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IntroductionModel Forest (MF) is a concept based on an innovative approach that combines the social, cultural and economic needs of local communities with the longterm management of sustainable forest landscapes (Brandt et al., 1996). MF is a partnership of public and private organizations that have a common interest in achieving sustainable forest management (SFM) within a locally defined forest area. The International Model Forest Network (IMFN) is a voluntary association of partners (countries and organizations) from around the world working toward a common goal, which is the sustainable management and use of forests and forested landscapes. Each MF in the network is unique by virtue of its ecosystems, history of resource use, and the cultural and political realities that are in place. AbstractAim 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.

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