The role of visual and acoustical characteristics on forest attractiveness

IF 6.7 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-18 DOI:10.1016/j.ufug.2026.129306

Johanna Trummer , Jean Marc Wunderli , Beat Schäffer , Marcel Hunziker , Silvia Tobias , Axel Heusser , Christoph Fischer , Tessa Hegetschweiler

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Recreational forests play a vital role for human well-being and recreation. Yet, the role of and interplay between visual and auditory environmental characteristics in forest recreation remain underexplored. This study investigates how multisensory characteristics, particularly visual forest characteristics and the local soundscape, influence perceived forest attractiveness, perceived restfulness, and visit frequency aiming to gain a holistic understanding of forest visitors’ multisensory perceptions of recreational environments. Employing a mixed-method approach, we conducted quantitative surveys with a total of 482 participants and recordings of the local soundscape at 20 study sites across Switzerland's lowlands with high recreational demand, which represent Swiss National Forest Inventory sample plots. Multilevel regression models combining physical forest data, acoustic, psychoacoustic and sound categories (e.g., birdsong, road traffic etc.) obtained from recordings, and survey data revealed that personal characteristics and individual soundscape perceptions accounted for the majority of variance for the three investigated variables. Notably, natural auditory stimuli such as birdsong enhanced perceived visual attractiveness, while anthropogenic sounds (e.g., helicopters, road traffic) significantly diminished restfulness and reduced visit frequency. Ground vegetation features, such as moss and ferns, also positively influenced perceptions, while dense understory and deadwood had negative impacts. The results highlight the importance of subjective, multisensory experience (e.g., perceived soundscape quality) over environmental characteristics and external sounds in shaping forest preferences. The study’s findings further emphasize the importance of integrating soundscape considerations into forest planning to maintain and enhance restorative qualities, as well as the need for holistic, multisensory strategies in recreational forest management.

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视觉和听觉特征对森林吸引力的作用

休闲森林对人类福祉和娱乐发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，视觉和听觉环境特征在森林游憩中的作用和相互作用仍未得到充分的探讨。本研究旨在探讨多感官特征，特别是森林视觉特征和当地声景，如何影响森林吸引力感知、宁静感知和访问频率，以全面了解森林游客对休闲环境的多感官感知。采用混合方法，我们对482名参与者进行了定量调查，并在瑞士低地的20个研究地点记录了当地的声景，这些地点代表了瑞士国家森林调查样本地。结合从录音中获得的森林物理数据、声学、心理声学和声音类别（如鸟鸣、道路交通等）以及调查数据的多层次回归模型显示，个人特征和个人声景观感知是三个调查变量的主要方差。值得注意的是，自然的听觉刺激，如鸟鸣，增强了感知的视觉吸引力，而人为的声音（如直升机，道路交通）显著减少了安宁，减少了访问频率。地面植被特征，如苔藓和蕨类植物，也会对感知产生积极影响，而茂密的林下植被和枯木则会产生负面影响。结果强调了主观、多感官体验（例如，感知音景质量）在塑造森林偏好方面的重要性，而不是环境特征和外部声音。研究结果进一步强调了将声景观考虑纳入森林规划的重要性，以保持和提高恢复质量，以及在休闲森林管理中需要整体的、多感官的策略。

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来源期刊

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening FORESTRY-

CiteScore

11.70

自引率

12.50%

发文量

289

审稿时长

70 days

期刊介绍： Urban Forestry and Urban Greening is a refereed, international journal aimed at presenting high-quality research with urban and peri-urban woody and non-woody vegetation and its use, planning, design, establishment and management as its main topics. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening concentrates on all tree-dominated (as joint together in the urban forest) as well as other green resources in and around urban areas, such as woodlands, public and private urban parks and gardens, urban nature areas, street tree and square plantations, botanical gardens and cemeteries. The journal welcomes basic and applied research papers, as well as review papers and short communications. Contributions should focus on one or more of the following aspects: -Form and functions of urban forests and other vegetation, including aspects of urban ecology. -Policy-making, planning and design related to urban forests and other vegetation. -Selection and establishment of tree resources and other vegetation for urban environments. -Management of urban forests and other vegetation. Original contributions of a high academic standard are invited from a wide range of disciplines and fields, including forestry, biology, horticulture, arboriculture, landscape ecology, pathology, soil science, hydrology, landscape architecture, landscape planning, urban planning and design, economics, sociology, environmental psychology, public health, and education.