[The public's perceptions and attitudes towards the forest and its social importance. An analysis of selected opinion polls and articles in the principal forestry periodicals of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 1960 and 1995]
1997
Schmithuesen, F. | Kazemi, Y. | Seeland, K. (ETH Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland). Departement Wald- und Holzforschung)
In the Central European countries considered in this article the late 50s and early 60s are an era of change as far as the social demands towards forests are concerned. A new way of looking at the forests can be traced from quite a large number of opinion polls and articles in forestry scientific publications. Foresters, political scientists working in the field of forestry, and forest economists embark on empirical social research to investigate the rising number of people visiting the forests and using them for various recreational activities, particularly in the areas surrounding big cities. This article aims to analyse the opinion polls and articles published in forestry journals in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 1960 and 1995. 63 articles and studies are analysed, showing that the forestry sciences in these countries were increasingly faced with social phenomena and expectations towards the forests and their role in providing cheap opportunities for weekend and holiday leisure activities. These rising expectations could not be ignored by the forest departments, who felt obliged to react by initiating social science research on the increasing and varying modes of making use of the forests. Forest visitors were counted, typologies of visitors made, and studies on perceptions and attitudes as well as the public's valuation of forests and the work of the forest service conducted. The analysis of the research projects shows that the forestry sciences have realised their role as mediators between the forest and the public and have thus given themselves a new professional assignment
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