“It Gets You Away From Everyday Life”: Local Woodlands and Community Use—What Makes a Difference?

Abstract

This paper explores who uses woodlands near their homes, why they visit, what benefits they believe they obtain and what makes the difference between them choosing to visit or not. In the research, supported by the Forestry Commission, a multi-method, user-led approach was used, based on focus groups, questionnaire surveys and on-site observation in relation to five different communities in the central belt of Scotland. The conclusions demonstrate the overriding importance of childhood woodland visits as predictors of adult patterns of use. Proximity of woodlands is important for regular woodland users and freedom from rubbish is the physical quality people care most about. The physical qualities that make a difference as to whether people visit woodlands or not include directional signs, good information boards, variety of trees and tidiness of appearance. Perceptions of woodlands differ according to age and sex but are predominantly positive across all groups sampled: most people feel at peace in a woodland.

Determinants of restorative experiences in everyday favorite places

“…Retrospective studies have shown the importance of childhood nature experiences to adult environmental attitudes and preferences (Ward Thompson, Aspinall, Bell & Findlay, 2005;Wells & Lekies, 2006). Thus, we considered it important to include the importance of childhood experiences of nature to our potential determinants of restorative experiences.…”

Human Engagement with Forest Environments: Implications for Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing

“…The attractiveness of a forest is that it provides a much more pleasant ambience for physical activity and, if it is large enough, it can accommodate a range of different forms of recreation which promote physical health, mental restoration and aesthetic pleasure all at once. Research on local woodland use by communities in Scotland showed that the predominant use is for walking and cycling, suggesting that forests can play a key role in maintaining healthy and active lifestyles for all ages and both sexes (Ward Thompson et al, 2004Thompson et al, : 2005. Compared with streets or small open spaces, forests provide a much more pleasant environment with less pollution, cleaner air to breathe while exercising and potentially the beneficial effects of aromatic hydrocarbons.…”

Peoples’ use of, and concerns about, green space networks: A case study of Birchwood, Warrington New Town, UK

“…The most frequent recreational activities were dog walking (8.9%), walking for leisure (8.3%) and standing or sitting to discuss with acquaintances or friends (4.9%). So, walking seems to be a main group of recreational activities in a naturalistic green space network as it is in other types of urban green space (Ward-Thompson, 2005;Bell et al, 2004;Moore, 2003;Dunnett et al, 2002).…”

“…A common finding amongst surveys of the recreational use of urban green spaces is that sports users are the minority of all users of parks and that informal activity is more common than formal activity (GreenSpace, 2007;Mulder et al, 2005;Ward-Thompson, 2005;Bell et al, 2004;Moore, 2003;Dunnett et al, 2002).…”

“…In the UK the main recreational activities that people engage in when visiting urban green spaces include going for a walk; dog-walking; taking children to play areas; sitting to relax and enjoy nature; playing informal or formal games; walking; cycling; taking exercise; and taking part in social activities and events (GreenSpace, 2007;Mulder et al, 2005;Ward-Thompson, 2005;Bell et al, 2004;Moore, 2003;Dunnett et al, 2002). A common finding amongst surveys of the recreational use of urban green spaces is that sports users are the minority of all users of parks and that informal activity is more common than formal activity (GreenSpace, 2007;Mulder et al, 2005;Ward-Thompson, 2005;Bell et al, 2004;Moore, 2003;Dunnett et al, 2002).…”