Facts:
Financed by Skogssällskapet
Project leader: Associate professor Camilla Widmark
Project participant: PhD student Pedro Obregon Santander
Project time: 2022-11 -- 2024-12
Urban forest and recreation
Last changed: 03 October 2024
The increasing number of residents in Swedish cities has resulted in an increasing use of land for city development. The need to provide recreation to citizens has gradually been increasing, causing nearby forests to play an important role as a space for recreation and social interactions. These forests are called urban forests and they serve as an important provider not only to biodiversity, climate change mitigation but more importantly to provide recreational services to the city’s citizens.
The study analyzes factor that influences private forest owners’ decisions to follow (or not) societal expectations in the management of their forests. The focus is on urban forests, thus forests close to cities. We use an array of methods, including psychological models, to understand external factors that influence private forest owners in their decision-making.
This study seeks to provide a broad view of different interests that actors may have concerning forests and recreation. We aim to contribute to the discussion on the choice of forest management methods by providing perspectives on forest management and recreation based on material from municipalities, forest owners, and forest visitors.
In surveys and interviews, we are identifying factors that affect urban forest’s potential to provide recreational services.