Visual Resources Management

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Visual Resources Management
Visual Impacts and Forest Management
Non-Industrial Private Foresters Workshop
Gordon Bradley College of Forest
Resources University of Washington
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• Introduction
• Literature
• SFI Visual Objective
• Visual Preference Research
• Applications

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The Concern

• Forestry
  operations are highly visible and are subject to
  the perceptions and opinions of an
  environmentally aware public.
• These operations may have a dramatic visual
  impact on the forest landscape. The image of the
  forest management is directly influenced by the
  scenic quality of forest operations.
• Conducting these operations in an
  aesthetically acceptable manner is important to
  the future of the forest management.
• Concerns about the aesthetics of forest
  operations can be addressed by using forest
  aesthetic guidelines and principles.
• 
  
  AFPA SFI
• 
  

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Aesthetics and Forest Management The Biltmore
Estate
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• Visual Preference
• What people like
• What they do not like
• Why?
• What we can do to minimize negative effects

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Focus Group Findings

• Public reaction to forestry operations
• Tree retention
• Green-up
• Slash
• Buffers
• Signage

87 of our perception of the landscape is visual
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Tree Retention
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Green-up
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Slash
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Buffers
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The concept of using buffers in land use planning
and design is a mechanism for separating
incompatible land uses . Buffers as a practice in
forestry should be viewed similarly.
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Signs
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Literature

• What do we know about the topic of forest
  aesthetics
• and visual preference?

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Journal articles
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British Columbia Ministry of Forests
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U.S. Forest Service
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Best Management Practices Guidebooks
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Sustainable Forestry Initiative American Forest
and Paper Association
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SFI Objectives

• Utilize best scientific information
• Ensure long term forest productivity
• Protect water quality
• Manage for wildlife habitat and biological
  diversity
• Manage the visual impact of forest operations
• Manage for ecological, geologic, cultural and
  historic qualities
• Promote the efficient use of forest products
• Cooperate with wood procurement and landowner
  assistance programs
• Report to SFI Program on progress
• 10.Provide opportunities for the public to
  participate in sustainable forestry
• 11.Promote the continual improvement of practices
  through monitoring

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SFI Visual Objective

• Manage the visual impact of harvesting and other
  forest operations
• Performance measures
• Program participants will have policies to manage
  the impact
• of harvesting on visual quality.
• Program participant shall adopt appropriate
  policies for managing
• the size, shape, and placement of clearcut
  harvests.
• Program participants will adopt a green-up
  requirement or other,
• more comprehensive methods that provide age,
  habitat, and aesthetic
• diversity
• Program participants shall use harvest methods,
  age classes and judicious placement
• of harvest units to promote diversity across the
  landscape.

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Visual Preference Research
What do people like and what dont they like.and
how do we know?
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Research Studies British
Columbia Ministry of Forests
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University of Washington Capitol Forest Study
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• Study Design
• 495 participants
• Eight cites
• 85 color slides
• Rating scale
• 1very unacceptable
• 7very acceptable
• Question posed
• Rate the appearance of the
• scenery as it would affect
• their enjoyment of it.
• 1996

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EVC Existing Visual Condition PAR Average
Public Acceptance Rating ALT Percent Unit
Alteration
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• Study Design
• 465 Respondents
• Eight cities
• 65 slides
• Rating Scale
• -5 very low
• 5 very high
• Question posed
• rate the visual quality
• of the appearance of the
• scenery as it would affect
• your enjoyment of it.
• 1997

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PP Public Perception Study Site (PC, PR) PC
Partial Cut CC Clearcut N No
disturbance EVC Existing Visual Condition
P Preservation R Retention
PR Partial Retention M
Modification MM Maximum Modification VQR
Relative degree of acceptance The value
represents the of ratings received on the plus
side of the scale. Ht meters Vol remv volume
removed (m3/ha) Stms remv stems removed
(no./ha)
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• Study Design
• 550 respondents
• 12 communities
• 35 photographs
• Rating scale
• 1 not at all
• 3 quite
• 5 fully
• Question Posed
• To what degree does
• the disturbed area
• appear to be greened-up?
• 1994

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GV Mean green-up value. The mean
score calculated from all the responses for each
photo. VEG Scores above 3 considered VEG.
Scores below 3 are considered NOT VEG Stand
height the average Height of the 100 largest
diameter trees per ha. In a regenerated stand.
Age the age of the reforested stand of the
trees in the photograph.
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46- 50
36- 45
31- 35
16- 20
60
56- 60
51- 55
26- 30
21- 25
11- 15
6- 10
0-5
Tree height required to meet VEG by
percent slope for well stocked stands  
 
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Capitol Forest Study Site
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Respondents

• Forestry

• Recreation

• Environmental

• Education

• General Public
• Rural
• Urban

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Treatments
Clearcut
Two aged
Patchcut
Control
Commercial thin
Selection
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Forest Preference Survey Respondents were asked
to indicate how much they like each scene by
circling the appropriate number 1 not at
all 3 somewhat 5 very much
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WHY? For ten of the scenes, respondents
were asked to indicate why they rated the scenes
the way they did
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Attitudes and knowledge about various
forest management practices. Demographic
Information
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Treatments
Clearcut mean 1.92
Two aged mean 2.80
Patchcut mean 2.79
Selection mean 2.98
Control mean 4.36
Commercial thin mean 4.03
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Treatments as perceived by respondents
Why was the scene rated the way it was

• Overall mean 4.27
• Amount of trees
• Amount of groundcover
• Variety of layers
• Green, lush
• Natural
• Pretty, beautiful

Green Natural Appearance
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Treatments as perceived by respondents
Why was the scene rated the way it was

• Forester - mean 3.70
• Good management
• Attractive
• All others - mean 3.31
• Amount of vegetation, openness
• Green
• Attractive
• Environmental - mean 2.80
• Logging
• Amount of trees
• Amount of groundcover, understory

Small, Greened-up Clearings
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Treatments as perceived by respondents
Why was the scene rated the way it was

• Forester - mean 3.28
• Good management
• Blowdown risks
• All others - mean 2.68
• Logging
• Amount of trees
• Bareness
• Sparse
• Amount of groundcover
• Pretty

Partial Retention
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Treatments as perceived by respondents
Why was the scene rated the way it was

• Forester - mean 3.17
• Good management
• Site utilization
• Forest progression
• All others - mean 1.72
• Clearcuts
• Amount of trees
• Bareness
• Erosion
• Debris, stumps
• Ugly

Large and/or Recent Clearings
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Predictor of Preference

• Knowledge
• Forest management
• Wildlife and amenities

• Attitudes
• Commodity/
• utilitarian
• Ecosystem/
• amenities

• Preference
• Large clearings
• Partial retention
• Small, green-up clearings
• Natural

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Cooper Ridge Study Area
Control
Group Selection
Patch
Clear Cut
Two Age
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Design Mitigation Techniques

• Factors that forest managers have control over
  that
• influence the visual impact of timber harvesting.
  
• Size
• Shape
• Edge
• Distribution
• Scale

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Bradley. Harvest
Practices In Visually Sensitive Areas. WFPA
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USDA Forest Service
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USDA Forest Service
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Visual Preference Matrix

Understanding
Exploration ______________________________________
______________ Immediate
Coherence
Complexity (2-dimenstional) Inferred
Legibility
Mystery (3-dimensional)
The
Experience of Nature

Rachel Kaplan and
Stephen Kaplan

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Terms

• Understanding Making sense of what is going on.
  Partially dependent on prior experience.
  Preferences are likely greater when understanding
  is facilitated.
• Exploration To find out more about what is
  going on in ones surroundings. Partially
  dependent on prior experience. Preferences are
  greater where exploration is facilitated.
• Inference Degree of inference required in
  extracting information from a scene.

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Terms

• Coherence Sense of order, how the scene hangs
  together.
• Complexity Number of different visual elements.
• Legibility - How easy it is to understand and
  remember.
• Mystery How one is drawn into the scene....bend
  in the road, opening in the forest.

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Visual Preference Matrix

Understanding
Exploration ______________________________________
______________ Immediate
Coherence
Complexity (2-dimenstional) Inferred
Legibility
Mystery (3-dimensional)
The
Experience of Nature

Rachel Kaplan and
Stephen Kaplan

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