Abstract
Forest management practices determine changes in stand characteristics and consequently influence public perception of forest scenic beauty visually appreciated by visitors. To understand the relationship between forest management practices and public perception, the present study evaluated the effects of thinning on the forest scenic beauty analyzing visitors’ preferences towards images of forest managed in different ways. The investigation was implemented in a black pine (Pinus nigra spp.) forest located in Central Italy, where a designed thinning experiment was conducted during the winter of 2016. Silvicultural interventions were based on three options: traditional thinning (medium-intensity thinning from below), selective thinning, and absence of intervention (control). Then, through the face-to-face administration of a questionnaire to a sample of 200 visitors, visitors’ aesthetic preferences for stands’ characteristics affected by management interventions were assessed. The survey also investigated the perception of the effect of silvicultural treatments on the scenic beauty using pairwise comparison method. Results evidence a strong relation between scenic beauty and forest attributes. In particular, the results show that visitors prefer mixed forest with varying tree heights and layers, and consequently a high and variable quantity of light reaching the soil. Results also show that visitors prefer managed forests, and both kinds of thinning have a positive effect on the scenic beauty.
Highlights
The social perception of forests has changed according to the evolution of forest management paradigms, due to the interests and needs of society in different historical periods
The non-response rate ranges between a maximum of 85% on holidays and Sunday and a minimum of 70% on Saturday and working days
The response rate of this survey is very low compared with other in-situ studies carried out in Italy that show a response rate between 70% and 90% [41,80,81]
Summary
The social perception of forests has changed according to the evolution of forest management paradigms, due to the interests and needs of society in different historical periods. A new interest in the social acceptability of forest management came up together with an increasing appreciation of non-utilitarian forest values [7,8,9,10]. In this socio-cultural framework, two main principles in forest management emerged: multifunctionality and sustainability. Since the early 1990s, forest management was influenced by many issues: the simultaneous realization of social, economic, and ecological functions; the emphasis on considering forest resources beyond timber; and the recognition of the spiritual values and natural beauty of the forests [11,12,13,14,15]
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