THE AUTHORS 



RESEARCH SUMMARY 



ROBERT E. BENSON is a research forester, Economics 

 Research Work Unit, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 

 Missoula, Mont. His research includes studies in forest 

 economics, wood products marketing, forest inven- 

 tories, and resource analysis. He was responsible for 

 planning and undertaking the harvest and road studies in 

 this report. 



JAMES R. ULLRICH is a faculty member of the University 

 of Montana in the Psychology Department and Associate 

 Director of the Computer Center. He conducted most of 

 the viewer panel evaluations and data analysis reported 

 here, under a series of cooperative agreements. 



The visual appearance of various timber harvest and road 

 construction alternatives was measured using the Scenic 

 Beauty Estimation method. Panels of viewers rated color 

 slides on a to 9 scale of "dislike" versus "like." Numerous 

 case studies have shown that the method gives consistent 

 and reliable measures of viewer preferences. In general, 

 partial harvesting is preferred to clearcutting, and the less 

 logging debris, the higher the preference. In addition, less 

 soil disturbance and more revegetation along the roads, the 

 higher the preference. 



These findings are not unexpected but they do provide a 

 basis for comparing preference for one treatment relative 

 to another, and they show how different treatments com- 

 pare in their posttreatment response over time. Two study 

 areas that were partially cut with logging residues sub- 

 sequently removed were rated as being "liked" within 3 

 years of harvest, while clearcut areas with partially burned 

 piles of logging slash were rated low even 15 years after 

 harvest. 



Rankings of different treatments were nearly identical 

 among different viewers even though they included such 

 diverse interest groups as the wood industry and outdoor 

 recreation management students. Study areas included 

 several forest types and a variety of harvest and road con- 

 struction situations. 



The findings can be used to estimate visual impacts in 

 planning of activities and to compare the esthetic gains or 

 losses from alternative practices. 



CONTENTS 



Page 



INTRODUCTION 1 



OBJECTIVES AND METHODS 1 



RESULTS 2 



Undisturbed Forests: The "Baseline" 2 



Harvested Areas 4 



Winter versus Summer 8 



Changes Over Time After Harvest in Clearcuts .... 10 



Roads and Trails 12 



CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENTS 14 



PUBLICATIONS CITED 14 



