2021

Research: Habits of Latvian Residents Concerning Recreation in Forest

The research project commissioned by JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM), in the course of which scientists from the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” studied the impact of forestry on forest and related ecosystem services has been completed. In order to find out what the recreational interests of Latvian residents are in the forest in different seasons of the year, research centre SKDS conducted a population survey in 2017 and 2018. Based on the results of the survey and research carried out by the scientists, we offer you to get acquainted with the results of the project.

The forest provides people with various benefits, such as wood products, which have for long been used for heating, house construction, furniture, as well as forest bounties – mushrooms and berries. The role of forests in mitigating climate change and ensuring clean water and air is growing significantly. These are all services provided by forest ecosystems.

How often do we go to the forest to relax?

The results of the study show that, depending on the season, 35–53% of respondents visit the forest on weekdays for recreational purposes. Most residents go to the forest in the summer: on weekends, 69% of respondents have been to the forest at least once, but on average a Latvian resident visits the forest seven times a season. People stay on average from 1.5 to 2 hours in the forest, both on weekdays and weekends.

How far do we go?

Residents go to the forest on weekdays on average up to 9 km from their place of residence, but about 50% of holiday makers go no further than 2 km. On weekends, they go further – 15 km from their place of permanent residence, but 50% of them go no further than 5 km. During holidays or vacations, residents go to the forest for an average of more than 21 km, but about 50% of holiday makers do not go further than 5 km. On weekends and during holidays, residents most often go to the forest by car (40–50%), while on weekdays – both on foot (37–67%) and by car (26–43%).

What are the recreational activities in the forest?

In winter, spring and autumn, walking is the main recreational activity in the forest; in summer, it is mushrooming and berry picking (40–50%). For many people, forest is a place to ride a bicycle (6–8%), walk a dog (9–12%), watch and photograph nature (5–8%), depending on the season. Regardless of the season and the day of the week, people in the forest usually relax together with other family members, relatively less frequently with friends and colleagues.

In what kind of forest do we want to relax?

People in Latvia choose such forest as the most suitable place for recreation, where small improvements have been made, preserving relative naturalness. The second most suitable alternative is a forest where improvement works have been carried out, transforming it into a park, but the third most suitable forest landscape for recreation is a forest not affected by economic activities. The last place in terms of suitability was given to a forest where there are active forestry activities taking place.

Evaluating the suitability of the place for meeting respondents' recreational wishes, forest, formed by transparent stands, was assessed as the most suitable in all seasons. A forest formed by thick or opaque stands was considered as the most unsuitable for recreation. A forest in which thick stands alternate with sparsely stocked stands is considered to be as suitable for recreation as a forest where forest stands alternate with clearings.

How do we assess forest landscape visually?  

Asked about which forest landscapes Latvian residents find most visually attractive, it was found that these were pine–spruce–birch, spruce–birch and black alder–aspen–birch mixed stands. In turn, spruce–pine, pine–birch stands, as well as pure birch stands are considered as the most visually unattractive.

Mixed stands are valued higher than pure stands. Comparing different types of forest landscapes, it has been concluded that inhabitants of Latvia found stands where selective felling has been carried out in strips, as well as middle-aged stands most beautiful. It is interesting that people also preferred burnt out areas and found them to be attractive.

Are all forests equally resistant to recreational loads? 

In parallel with the public interest in the forest as a recreational space, the study also assessed the resilience of forest to recreational loads. Pine heaths turned out to be the most sensitive forest type. These are forests on poor sandy soils and swamps – forests on wet peat soils, as well as swamps, sands and heaths. The most resistant to man–made loads are dry pine forests rich in blueberries (marshes and swamps), as well as pine–spruce forests, mast spruce forests and rich deciduous forests rich in tree, plant and animal species.

The solution for reducing the recreational load is to improve the most frequently visited forest areas and to organize the flow of visitors. More than 55% of the respondents believe that forests should be equipped with well-maintained nature trails and places for rest or picnics to provide conditions suitable for recreational needs.