Pacific Southwest

Title: Projecting the visual carrying capacity of recreation areas

Author: Nieman, Thomas J.; Futrell, Jane L.

Date: 1979

Source: In: Elsner, Gary H., and Richard C. Smardon, technical coordinators. 1979. Proceedings of our national landscape: a conference on applied techniques for analysis and management of the visual resource [Incline Village, Nev., April 23-25, 1979]. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-35. Berkeley, CA. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Exp. Stn., Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 420-427

Station ID: GTR-PSW-035

Description: The aesthetic experience of people utilizing the recreational resources of the national parks and forests of the United States is of primary importance since a large percentage of perception is visual. Undesirable intrusions into this sphere of perception substantially reduce the level of enjoyment or satisfaction derived from the recreation experience. Perceived visual disturbance levels of visitors to recreation areas were elicited on the following issues: 1) levels of perceived crowdedness, and 2) the presence of man-made elements in the use area, 3) the influence of man's actions on the landscape, and 4) the incidence of man-made elements in the viewing area, Disturbance level scores of hikers, picnickers and landscape architecture students indicate that visual disturbance levels increase as the incidence of disturbance elements increase, It is apparent that different users of recreation areas or use with a different intent will affect the visual carrying capacity of an area.

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Citation

Nieman, Thomas J.; Futrell, Jane L.  1979.  Projecting the visual carrying capacity of recreation areas.   In: Elsner, Gary H., and Richard C. Smardon, technical coordinators. 1979. Proceedings of our national landscape: a conference on applied techniques for analysis and management of the visual resource [Incline Village, Nev., April 23-25, 1979]. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-35. Berkeley, CA. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Exp. Stn., Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 420-427.