Landscape pattern, perception and visualisation in the visual management of forests

Simon Bell

    Research output: Contribution to journalLiterature reviewpeer-review

    120 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Forest planners, designers and managers have to incorporate visual landscape management into their plans as part of sustainable forest management (SFM). Over the last 20 years since the first "Our Visual Landscape" conference there have been numerous developments in visual management and design processes and techniques. Other developments, as part of SFM, such as ecosystem management and the need for more public participation in forestry planning, have also influenced the directions of forest management. The design of forest harvest units based on emulation of landscape patterns and processes means that landscape change can be driven by non-visual issues and principles and the earlier models developed for visual landscape management are no longer necessarily valid. However, the need for public participation means that landscape perception, in a broad sense, has become very important. Communication tools, such as computer visualisations of proposed landscape change have also been developed and present valuable possibilities. In order to help managers deal with both the changing forest landscape and the changing nature of perception, an approach is suggested that links landscape patterns and their manipulation with perceptions of them in order to help the development of positive design. In order for this to progress more effectively, several lines of research and development are suggested. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)201-211
    Number of pages11
    JournalLandscape and Urban Planning
    Volume54
    Issue number1-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 25 May 2001

    Keywords

    • Ecosystem
    • Landscape
    • Landscape ecology
    • Landscape visualisation
    • Perception research

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