The forest is one of the primary nearby green spaces where people can unwind, offering a wide range of ecosystem services to the population. While the beneficial effects of the visual forest environment on relaxation were already well documented in environmental psychology, recent research highlights the determining role of the acoustic dimension in this process.<\/p>\n
From a visual standpoint, landscapes conducive to restoration are characterised by the presence of vegetation and water, as well as by a clear, unconfined spatial structure that is easy to read and understand. These environments also possess a quality of \u00ab\u00a0fascination\u00a0\u00bb: they capture attention without demanding concentration. An open, sparsely understoried, well-managed forest equipped with simple amenities such as benches matches the preferences of users seeking rest.<\/p>\n
Going further, the recent Swiss study H\u00f6ren und st\u00f6ren?<\/em> made it possible to rank, alongside visual factors, the influence of auditory factors on the quality of the forest experience. Conducted with 305 individuals engaged in quiet recreational activities across ten localities at the boundary between urban and rural areas, the study found that natural sounds \u2014 water, birdsong and wind \u2014 were consistently rated highest by participants. Conversely, motor vehicle noise ranked last, behind shooting or construction noise. Even low levels of traffic noise, the study shows, are sufficient to significantly reduce the restorative function of peri-urban forest spaces.<\/p>\n These findings argue in favour of jointly considering visual and acoustic tranquillity in landscape planning. Furthermore, the WaMos 3 study (2022) reminds us that while the Swiss population broadly supports forest management, it finds it difficult to accept the concrete manifestations of such management in the vicinity of its usual walking areas. Strengthened dialogue between forest managers and users therefore appears desirable in order to reconcile silvicultural imperatives with recreational expectations.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":46533,"template":"","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n