Optimal management strategies in variable environments: stochastic optimal control methods
Dynamic optimization was used to investigate the optimal defoliation of salt desert shrubs in northwestern Utah. Management was formulated in the context of optimal stochastic control theory, with objective functions composed of discounted or time-averaged biomass yields. Climatic variability and community patterns of salt desert shrublands make the application of stochastic optimal control both feasible and necessary. A primary production model was used to simulate shrub responses and harvest yields under a variety of climatic regimes and defoliation patterns. The simulation results then were used in an optimization model to determine optimal defoliation strategies. Three questions were addressed: (i) Whatmore »