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In this research application paper, the usefulness of the s-metaheuristic neighborhood search technique of simulated annealing algorithm when applied to forest management planning problems was explored. We concentrated on tactical forest spatial harvest scheduling problems where the net present value of management activities over thirty 1-yr periods was to be maximized. Constraints mainly included those related to the need for an even-flow of scheduled wood products and the need for spatial constraint types, i.e., unit restriction model and area restriction model, respectively. Four hypothetical grid datasets with different age class distributions (i.e., young, normal, older and spatially organized) and one real dataset from northeastern China were used to illustrate how a 2-opt moves can intensify a search within high-quality areas of a solution space and thus produce higher-valued solutions as compared …