The classical methods of sustainable forest management assign standard treatments to forest stands. New approaches are based on the multiple path concept which provides a practical theory for designing the development of a forested landscapes. The main challenge is to develop alternative path-ways of stand development, using appropriate growth and thinning models. This is a fundamental change of paradigm which accepts the simple truth that forest development cannot be controlled from the time of planting to the final harvest. Realistic planning and evaluation of alternative pathways is possible only within a limited time window. The paper shows by means of an example, new ways of analysing the data in a research plot. Key elements for generating treatment paths are growth models and algorithms that mimic thinnings. These models require not only growth data but also data about the modifications of forest structure resulting from the harvest operations. Such data may be presented at different levels of resolution, as presented in this paper.
