Forest and landscape management measures have impacts on the amenity
value of forests. People may have certain attitudes towards management,
in particular near urban areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the impacts on scenic beauty and recreational value of five different
management practices: small clear cutting, thinning, removal of
undergrowth, natural state, and traditionally managed cultural
landscape. In order to compare visual perceptions with preconceptions,
two evaluation methods, visual presentation (pictures produced by
image-capture technology) and verbal questions were used. Scenic beauty
and recreational value were assessed from slides in which management
measures were presented by the pairwise comparison technique. The
results indicate that scenic beauty and recreational preferences differ
considerably from each other. In the study areas, small clear cuttings
had the most positive effect on scenic beauty and natural state had most
positive effect on recreational value. Furthermore, preconceptions
concerning different silvicultural measures did not consistently
correspond to perceptions based on the assessment of visual images. This
fact supports the use of visual presentation methods in future
preference studies as well as in participatory forest planning projects.