and emission benefits: energy (diesel fuel) expended for processing and transport was 2.5% of the biomass fuel (energy equivalent); based on measurements from a large pile...

The disposal of orphan wastes using the greater confinement disposal concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonano, E.J.; Chu, M.S.Y.; Price, L.L.; Conrad, S.H.; Dickman, P.T.

1991-01-01

In the United States, radioactive wastes are conventionally classified as high-level wastes, transuranic wastes, or low-level wastes. Each of these types of wastes, by law, has a ''home'' for their final disposal; i.e., high-level wastes are destined for disposal at the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, transuranic waste for the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and low-level waste for shallow-land disposal sites. However, there are some radioactive wastes within the United States Department of Energy (DOE) complex that do not meet the criteria established for disposal of either high-level waste, transuranic waste, or low-level waste. The former are called ''special-case'' or ''orphan'' wastes. This paper describes an ongoing project sponsored by the DOE's Nevada Operations Office for the disposal of orphan wastes at the Radioactive Waste Management Site at Area 5 of the Nevada Test Site using the greater confinement disposal (GCD) concept. The objectives of the GCD project are to evaluate the safety of the site for disposal of orphan wastes by assessing compliance with pertinent regulations through performance assessment, and to examine the feasibility of this disposal concept as a cost-effective, safe alternative for management of orphan wastes within the DOE complex. Decisions on the use of GCD or other alternate disposal concepts for orphan wastes be expected to be addressed in a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement being prepared by DOE. The ultimate decision to use GCD will require a Record of Decision through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. 20 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Economic vulnerability of timber resources to forest fires.

Science.gov (United States)

y Silva, Francisco Rodríguez; Molina, Juan Ramón; González-Cabán, Armando; Machuca, Miguel Ángel Herrera

2012-06-15

The temporal-spatial planning of activities for a territorial fire management program requires knowing the value of forest ecosystems. In this paper we extend to and apply the economic valuation principle to the concept of economic vulnerability and present a methodology for the economic valuation of the forest production ecosystems. The forest vulnerability is analyzed from criteria intrinsically associated to the forest characterization, and to the potential behavior of surface fires. Integrating a mapping process of fire potential and analytical valuation algorithms facilitates the implementation of fire prevention planning. The availability of cartography of economic vulnerability of the forest ecosystems is fundamental for budget optimization, and to help in the decision making process. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Managing radioactive waste safely. Proposals for developing a policy for managing solid radioactive waste in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-09-01

More than 10,000 tonnes of radioactive waste are safely stored in the UK, but await a decision on their long-term future. This will increase to 250,000 tonnes when nuclear material currently in use is converted into solid waste. Even if no new nuclear power plants are built and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel ends when existing plants reach the end of their working lives, about another 250,000 tonnes of waste will arise during the clean-up of those plants over the next century. Most of this waste results from the work of Government agencies or publicly owned companies since the 1940s. Some of the substances involved will be radioactive and potentially dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years. There are much larger amounts of low-level (less radioactive) waste. Currently, these are disposed of at a special surface repository in Cumbria. But again, much larger amounts will arise as existing nuclear facilities are cleaned up. We must decide how to manage this waste in the long term. Implementing that decision will take decades. So now is the time to start planning for our future. In this paper, the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are launching a national debate which will lead up to that decision, and beyond it. The aim is to develop, and implement, a UK nuclear waste management programme which inspires public support and confidence. To do this, we propose a major programme of research and public discussion, using many techniques - some traditional, some relatively new - to stimulate informed discussion, and to involve as many people and groups as possible. We want to inspire public confidence in the decisions and the way in which they are implemented. To do that, we have to demonstrate that all options are considered; that choices between them are made in a clear and logical way; that people's values and concerns are fully reflected in this process; and that information we provide is clear, accurate

Decision and systems analysis for underground storage tank waste retrieval systems and tank waste remediation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitz, D.A.; Berry, D.L.; Jardine, L.J.

1994-03-01

Hanford's underground tanks (USTs) pose one of the most challenging hazardous and radioactive waste problems for the Department of Energy (DOE). Numerous schemes have been proposed for removing the waste from the USTs, but the technology options for doing this are largely unproven. To help assess the options, an Independent Review Group (IRG) was established to conduct a broad review of retrieval systems and the tank waste remediation system. The IRG consisted of the authors of this report

Electricity and combined heat and power from municipal solid waste; theoretically optimal investment decision time and emissions trading implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolis, Athanasios; Rentizelas, Athanasios; Aravossis, Konstantin; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias

2010-11-01

Waste management has become a great social concern for modern societies. Landfill emissions have been identified among the major contributors of global warming and climate changes with significant impact in national economies. The energy industry constitutes an additional greenhouse gas emitter, while at the same time it is characterized by significant costs and uncertain fuel prices. The above implications have triggered different policies and measures worldwide to address the management of municipal solid wastes on the one hand and the impacts from energy production on the other. Emerging methods of energy recovery from waste may address both concerns simultaneously. In this work a comparative study of co-generation investments based on municipal solid waste is presented, focusing on the evolution of their economical performance over time. A real-options algorithm has been adopted investigating different options of energy recovery from waste: incineration, gasification and landfill biogas exploitation. The financial contributors are identified and the impact of greenhouse gas trading is analysed in terms of financial yields, considering landfilling as the baseline scenario. The results indicate an advantage of combined heat and power over solely electricity production. Gasification, has failed in some European installations. Incineration on the other hand, proves to be more attractive than the competing alternatives, mainly due to its higher power production efficiency, lower investment costs and lower emission rates. Although these characteristics may not drastically change over time, either immediate or irreversible investment decisions might be reconsidered under the current selling prices of heat, power and CO(2) allowances.

Radioactive waste management registry. A software tool for managing information on waste inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miaw, S.T.W.

2001-01-01

The IAEA developed a software tool, the RWM Registry (Radioactive Waste Management Registry) which is primarily concerned with the management and recording of reliable information on the radioactive waste during its life-cycle, i.e. from generation to disposal and beyond. In the current version, it aims to assist the management of waste from nuclear applications. the Registry is a managerial tool and offers an immediate overview of the various waste management steps and activities. This would facilitate controlling, keeping track of waste and waste package, planning, optimizing of resources, monitoring of related data, disseminating of information, taking actions and making decisions related to the waste management. Additionally, the quality control of waste products and a Member State's associated waste management quality assurance programme are addressed. The tool also facilitates to provide information on waste inventory as required by the national regulatory bodies. The RWM Registry contains two modules which are described in detail

Ensuring robust decisions and deployable solutions in UK LLW management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Matthew

2014-01-01

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for the decommissioning and site restoration of civil nuclear liabilities in the UK. Our decommissioning programme will last over 100 years and generate approximately 3.8 million m3 of LLW, three quarters of which will be VLLW. As well as decommissioning sites, our estate includes operations, such as power generation at Wylfa and reprocessing and waste management at Sellafield. As a result we have a clear interest in effective and affordable management of low level waste. This is further enhanced by two important aspects: our role in developing and implementing strategy for the management of nuclear industry LLW in the UK and our ownership of the Low Level Waste Repository, a critical part of the UK's radioactive waste management infrastructure. Disposal capacity at LLWR is a precious resource; recognition of this fact has provided effective leverage to changing the way LLW is managed in the UK. In 2010 we published the UK Nuclear Industry LLW Strategy which comprised three main themes: the waste hierarchy; making the best use of existing LLW management assets; and, the need for new fit-for-purpose waste management routes. In order to preserve disposal capacity at LLWR we wanted to increase choice for organisations that manage LLW. Regulation of the LLW management has also had to keep pace with and enable this change. Increasing choice requires an increased focus on making robust, and not always easy, decisions. In the past, 'LLW' was simply consigned for disposal at LLWR, now LLW managers have to make decisions between clearance, exemption, reuse, recycling, incineration and disposal. Arguably, these decisions become more finely balanced at the lower end of the LLW spectrum. In the UK, a number of tools and sources of support are in place to help with this process, including: the National LLW Programme; good practice guidance (industry led) on assessing Best Available Techniques; and a

Gendered forests: exploring gender dimensions in forest governance and REDD+ in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raymond Achu Samndong

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this study we analyze gender relations legitimatized by socio-political institutions of forest governance in REDD+ pilots in Équateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using data from interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations, we show that men and women have different knowledge and use of forests, but these differences are not given due consideration in forest governance. Women's voices are often muted in decision-making arenas and they occupy only a nominal position in both forestry and development initiatives as compared with men. This status quo is extended to the REDD+ pilot projects as well. Women have limited information about REDD+ compared with men. The mechanisms used to establish new village organization for REDD+ exclude women from decision making in the ongoing REDD+ pilot project. We show that women's bargaining power for equal inclusion in decision-making processes and for sharing benefits are constrained by existing social norms regarding local access to land and material resources, existing gender division of labor, local perceptions regarding women's roles and contributions/responsibilities, as well as men's dominant position in rural settings. For a gender transformative REDD+, we suggest that REDD+ actors should attempt to bring about institutional changes that transform gender relations and thereby increase women's bargaining power.

Architects' perspectives on construction waste reduction by design.

Science.gov (United States)

Osmani, M; Glass, J; Price, A D F

2008-01-01

The construction, demolition and excavation waste arising in England was estimated at 91 million tonnes in 2003. The current thinking on construction waste minimisation is heavily focussed on several issues relating to physical construction waste and recycling guides. Indeed, much had been published on ways to improve on-site waste management and recycling activities but very few attempts made to address the effect of design practices on waste generation. However, there is a consensus in the literature that the architect has a decisive role to play in helping to reduce waste by focussing on designing out waste. This paper examines previous studies on architects' approach towards construction waste minimisation; and by means of a postal questionnaire, investigates: the origins of waste; waste minimisation design practices in the UK; and responsibilities and barriers within the UK architectural profession. The findings reveal that waste management is not a priority in the design process. Additionally, the architects seemed to take the view that waste is mainly produced during site operations and rarely generated during the design stages; however, about one-third of construction waste could essentially arise from design decisions. Results also indicate that a number of constraints, namely: lack of interest from clients; attitudes towards waste minimisation; and training all act as disincentives to a proactive and sustainable implementation of waste reduction strategies during the design process.

Architects' perspectives on construction waste reduction by design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osmani, M.; Glass, J.; Price, A.D.F.

2008-01-01

The construction, demolition and excavation waste arising in England was estimated at 91 million tonnes in 2003. The current thinking on construction waste minimisation is heavily focussed on several issues relating to physical construction waste and recycling guides. Indeed, much had been published on ways to improve on-site waste management and recycling activities but very few attempts made to address the effect of design practices on waste generation. However, there is a consensus in the literature that the architect has a decisive role to play in helping to reduce waste by focussing on designing out waste. This paper examines previous studies on architects' approach towards construction waste minimisation; and by means of a postal questionnaire, investigates: the origins of waste; waste minimisation design practices in the UK; and responsibilities and barriers within the UK architectural profession. The findings reveal that waste management is not a priority in the design process. Additionally, the architects seemed to take the view that waste is mainly produced during site operations and rarely generated during the design stages; however, about one-third of construction waste could essentially arise from design decisions. Results also indicate that a number of constraints, namely: lack of interest from clients; attitudes towards waste minimisation; and training all act as disincentives to a proactive and sustainable implementation of waste reduction strategies during the design process

Public issues in hazardous waste management in the Republic of Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klika, M.C.

1995-01-01

Public acceptance of sites for radioactive and other hazardous waste disposal facilities represents one of most important factors in decision making on definite sites of these facilities. The Republic of Croatia, as a newly independent state, faces the problem of public involvement in site selection of radioactive/hazardous waste disposal facility very seriously, specially having in mind that in the past, in former Yugoslavia almost all decisions had been made without participation of the public. Because of that it is very important now to gain confidence of the public and to enable its active role in decision making. Operation of the APO-Hazardous Waste Management Agency as a state agency which has been established firstly for management of radioactive waste, and later widening its competencies also to other types of hazardous wastes and relations to the public, is going to be presented in the paper. Description of some basic elements related to public participation in site selection of radioactive waste repository in Croatia will be also done

Waste management strategy for nuclear fusion power systems from a regulatory perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heckman, R.A.

1977-12-06

A waste management strategy for future nuclear fusion power systems is developed using existing regulatory methodology. The first step is the development of a reference fuel cycle. Next, the waste streams from such a facility are identified. Then a waste management system is defined to safely handle and dispose of these wastes. The future regulator must identify the decisions necessary to establish waste management performance criteria. The data base and methodologies necessary to make these decisions must then be developed. Safe management of nuclear fusion wastes is not only a technological challenge, but encompasses significant social, political, and ethical questions as well.

Waste management strategy for nuclear fusion power systems from a regulatory perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heckman, R.A.

1977-01-01

A waste management strategy for future nuclear fusion power systems is developed using existing regulatory methodology. The first step is the development of a reference fuel cycle. Next, the waste streams from such a facility are identified. Then a waste management system is defined to safely handle and dispose of these wastes. The future regulator must identify the decisions necessary to establish waste management performance criteria. The data base and methodologies necessary to make these decisions must then be developed. Safe management of nuclear fusion wastes is not only a technological challenge, but encompasses significant social, political, and ethical questions as well

Nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pligt, J. van der

1989-01-01

This chapter present a brief overview of the current situation of siting radioactive wastes. This is followed by an overview of various psychological approaches attempting to analyse public reactions to nuclear facilities. It will be argued that public reactions to nuclear waste factilities must be seen in the context of more general attitudes toward nuclear energy. The latter are not only based upon perceptions of the health and environmental risks but are built on values, and sets of attributes which need not be similar to the representations o the experts and policy-makers. The issue of siting nuclear waste facilities is also embedded in a wider moral and political domain. This is illustrated by the importance of equity issues in siting radioactive wastes. In the last section, the implications of the present line of argument for risk communication and public participation in decisions about siting radioactive wastes will be briefly discussed. (author). 49 refs

Group assessment of key indicators of sustainable waste management in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Tot, Bojana; Vujić, Goran; Srđević, Zorica; Ubavin, Dejan; Russo, Mário Augusto Tavares

2017-09-01

Decision makers in developing countries are struggling to solve the present problems of solid waste management. Prioritisation and ranking of the most important indicators that influence the waste management system is very useful for any decision maker for the future planning and implementation of a sustainable waste management system. The aim of this study is to evaluate key indicators and their related sub-indicators in a group decision-making environment. In order to gain insight into the subject it was necessary to obtain the qualified opinions of decision makers from different countries who understand the situation in the sector of waste management in developing countries. An assessment is performed by 43 decision makers from both developed and developing countries, and the applied methodology is based on a combined use of the analytic hierarchy process, from the multi-criteria decision-making set of tools, and the preferential voting method known as Borda Count, which belongs to social choice theory. Pairwise comparison of indicators is performed with the analytic hierarchy process, and the ranking of indicators once obtained is assessed with Borda Count. Detailed analysis of the final results showed that the Institutional-Administrative indicator was the most important one, with the maximum weight as derived by both groups of decision makers. The results also showed that the combined use of the analytic hierarchy process and Borda Count contributes to the credibility and objectivity of the decision-making process, allowing its use in more complex waste management group decision-making problems to be recommended.

Discriminant forest classification method and system

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Barry Y.; Hanley, William G.; Lemmond, Tracy D.; Hiller, Lawrence J.; Knapp, David A.; Mugge, Marshall J.

2012-11-06

A hybrid machine learning methodology and system for classification that combines classical random forest (RF) methodology with discriminant analysis (DA) techniques to provide enhanced classification capability. A DA technique which uses feature measurements of an object to predict its class membership, such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA) or Andersen-Bahadur linear discriminant technique (AB), is used to split the data at each node in each of its classification trees to train and grow the trees and the forest. When training is finished, a set of n DA-based decision trees of a discriminant forest is produced for use in predicting the classification of new samples of unknown class.

Role of forest sector and bioenergy in limiting the carbon emissions of Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pingoud, Kim; Lehtilae, Antti

1997-01-01

The greenhouse impacts of the Finnish forest sector, including the forests biomass, forest industry, forest products in use, foreign trade and waste management are discussed. The main carbon storages and flows are estimated and the greenhouse gas balance both totally and on national level are presented. The history of the greenhouse impact is also estimated and two future scenarios of the forest sector are compared. The present use and potential for additional use of bioenergy is also reviewed, and the impact of expanded bioenergy use on the national CO 2 emissions is illustrated with scenario examples. (author)

Project risk and appeals in U.S. Forest Service planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, Marc J.; Predmore, S. Andrew; Morse, Wayde C.; Seesholtz, David N.

2013-01-01

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires U.S. Forest Service planning processes to be conducted by interdisciplinary teams of resource specialists to analyze and disclose the likely environmental impacts of proposed natural resource management actions on Forest Service lands. Multiple challenges associated with these processes have been a source of frustration for the agency. One of these challenges involves administrative appeals through which public entities can challenge a Forest Service decision following a NEPA process. These appeals instigate an internal review process and can result in an affirmation of the Forest Service decision, a reversal of that decision, or additional work that re-initiates all or part of the NEPA process. We examine the best predictors of appeals and their outcomes on a representative sample of 489 Forest Service NEPA processes that were decided between 2007 and 2009. While certain factors associated with pre-existing social contexts (such as a history of controversy) or pre-determined elements of a proposed action (such as the extraction of forest products) predispose certain processes to a higher risk of appeals, other practices and process-related strategies within the control of the agency also appear to bear meaningful influence on the occurrence of appeals and their outcomes. Appeals and their outcomes were most strongly related to programmatic, structural (turnover of personnel in particular), and relationship risks (both internal and external) within the processes, suggesting the need for greater focus within the agency on cultivating positive internal and external relationships to manage the risk of appeals. -- Highlights: ► We examined appeals and their outcomes on 489 U.S. Forest Service NEPA processes. ► Project type, context, team turnover, and personal relationships predicted appeals. ► External relationship management and staff turnover best predicted appeal outcomes. ► Positive internal and

Project risk and appeals in U.S. Forest Service planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stern, Marc J., E-mail: mjstern@vt.edu [Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, 304 Cheatham Hall (0324), Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Predmore, S. Andrew, E-mail: spred2@uis.edu [Department of Environmental Studies, University of Illinois-Springfield, Public Affairs Center, Room 314, Springfield, IL 62703 (United States); Morse, Wayde C., E-mail: morsewc@auburn.edu [School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, 3301 Forestry and Wildlife Bldg., Auburn, AL 36849 (United States); Seesholtz, David N., E-mail: dseesholtz@fs.fed.us [Focused Science Delivery Program, Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1249S Vinnell Way, Suite 200, Boise, ID 83709 (United States)

2013-09-15

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires U.S. Forest Service planning processes to be conducted by interdisciplinary teams of resource specialists to analyze and disclose the likely environmental impacts of proposed natural resource management actions on Forest Service lands. Multiple challenges associated with these processes have been a source of frustration for the agency. One of these challenges involves administrative appeals through which public entities can challenge a Forest Service decision following a NEPA process. These appeals instigate an internal review process and can result in an affirmation of the Forest Service decision, a reversal of that decision, or additional work that re-initiates all or part of the NEPA process. We examine the best predictors of appeals and their outcomes on a representative sample of 489 Forest Service NEPA processes that were decided between 2007 and 2009. While certain factors associated with pre-existing social contexts (such as a history of controversy) or pre-determined elements of a proposed action (such as the extraction of forest products) predispose certain processes to a higher risk of appeals, other practices and process-related strategies within the control of the agency also appear to bear meaningful influence on the occurrence of appeals and their outcomes. Appeals and their outcomes were most strongly related to programmatic, structural (turnover of personnel in particular), and relationship risks (both internal and external) within the processes, suggesting the need for greater focus within the agency on cultivating positive internal and external relationships to manage the risk of appeals. -- Highlights: ► We examined appeals and their outcomes on 489 U.S. Forest Service NEPA processes. ► Project type, context, team turnover, and personal relationships predicted appeals. ► External relationship management and staff turnover best predicted appeal outcomes. ► Positive internal and

Alternatives generation and analysis for phase I intermediate waste feed staging system design requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Britton, M.D.

1996-10-02

This document provides; a decision analysis summary; problem statement; constraints, requirements, and assumptions; decision criteria; intermediate waste feed staging system options and alternatives generation and screening; intermediate waste feed staging system design concepts; intermediate waste feed staging system alternative evaluation and analysis; and open issues and actions.

Application of value of information of tank waste characterization: A new paradigm for defining tank waste characterization requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fassbender, L.L.; Brewster, M.E.; Brothers, A.J.

1996-11-01

This report presents the rationale for adopting a recommended characterization strategy that uses a risk-based decision-making framework for managing the Tank Waste Characterization program at Hanford. The risk-management/value-of-information (VOI) strategy that is illustrated explicitly links each information-gathering activity to its cost and provides a mechanism to ensure that characterization funds are spent where they can produce the largest reduction in risk. The approach was developed by tailoring well-known decision analysis techniques to specific tank waste characterization applications. This report illustrates how VOI calculations are performed and demonstrates that the VOI approach can definitely be used for real Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) characterization problems

Application of value of information of tank waste characterization: A new paradigm for defining tank waste characterization requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fassbender, L.L.; Brewster, M.E.; Brothers, A.J. [and others

1996-11-01

This report presents the rationale for adopting a recommended characterization strategy that uses a risk-based decision-making framework for managing the Tank Waste Characterization program at Hanford. The risk-management/value-of-information (VOI) strategy that is illustrated explicitly links each information-gathering activity to its cost and provides a mechanism to ensure that characterization funds are spent where they can produce the largest reduction in risk. The approach was developed by tailoring well-known decision analysis techniques to specific tank waste characterization applications. This report illustrates how VOI calculations are performed and demonstrates that the VOI approach can definitely be used for real Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) characterization problems.

Economic valuation of forests and nature : a support tool for effective decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lette, H.; Boo, de H.

2002-01-01

Included are several case studies, like: The Leuser ecosystem, Sumatra; The Borivili National Park, India; Tropical rain forests, Costa Rica; Mangrove forests, Philippines. This document has been prepared by: IAC and EC-LNV

Integrated waste plan for Chalk River Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClelland, P.; Bainbridge, I.

2011-01-01

The core missions for Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) will involve a complex suite of activities for decades to come, many of these activities resulting in production of some amount of wastes. In order to support the business of the Nuclear Laboratories there is a requirement to responsibly manage the wastes arising from these activities. Capability to develop waste stream pathway scenarios and be able to make informed strategic decisions regarding the various options for waste processing, storage and long-term management (i.e. e nabling facilities ) is necessary to discharge this responsibility in the most cost effective and sustainable manner. A holistic waste management plan integrated with the decommissioning, environmental remediation and operations programs is the desired result such that: - Waste inputs and timings are identified; - Timing of key decisions regarding enabling facilities is clearly identified; and - A defensible decision-making framework for enabling facilities is established, thereby ensuring value for Canadians. The quantities of wastes that require managing as part of the Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program and AECL operations activities is in the range of 200,000 to 300,000 m 3 , with a yearly increase of several thousand m 3 . This volume can be classified into over thirty distinct waste streams having differing life cycle waste management pathways from generation to disposition. The time phasing of the waste management activities required for these wastes spans several decades and involves a complex array of processes and facilities. Several factors typical of wastes from the development of nuclear technology further complicate the situation. For example, there is considerable variation in the level of detail and format of waste records generated over several decades. Also, wastes were put into storage over several decades without knowledge or consideration of what the final disposition path will be. Prior to proceeding with any major new

Time scales and the problem of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goble, R.L.

1984-01-01

The author argues that decisions about future nuclear development can be made essentially independent of waste management considerations for the next 20 years. His arguments are based on five propositions: 1 Risks and costs of storing spent fuel or high-level waste and transuranics are lower than other directly comparable risks and costs of operating a reactor. 2 Storage of mill tailings is the most serious long-term waste problem; it is not serious enough to rule out the use of nuclear power. 3 There are compelling reasons for beginning to implement a waste management program now. 4 It is important to separate the problem of providing temporary storage from that of finding permanent repositories. 5 A prudent waste management strategy, by 2000, will have identified and evaluated more than enough repository space for the waste generated by that time, independent of the decision made about nuclear futures. 13 references, 4 figures, 4 tables

Regulating forest rotation to increase CO{sub 2} sequestration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, P.; Kristroem, B.

1999-06-01

Previous studies have shown that the optimal forest rotation age increases considerably if the benefits of CO{sub 2} sequestration are included in rotation decisions. While these studies provide some guidelines for managing public forests, private forest owners may not choose the socially optimal rotation age. This paper discusses a regulation measure to increase CO{sub 2} sequestration in privately owned forests. The regulation problem is treated as a sequential game, where the regulator chooses a subsidy scheme and forest owners respond by changing rotation ages. A private forest owner receives a subsidy at the time of harvesting if he/she changes the rotation age towards the socially optimal one. The subsidy is proportional to the associated change in timber yield. The forest owner`s objective is to maximize the net present value of after-tax timber production profits and subsidies. The regulator`s decision problem is to find the subsidy rate that maximizes the net benefits of implementing the policy (the net of increased CO{sub 2} sequestration benefits, subsidy costs, and changes in forestry taxation income). Empirical results for Swedish examples show that the optimal subsidy rate is sensitive to the marginal benefit of CO{sub 2} sequestration, the social discount rate, and site quality. The optimal subsidy rate is found to be significantly lower than the marginal benefit of CO{sub 2} sequestration. With the proposed subsidy scheme, private forest owners will choose rotation ages longer than the Faustmann rotation, but significantly shorter than the socially optimal rotation age 21 refs, 6 tabs. Arbetsrapport 272

Northern Rocky Mountain experimental forests: Settings for science, management, and education alliances

Science.gov (United States)

Theresa B. Jain; Michael A. Battaglia; Russell T. Graham

2014-01-01

Society's view of forests and what they produce changed considerably during the latter part of the 20th century. Prior to the 1970s, society believed that forests in the western United States provided a seemingly infinite supply of natural resources and economic prosperity. The public trusted experts to make forest management decisions dedicated to resource...

The second iteration of the Systems Prioritization Method: A systems prioritization and decision-aiding tool for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Volume 1, Synopsis of method and results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prindle, N.H.; Mendenhall, F.T.; Boak, D.M.

1996-05-01

In March 1994, the US Department of Energy Carlsbad Area Office (DOE/CAO) embarked on an effort to design and implement a performance- based decision-aiding tool to provide an analytical basis for planning, prioritizing, and selecting programmatic options for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This tool, called Systems Prioritization Method (SPM) defines the most viable combinations of scientific investigations, engineered alternatives (EAs), and waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for supporting the final WIPP compliance application. The scope of SPM is restricted to selected portions of applicable Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) long-term performance regulations. SPM calculates the probabilities of certain sets of activities demonstrating compliance with various regulations. SPM provides results in the form of a decision matrix to identify cost-effective programmatic paths with a high probability of successfully demonstrating compliance