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Forest Landscapes in Europe – Visual Characteristics and the Role of Arboriculture

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New Perspectives on People and Forests

Part of the book series: World Forests ((WFSE,volume 9))

Abstract

The relationship of people to landscapes is not exclusively defined by cultural and social links. It is also related to the visual perception of a place and the appreciation of certain landscape characteristics. Vegetation patterns in landscapes are affected not only by climatic and environmental conditions but also by the cultural impact of land use and the management of trees and forests.

This chapter explores the visual characteristics of forest landscapes based on the concept of visual scale and the concept of complexity. The development of these landscapes is linked to the influence of arboricultural activities. The aim is not to evaluate landscapes but to describe typical distribution patterns of forests and other wooden landscape elements. It is discussed how landscapes change parallel with a change in land use and how landscape planning has to take people’s perception and their relation to landscapes into account.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, 9000, Aalborg, Denmark

    Eva Ritter

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  1. Eva Ritter
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Correspondence to Eva Ritter .

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  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, Aalborg, 9000, Denmark

    Eva Ritter

  2. Red Five Wood Ltd., Cefn Coch, Builth Wells, Powys, Wales, LD2 3PR, United Kingdom

    Dainis Dauksta

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Ritter, E. (2011). Forest Landscapes in Europe – Visual Characteristics and the Role of Arboriculture. In: Ritter, E., Dauksta, D. (eds) New Perspectives on People and Forests. World Forests, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1150-1_14

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