Authors: James T. Walters, former Extension Associate, Department of Forestry, College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech and James E. Johnson, Associate Dean of Outreach, College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech.
Publication Number: 420-144, posted March 2000
Chapter 6: Protect Aesthetics And Recreational Values
Aesthetics and recreation are very important uses of your forest, but their significance is
often overlooked. Many landowners do not recognize the value of these forest uses until
there is a significant change in their forest. An insect or disease epidemic, severe weather
damage, wildfire, or a timber harvest might cause this change. It is very important to
understand the impacts of your forest management decisions on aesthetics and recreation.
If your ownership objectives include maintaining aesthetics or recreation, then it is also
important to implement activities that maintain the forest for these uses.
The most difficult aspect of managing recreation and aesthetics can be identifying the users of the forest. You are a user of your own forest - you might live in it, visit it regularly, or enjoy other benefits of ownership. However, other people use your forest for aesthetics and recreation. For example, if your forest is located along the Appalachian Trail, then it is an important part of the recreational experience for hikers. Likewise, if your forest is visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway, its beauty is important to motorists on the parkway. While these people may not pay to use your property, it is still a good idea to consider the impact of your management activities on their use of your forest. If they become dissatisfied with your forest management, they may pass laws and regulations that can affect your future management decisions.
Recreational potential and aesthetics are very closely linked forest characteristics. A beautiful forest is an important input to many recreational activities. For example, a campground in an unattractive forest would probably not be visited very frequently. Therefore, managing the beauty of your forest is an important component of managing recreation. You may decide to protect the aesthetic value of your forest and provide recreational opportunities.
Strategy #1: Protect the Aesthetic Value of Your Forest
Appearance is a significant characteristic of the forest. For example, if you live in your forest, then you may be very concerned about the view from your home. Appearance is an important concern for forests located along heavily traveled highways. A beautiful forest usually has higher real estate value than an unattractive property. Finally, appearance is a very important concern for forests located near public areas such as parks, recreation areas, lakes, and rivers.
The owners of these types of forests could manage their forest simply based upon appearance, but this option is usually impractical and financially infeasible. Therefore, we need to consider the impact of our forest management activities on aesthetics. In particular, you can use buffers to protect visually sensitive areas, plan aesthetically acceptable management activities, and schedule forest management activities during the appropriate time of year.
Buffers are often recommended in forest management plans because they are effective in softening the transition from intensively managed forest to other land uses. They can be a useful tool in managing the aesthetics of your forest if they block the view of unattractive forest management activities. Although buffers are generally more effective in flat areas than in mountainous terrain, they can certainly be a practical component of any aesthetic management strategy.
The optimal width of aesthetic buffers varies and should be recommended by your forester in the forest management plan. Most buffer decisions are based on common-sense approaches to blocking the view from sensitive areas. Younger forests, evergreen forests, and forests in flat terrain generally have small buffers because they are effective barriers. Old forests with a sparse understory, hardwood forests, and forests on mountains typically require a larger buffer.
Many people enjoy the rustic appearance of a horse logger performing a single-tree selection harvest in a mature forest. There are similar management activities that are considered to be attractive. However, most of the activities we implement in our forests do not have this charm or rustic beauty. For example, an extensive clearcut on a ridge along the Holston River would not be considered attractive by most people. In particular, forest harvesting and prescribed burning are often considered to be the most undesirable forest management activities from an aesthetic standpoint. It is a wise practice to carefully think about the aesthetics of management activities and consider alternatives that may be more appealing.
Many complaints about the aesthetics of forest management activities concern timber harvesting. Each regeneration technique is different and has individual aesthetic impacts on the forest. Clearcutting is obviously the most objectionable regeneration system because it results in large areas of logging slash, stumps, and young trees. Group selection, shelterwood, and seed tree systems are more acceptable because they leave trees in the forest. Single-tree selection is the most desirable regeneration technique because it has minimal visual impact on the forest. You may notice that the aesthetically desirable regeneration techniques are the most expensive to implement. They are also the most difficult systems to use for regenerating shade-intolerant trees such as oaks and yellow poplar. Finding a regeneration system that meets aesthetic standards and can be practically implemented can be a very difficult task. Foremost, however, the regeneration system you implement must be conducive to establishing a sustainable forest.
Regardless of the regeneration system you choose to implement in your forest, there are several techniques and strategies you can use to minimize the visual impact of logging. Careful management of roads, skid trails, and landings is the first step in reducing aesthetic impact. When the forest is being harvested, you can soften the visual impact by cutting up and distributing logging slash and stumps, avoiding damage to residual trees, leaving patches of trees, designing harvest areas in irregular shapes that follow the topography, and hiding entrances to the harvested tract.
Roads are often the most visible part of a logging job, particularly from the highway. Roads also give a strong first impression to anyone entering the harvest area. However, roads are one of the largest expenses in timber harvesting and often limit the production of a logging crew. Therefore, careful planning and construction are needed to build roads that provide good access, are reasonably priced, do not cause water quality problems, and are aesthetically acceptable.
People often complain that forest roads are muddy and eroded. Mud is often dragged onto the highway by log trucks leaving the site. These complaints about forest roads are usually justified, but can be minimized through good road management practices. All forest roads should be located in stable soils that are well drained. When possible, your roads should avoid sensitive areas such as streams, low areas, and steep slopes, and should adhere to Virginia's Best Management Practices. It is a good idea to build roads that are well drained, have sufficient stone to support heavy equipment, and are allowed to settle before heavy use. Perhaps most importantly, a road should not be used if it is wet or easily rutted. Dry roads and frozen roads are most preferable and will receive less damage.
Another common complaint is that there are too many downed and damaged trees along forest roads. These trees may have been pushed over or damaged by the bulldozer when the road was constructed. It is a good idea to harvest any merchantable timber along the path of the road. Stumps and unmerchantable trees can be buried in depressions along the road or dragged into the adjacent forest. Finally, the road should be constructed just wide enough to allow use by large trucks and encourage quick drying of the road.
Aesthetic problems of skid trails are very similar to those of forest roads. In particular, skid trails are sometimes muddy and eroded and they can cut into the landscape. Careful location and construction of skid trails can minimize these negative impacts on appearance. For example, we can minimize mud and erosion by following BMP's, avoiding streams and steep slopes, and providing good drainage. Your forester can also help you plan harvesting activities that minimize the blading of skid trails. Blading occurs when a bulldozer cuts a skid trail into steep side slopes so that skidders can safely and efficiently operate.
You can improve the appearance of skid trails by seeding them with grass when logging is complete. Sowing wildflowers along portions of the skid trail and creating hiking trails through your forest also improves the appearance. If you do decide to seed skid trails, it is a good idea to plan for maintenance such as mowing, herbicide application, and burning. Good maintenance will allow you to enjoy the hiking trails for many years.
Forest roads may give the first impression of a timber harvest, but the log landing can certainly give the strongest impression. The landing is the location where all harvesting operations come together. This concentration of activity can have a significant impact on the appearance of a forest. For example, a neat and orderly landing that is cleaned and seeded is generally acceptable, but a messy landing that is left as a pile of logs and slash will receive many complaints. Therefore, it is important for your forester and timber buyer to carefully plan the locations for log landings and closely supervise operations on and around the landing.
The log landing should be located away from sensitive areas such as streams, trails, unstable soils, and residential areas. It is a good idea to place it out of the view from major highways and rivers. Landings need to be large enough for efficient operation, but should not be so large that they are not fully utilized. The landing site must be well drained and very stable, because it will receive heavy use during harvesting operations. Good landings will have few entering skid trails so that disturbance is minimized. Finally, disposal areas for logging debris should be identified.
Supervision of logging activities is vital in maintaining the appearance of a professional and clean job. Logging debris should be removed from the landing frequently, and trash should be taken away daily. Gravel placed where trucks turn around and park will prevent them from getting stuck and will minimize rutting. The landing should be well organized so that operations can flow smoothly and safety is maintained. A well-organized and clean landing has a much more acceptable appearance than one that is sloppy and trashy.
When the logging crew is finished using a landing, it is important to close the landing down from operation. Close-down activities include removing any logging debris and trash from the landing, grading the site so that it drains and is fairly smooth, and seeding the bare areas with grass, legumes, wildflowers, or other herbaceous plants. Closing down a landing can enhance wildlife habitat, improve appearance, and allow the landing to be maintained for future logging use.
Logging slash and stumps are unavoidable when harvesting timber, but they can have a significant impact on the appearance of your forest. A forest with large tops on the ground and tall stumps is usually considered unattractive, but removing slash and stumps is very expensive. However, there are several cost-effective practices that can help to minimize this poor appearance. Slash can be removed from within 50 feet of log landings, roads, skid trails, property boundaries, and other important features. Otherwise, slash can be lopped to a height of 4 feet within the harvest area. Lopping is the practice of cutting branches, limbs, and tops into pieces that will lie close to the ground. Finally, stumps can be cut close to the ground. These stumps will often sprout within the next year and may be well hidden. While these few practices will not clear slash and stumps from your forest, they will make the harvest area much more acceptable.
Skidding damage may have a significant impact on the health of a tree, and it is certainly unattractive. |
Damage to the residual trees in your forest may occur during felling and skidding operations. In addition to causing stress to the damaged tree, residual damage detracts from the appearance of your new forest. Residual damage from felling usually occurs when a tree falls into another tree or on a small tree in the understory. You can reduce felling damage by choosing a logger who can fell trees away from residuals, but some felling problems are unavoidable. Therefore, you may decide to have the logger cut down any trees that are damaged during felling. The harvested area will have a much better appearance if there are no hung trees, bent saplings, or broken trees.
Skidding damage usually occurs when a log that is being dragged rubs up against the base of a residual tree. The log will often scrape bark from the residual tree, resulting in a wound that detracts from its appearance. Skidding damage in your forest can be avoided by using two precautionary measures. First, you could charge the logger for skidding damage to residual trees. A logger is much more likely to be conscious of residual damage if there is a fine levied for each tree that is damaged. This fee should be outlined and included in your timber sale contract. Secondly, you should have your forester designate bumper trees. Bumper trees are trees left along the skid trails so that they can keep logs in the trail. Bumper trees are usually low-grade trees and should be harvested when logging is finished.
When identifying the area in your forest that you will harvest, it is a good idea to consider the shape and layout of the harvest area. These two visual characteristics will significantly influence the appearance of your forest from a distance. For example, irregularly shaped areas are much more acceptable than square or rectangular harvests. It is particularly important to avoid using long, straight boundaries in your harvest. These boundaries draw attention when viewed from a distance.
The layout of your timber harvest refers to how the area lies on the terrain. The best harvests are arranged so that harvest boundaries fall along natural lines in the terrain. For example, you might arrange your timber harvest so that its boundaries follow hollows or finger ridges on the side of a mountain. When planning the location of a timber harvest, it is helpful to use aerial photographs or look at your forest from a distance. You will get a much different view of your property from this perspective.
Leaving patches of unharvested trees is a good practice in highly visible forests, particularly if they will be clearcut. These patches can break up the continuity of large harvest areas and can decrease the "visual shock" of a timber harvest. The patches of residuals are most effective when they are irregularly shaped and sized. They should also be randomly distributed so that they do not create a pattern. Patches of residual trees can enhance wildlife habitat and help to protect water quality. For example, patches of mast trees would improve wildlife food supply, and long strips of forest could provide travel corridors through your forest. Likewise, trees along small drainages can slow the runoff of water from the forest.
A final practice to improve the appearance of a timber harvest is to screen entrances to the harvest area. This tactic is particularly successful for forests along major highways because it draws less attention to the harvest area. You can conceal entrances by making them as small as possible, leaving a buffer along the highway and entrance area, and seeding the road with a quick-growing grass. Good planning and timely action are the keys to implementing these activities.
There are few complaints about prescribed burning in western Virginia because burning is not very common. However, as fire becomes a more commonly used forest management tool, we should think about techniques we might use to minimize the negative appearance of burning. In particular, we should focus our attention on the appearance of the fire and the appearance of the site after the burn has been completed.
The key to managing the appearance of a prescribed burn is smoke management. The smoke from a well-planned fire will rise quickly and disappear into the sky, but smoke from a poorly-planned fire will stay close to the ground and will move onto neighboring properties and highways. When you plan a fire, it is a very good idea to get assistance from a good burning contractor and well-qualified forester. A contractor certified under the Virginia Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Program and a good forester can help you choose a good day to burn.
If you burn a stand in your forest, it could have ashes, black logs and tree trunks, and some bare soil for several years. A forest in this stage is unattractive, but it will soon be full and lush with heavy herbaceous growth. There are several activities you can implement to improve the appearance of your forest during the period between the burn and herbaceous cover. First, you could leave a good buffer around the burn area to block the view as much as possible. You might also consider burning the tract in stages over three to four years so that only a small portion is bare at any given time. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid burning landings and other open areas that have been seeded. Although these activities will not completely eliminate the unsightliness of a prescribed burn, they will help to improve the appearance over the first and most vital years.
Timing is very important in improving the appearance of management activities in your forest. For example, the bark on trees is very tender during the spring and is easily damaged. Furthermore, the ground is easily rutted and compacted during the winter and spring because it is usually wet and muddy. The hardwood forests in our region provide much better cover during the summer and fall, when deciduous trees have leaves. Finally, many outdoor activities take place during a particular season of the year and attract large crowds to the outdoors.
There are several precautions you can take in scheduling management activities in your forest. Avoid heavy equipment operation in your forest during wet periods unless the soil is very stable. It is also wise to avoid partial harvest and thinning operations during the spring, when bark is soft and vulnerable. You may decide to harvest timber during the summer, when hardwood trees in the buffers have leaves. It is a good idea to avoid operating in forests near residential areas during early morning and evening. Finally, you may want to avoid performing activities during peak recreation seasons if there are recreation areas located near your forest.
Strategy #2: Provide Recreational Opportunities in Your Forest
There are many types of outdoor recreation activities that can be enjoyed in a forest. You may hunt, fish, hike, or camp in your forest. You may even ride mountain bikes, horses, or all-terrain vehicles on the trails in your forest. You might enjoy participating in these activities yourself, or you may lease your forest to other people. For example, some forest owners lease their forest to a club that hunts, camps, fishes, and enjoys other activities.
Regardless of the type of recreational activities enjoyed in your forest, these activities certainly have value. As more forestland becomes fragmented and converted to other land uses, recreational opportunities will become a very important part of sustainable forests. Therefore, you may want to decide which activities to provide in your forest and how to maintain the facilities you develop. In the interest of sustainability, you should also minimize the impacts of recreational activities on the forest.
The recreational opportunities that you could offer in your forest are almost unlimited, but it is a good idea to decide which activities are most important to you. There are often conflicts between different types of recreation, so you may have to choose one activity over another. For example, horseback riders enjoy long and peaceful trails through the forest. All-terrain vehicles may be able to use these same trails, but there is certainly a conflict between horses and ATV's. Therefore, it would be necessary to decide whether ATV or horseback use is most important. This is just one example of a decision you may have to make about recreation.
When you have ranked the recreational opportunities of interest, it is a good idea to examine your forest to see if the resources exist to support the preferred activities. For example, if you are interested in trout fishing, you may want to make sure that the stream on your property has sufficient water to support trout. If you are interested in camping, you may want a level spot with access to drinking water.
When you have determined that there are sufficient resources to support the preferred recreational activities, you can begin to identify specific areas in your forest for each activity. You might even map these areas to ensure that they do not overlap into other recreational areas and create conflicts. This map would be a good addition to your forest management plan. You can also use the map to show recreation users where they can enjoy each activity.
Recreation users often pursue their activities because they enjoy the natural experience received in the forest. Many users, however, are not aware of the impacts they may have on the forest. Heavy recreation use can result in eroded soils, unhealthy trees, and other negative impacts. Preventing recreational damage to your forest may simply consist of small activities. For example, you may need to encourage hunters to avoid littering. You may need to remind campers to extinguish all campfires before leaving. However, there are some activities that may require a larger investment of time and money. These activities often involve the design and construction of trails and campsites.
Regardless of whether trails are used by foot, bike, ATV, or horse, it is important to avoid erosion by building the trails on suitable grades and stable soils. The ideal grade for a trail is 1-7%. Level areas should be avoided because they will not drain well, and steep areas should be bypassed because they are quickly eroded. You may even want to use water bars and structures to control drainage of trails. You can consult the Soil Survey for your county to identify stable soils in your forest. A good trail will follow natural contours of the land, avoid sharp turns and switchbacks, and provide access during wet soil conditions.
You can reduce erosion and increase safety by discouraging users from wandering off trails. Trails should be designed so that they provide access to interesting places such as scenic vistas, historical areas, unique areas, water bodies, and wildlife observation areas. If the current trails in your forest do not have access to these sites, you might consider adding spur trails that follow a good route to new areas. Otherwise, trail users are likely to form a new trail, which might not be well-located and could cause severe problems in the future.
Damage to the forest at campsites is an important problem in some forests. Poorly designed campsites can result in erosion, compaction, and damage to vegetation. Erosion is a particularly important concern because of its negative impact on water quality. You can prevent erosion by locating campsites on sturdy and well-drained soils, on sites with a good ground cover of leaves and resilient vegetation, and in areas with good drainage. Well-drained campsites usually have a slight slope, southern exposure, and well-drained soil.
Good campsites will have everything campers need in a convenient location so that improvising is not necessary. Improvising could increase the risk of damaging the forest. Most campers may not understand how they are affecting the ecology of your forest. They will need a site to place a tent, a cooking area, a firepit, and a place for a latrine. Good campsites are also shaded, have a convenient source of water, are relatively private, and are located near important natural attractions. In addition to providing good campsites, avoid campers who do not have an ethical concern for your forest.
Recreational facilities such as trails, campsites, cabins, and ponds can be expensive to construct. It makes sense to perform good maintenance when you have made an investment in these facilities. A good maintenance schedule will be cheaper in the long run, will increase your enjoyment of the forest, and will increase the value of your property.
It may be easy to determine when you need to perform maintenance in one of your recreation areas. For example, you will probably notice if a segment of a trail is eroded and needs to be repaired. Likewise, you would recognize when your cabin needs to be painted or your campsites need to be cleaned. However, if you would like assistance in developing a regular maintenance plan for your recreational facilities, you can ask for help from your forester, the Virginia Department of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service, or the National Park Service. These agencies have professionals who work daily in public and private recreational areas.
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