In the Eye of the Beholders: Public Views on the Aesthetic Value of Pine Stands Regenerated by Different Methods

Abstract

Most people enjoy the beauty of forest scenery. There is a unique beauty that emanates from forests that has been treasured by generations of Americans and continues to inspire us all at times. Many non-industrial private forest landowners consider forest scenery as one of their top ownership objectives. Public forest managers, on the other hand, must consider the "visual aspects" of forest when planning any management activity. Forest aesthetics is becoming one of the most damanded "non-timber outputs" and often drives forest policy decisions, like limiting clearcutting. Yet, how do we manage for forest aesthetics? How do we assign value to aesthetic attributes? How do people vary in their sense of forest stand aesthetics? Answering these questions is only in the initial stages, and will take some time. Assessing or valuing forest scenery is a challenging job, especially since there is no real market or price for it. It is also common that one person's likes may be another person's dislikes.

Citation

Gan, Jianbang; Miller, James H. 2001. In the Eye of the Beholders: Public Views on the Aesthetic Value of Pine Stands Regenerated by Different Methods. Forest Landowner. March/ April 2001 p. 16-21