A review on decision support systems for tactical logistics planning in the context of forest bioeconomy

Abstract For many years now, it has become evident that the forest sector is a vital contributor to economic, environmental and social development of nations who are privileged to benefit from this precious natural resource. Due to the shift of global market from conventional forest commodities and an ongoing increase in the demand for new advanced bioproducts, brand-new business models need to be developed and adopted to transform the forest sector. That is why researchers around the globe are much interested and invested in studying ways to optimize the interactions among different operations and entities working in this sector. In this review paper, we systematically surveyed the scientific literature surrounding the researches addressing the logistics planning problem at the mid-term tactical level which are in the support of a sustainable forest bioeconomy. The surveyed papers are classified according to the market they serve and whether more than one value chains are being planned simultaneously. Key features of the researches such as type of model/analysis and solution approach/software are highlighted. The discussion surrounding four defined research questions are presented. Conclusions were drawn regarding the most common approaches used to tackle planning problems in each of the four classifications and the current trends, gaps and the paths for further research and development were also underlined.