Recreational Evaluation of Forests in Urban Environments: Methodological and Practical Aspects

Sandra Wajchman-Świtalska (), Alina Zajadacz, Marcin Woźniak, Roman Jaszczak and Cezary Beker
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Sandra Wajchman-Świtalska: Department of Forestry Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Wojska Polskiego St. 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
Alina Zajadacz: Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Boguslawa Krygowskiego St. 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
Marcin Woźniak: Faculty of Human Geography and Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Bogumił Krygowski St. 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
Roman Jaszczak: Department of Forestry Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Wojska Polskiego St. 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
Cezary Beker: Department of Forestry Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Wojska Polskiego St. 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-20

Abstract: This literature review shows that there is no up-to-date common approach to assess the recreational potential of forests. The aim of the study is to present methodological and practical aspects of the evaluation of forests in urban environments for recreational purposes based on the example of urban forests in Poznań (Poland). In this research, the following evaluation criteria were selected: types of forest habitats, ages of dominant species, stand composition, stocking index, the share of undergrowth, soil cover, canopy closure, and surface water. All these criteria are presented in the forest management plan (FMP). We prove that the majority of stands within the study area (81.86%) have medium potential for recreational purposes. Moreover, regarding recreation services, documents existing within the study area are not specified enough. The undoubted advantages of the proposed method are a forestry perspective on the problem, a uniform dataset included in FMPs, data availability, and the possibility of comparing data from different areas.

Keywords: evaluation; urban forests; recreation; forest management; nature-based solutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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