title: A dynamic simulation/optimization model for scheduling restoration of degraded military training lands.
abstract: Intensive use of military vehicles on Department of Defense training installations causes deterioration in ground surface quality. Degraded lands restrict the scheduled training activities and jeopardize personnel and equipment safety. We present a simulation-optimization approach and develop a discrete dynamic optimization model to determine an optimum land restoration for a given training schedule and availability of financial resources to minimize the adverse effects of training on military lands. The model considers weather forecasts, scheduled maneuver exercises, and unique qualities and importance of the maneuver areas. An application of this approach to Fort Riley, Kansas, shows that: i) starting with natural conditions, the total amount of training damages would increase almost linearly and exceed a quarter of the training area and 228 gullies would be formed (mostly in the intensive training areas) if no restoration is carried out over 10 years; ii) assuming an initial state that resembles the present conditions, sustaining the landscape requires an annual restoration budget of $957 thousand; iii) targeting a uniform distribution of maneuver damages would increase the total damages and adversely affect the overall landscape quality, therefore a selective restoration strategy may be preferred; and iv) a proactive restoration strategy would be optimal where land degradations are repaired before they turn into more severe damages that are more expensive to repair and may pose a higher training risk. The last finding can be used as a rule-of-thumb for land restoration efforts in other installations with similar characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1301 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61822, USA. Electronic address: h-onal@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Hayri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Önal
authors.affiliation: Woodford and Woodford, Inc., 2822 Tatarrax Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502-1971, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Woodford
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ERDC-CERL, P.O. Box 9005, Champaign, IL 61822, USA.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tweddale
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ERDC-CERL, P.O. Box 9005, Champaign, IL 61822, USA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Westervelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
authors.forename: Mengye
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
authors.forename: Sahan T M
authors.initials: STM
authors.lastname: Dissanayake
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
authors.forename: Gauthier
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pitois
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006801:Humans; D007615:Kansas; D058749:Military Facilities; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D014481:United States
keywords: Land damages; Military training; Optimization; Rehabilitation; Simulation