Through the Eyes of Forest Visitors—Perception and Scenic Preferences of Munich’s Urban Proximate Woodlands

Abstract

With the increasing individualization of society, perceptions and attitudes towards nature and forest management is changing. Knowledge about motives for visiting woodlands as well as the aesthetic perception of forests can support forest management and communication strategies. In Central Europe, multifunctional, close-to-nature silviculture aims to convert the still dominating conifer monocultures towards mixed, structured forests to establish forests that are better adapted to the changing climate, thus enhancing the value for nature conservation and increasing their ability to provide ecosystem services. Reflecting these management objectives, we examined the perception and scenic preferences of the resulting forest stands in Munich´s urban proximate woodlands. We applied both surveys with choice experiments using visualizations of different forest stands and conducted Photovoice walks. In the choice experiments, most interviewees preferred the visualizations of mixed forests. Deadwood was appreciated in mixed stands. Knowledge about the positive effects of deadwood influenced this choice. With the Photovoice walks, it could be shown that many forest types and even monocultures were perceived to be very attractive, such as tall Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands. In addition, small details such as single trees, colorful leaves, or small vegetation features contributed to a positive perception of the forest.