Restorative effects of mature and young commercial forests, pristine old-growth forest and urban recreation forest - A field experiment

Urban and peri-urban forests and woodlands provide an important recreational service for citizens. However, these forests are facing increasing pressure due to the ongoing land-use encroachment and increased demands for wood-based products. Same time the world is getting more urbanized and living in cities is associated with mental health problems and exposure to air pollution and noise. Conversely, forests are known to create more healthy environments, and the need for effectively restorative forests is even more evident. In this study we investigated whether the restorative effects of forests on people vary according to the forests' different management decisions and/or ages. We selected four spruce-dominated forests that represent well the different management outcomes: 1) an urban recreation forest, 2) a mature commercial forest, 3) a young commercial forest, and 4) an old-growth forest in its natural state. The study participants (39 women and 27 men) visited each forest once. The experiment included 15 min of observation, followed by 30 min of walking. We measured the restorative effects: perceived restorative outcomes, vitality and positive and negative emotions. The restorative effects increased significantly in all forests. The old-growth forest and mature commercial forest were significantly most restorative. The urban recreation forest was less restorative than these two, but more restorative than the young commercial forest which was at least restorative. In conclusion, it is important to preserve forests with old stands close to residential areas. As the forest management decisions and stand age affect restorative qualities, they should be taken into account in forest management and land use planning.