Harri Silvennoinen

Ecological and aesthetic values in urban forest management

Abstract In the planning processes of urban forests there are frequent conflicting opinions about the extent to which forests should be managed. On the one hand, management is needed to deal with the intensive use of forests, as well as unfavourable growing conditions, security factors and aesthetic variables. On the other hand, there is an increasing demand for unmanaged areas which is based primarily on ecological arguments. This paper presents research that was conducted in connection with the participatory planning process of Helsinki City forests. The main aim of this research was to study whether aesthetic and ecological values can be combined in the management of urban forests. Furthermore, the stability of forest landscape preferences during the participatory planning process was studied, along with the representativeness of planning groups compared to larger user groups. The data was collected in planning group meetings and public hearings in Helsinki during 1998–2000. Respondents evaluated a set of photographs designed to cover the main conflict situations in urban forest management: Thinnings, understorey management, the leaving of dead snags and decaying ground-wood. These results show that the majority of residents in Helsinki prefer managed forests. The preferences are, however, closely connected to the background characteristics of respondents. Younger residents with a higher education and active urban forest users prefer more ecologically-oriented management when compared to older residents with less education, or less active users. The individuals had a rather clear and relatively stable opinion of what constitutes suitable management in urban forests, but the views differed considerably as a whole. This means that a participatory planning process will typically lead to some type of compromise. Moreover, the planning groups in Helsinki reflected the opinions of the larger user groups rather well. This indicates that the currently used participatory planning approach sufficiently integrates public values into its planning process.

Prediction models of landscape preferences at the forest stand level

Abstract This study estimated quantitative models for Finns’ forest stand level landscape preferences, using a new modelling technique. The highly automated forest management planning systems used in commercial forestry could benefit from the quantification of scenic beauty. A total of 137 judges with different backgrounds made paired comparisons of photographs of 100 stands with known growing stock characteristics. The dependence of a stand’s priority with respect to scenic beauty on the growing stock characteristics was modelled using a regression formulation of the analytic hierarchy process. The results indicated that the priority of a stand increases with mean tree height, skewness of the height distribution, and volume of large pines and birches. The priority decreases with an increasing number of trees per hectare. Men and women, as well as forest owners and non-owners, have slightly different preferences. Therefore, a landscape preference model was estimated that accounts for the effect of both the stand characteristics and judge’s background on the priority of stand with respect to scenic beauty. The model explained 24% of the variation in the priority ratio of two stands as evaluated by an individual judge. The same stand characteristics that were used in the model were able to explain 83% of the variation in the mean priority of a stand, among the population of judges.

Rural Tourismin Finland: Tourists' Expectation of Landscape and Environment

In many rural regions in Finland, the key development areas are forestry and tourism. However, there is little information on the landscape preferences of rural tourists or the attractivity of commercial forests. Main research questions are: What is the demand on the services of rural tourism? How significant is the quality of landscape in rural tourism? What special features are appreciated in forested landscapes? The data collected in a mail survey in 1997 show that the quality of landscape is an important attraction factor for rural tourism. In general, tourists appreciate old forests with heavy timber, an abundance of deciduous trees, and relatively good visibility. The outdoor use of these areas is concentrated to lakeside forests and to minor roads and paths, where visual landscape management should also concentrate. Furthermore, the results suggest that adjustments to present forest management aiming at timber production practises are needed in these areas.

Effect of the season and forest management on the visual quality of the nature-based tourism environment: a case from Finnish Lapland

ABSTRACT The growth of nature-based tourism has raised the need to better understand tourists’ expectations towards outdoor recreation environments. There is little knowledge, however, of international tourists’ attitudes towards forest management practises or of their effect during winter. This study investigated how commercial forests correspond to the environmental expectations of international nature-based tourists and how the season affects tourists’ landscape preferences. Altogether 750 foreign visitors to Finnish Lapland responded to a survey and evaluated photographs presenting various types of forest landscapes in summer and winter. Beautiful scenery was the most important motive for the choice of travel destination and for participating in outdoor recreation. The results highlight the strong impact of seasons on the perceived quality of the landscape in commercial forests. Seasonal differences are largest in regeneration areas as snow cover mitigates the effects of forestry operations. Even-aged, middle-aged and mature forest stands were considered to be suitable for tourism in both summer and winter. There is a demand for adapted management regimes in commercial forests targeting year-round nature-based tourism. In conclusion, forestry and tourism can coexist in the same area with good planning and with management actions that take visual quality and recreational values of the environment into account.

Nearby Nature and Experiential Farming: How are their Roles Perceived within the Rural–Urban Fringe?

Abstract This paper presents the preferences of residents towards green areas and, in particular, for agricultural environments in Vantaa City, southern Finland. The study area includes three growing suburbs and farming land immediately adjacent to the city centre. During the study period, new residential areas in the fringe area, combined with a simultaneous build-up of the road network, resulted in fragmentation and increased land use diversity. We found that the farming land at the fringe of the city had a greater recreational role than its basic function linked to either food or fodder production. Visual mapping of pleasant places proved the importance of public traditional farms and that preserved nature areas were preferred more than constructed parks for residents living in the urban fringe. This suggests that an emphasis in careful urban land use policy might be placed more upon the maintenance of natural areas that remain unchanged.