In addition to the economic valuation questions,
the questionnaire included questions
about preferences regarding different forest
attributes. The respondents were confronted
with four different photo series (these can
be seen in Mattsson et al., 1995). Each ofthese included four photo pictures. Each
photo picture showed a forest stand at a
specific phase of the rotation period, the
difference between the phases being approximately
30 years of development (i.e. the
‘total development’ or the rotation period
being approximately 120 years). Altogether,
the forest stands in a photo series formed a
particular forest landscape, resulting from a
particular silvicultural system.. The four forest
landscapes corresponded to the following
silvicultural systems: (A) Natural regeneration
using seed trees, where the seed trees
are retained (for approximately 15 years)
into the new tree generation; (B) single tree
selection, where the concept ‘tree generation’
has no relevance, i.e. all age, height
and diameter classes are always present.
(Note that the expression ‘a specific phase
of the rotation period’ does not apply very
well to this silvicultural system); (C) arti-
ficial regeneration after clearcutting, i.e. the
most ‘extreme’ silvicultural system regarding
distinction between tree generations (note
that the clear felled area appearing between
the tree generations is not a ‘stand’ in a
strict sense); (D) natural regeneration using
advance growth, i.e. a shelterwood system,
meaning that the new tree generation is principally
based on seedlings that have arisen
beneath the old trees.
Within each forest landscape described
above, the four photos were numbered by 1,
2, 3 and 4 corresponding to ‘mature’, ‘newly
cut/regenerated’, ‘young’, and ‘middle aged’
forest stands, respectively. The respondents
were not informed about the fact that each
forest landscape (photo series) and each forest
stand (photo picture) resulted from a
particular silvicultural system. They were
simply asked to state which forest landscape
and which forest stand that: (i) bears
the strongest resemblance to the one that
they most frequently use/experience for their
forest recreation; and (ii) is the very best
with respect to their preferences regarding
forest recreation The responses to these
questions, together with the responses to the
economic valuation questions, provided useful
information concerning the contribution
of each forest stand type to the overall recreation
value of the entire forest landscape
as well as the interaction effects between
different stand types within a forest landscape.