Intensive recreational activities in suburban forests: A method to quantify the reduction in timber value

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• 作者：Hans-Peter Rusterholz ; Erol Bilecen ; Oliver Kleiber ; K. Tessa Hegetschweiler ; Bruno Baur
• 关键词：Forest recreation ; Multifunctionality ; Tree damage ; Spatial distribution of damage
• 刊名：Urban Forestry Urban Greening
• 出版年：2009
• 出版时间：2009
• 年：2009
• 卷：8
• 期：2
• 页码：109-116
• 全文大小：435 K

文摘

Central European forests are generally multifunctional; the same forest areas are used for timber production and recreation. In frequently visited areas damage to trees can be observed. We developed a method to estimate the actual reduction in timber value due to recreation-induced damage. The method was tested in two suburban (oak–hornbeam and beech) forests sustainably maintained by a selective management system and with free access in northwestern Switzerland. Considering the total forest areas, 9.4 % of oak trees and 23.0 % of beech trees were damaged by recreational activities. The resulting reduction in timber value averaged 19 and 53 € ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ in the two forests. The annual reduction in timber value due to recreation-induced damage can account for up to 16 % of the total proceeds. The monetary benefits of forest recreation in these areas, however, by far exceed the damage to trees.