Integer Linear Programming Model for Transport Optimization in Forest Harvesting

The forest-based industry plays a vital role in the global economy, but it faces significant logistical challenges, especially in transporting timber. In Brazil, the growth driven by Forestry 4.0 increasingly demands advanced decision-making methods. In view of the predominance of the road modal and the high costs of forest harvesting equipment, this study proposes a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model to minimize the operating time of this activity and, consequently, reduce the associated costs. The approach considers two interconnected vehicle routing problems: one for trucks and one for forklifts. The results showed that the model satisfactorily coped with the scenarios tested, analyzing how the investment in additional vehicles or forklifts impacts the target value. In addition, a performance analysis comparing with instances in the literature revealed that the model generally fared better.