Abstract
A simple method for estimating landscape preferences is needed for multipurpose land‐use decisions in agriculture and forestry. In this study the scenic beauty of 29 rural landscapes in eastern Finland was assessed from slides which were produced from eight original pictures by image‐capture technology with the open landscape becoming gradually afforested. Scenic beauty was evaluated through the pairwise comparison technique. This study focused on the possibilities of estimating the far view scenic beauty of rural landscapes. Another purpose was to identify those quantitative variables, based on forest inventory and map data, which were related to preferences of three different interest groups with respect to the rural landscapes studied. The prediction models were developed using linear regression analysis and accounted for 61–82% of the variation of beauty indices. The results of this preliminary study suggest substantial potential for modelling the far view scenic beauty of ordinary rural landscapes based on available inventory and map information.
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