Scenic landscape assessment: the effects of land management jurisdiction on public perception of scenic beauty

The research presented here evaluated viewer preferences for a road corridor in southern Utah that is managed in part by the USDA Forest Service, and in part by the National Park Service. Because philosophical differences per agency can lead to visible differences in landscape characteristics, a traveler can be presented with a mixed and potentially confusing experience en-route. This potential for ambiguity could impact a visitor's experience, which in turn might influence a region's tourist potential. A preliminary field study was first conducted to document the motivations and concerns of visitors to the study area. A systematic photographic inventory was then generated along the 12-mile corridor that links Cedar Breaks National Monument with segments of the Dixie National Forest. The acquired photographs were employed in a perceptual assessment effort that studied observers perceptions of landscape scenic beauty as the road traversed from one jurisdiction to the other. The goal was to investigate the effects of jurisdictional differences on public perceptions of the scenic quality of the corridor Preference scores were later related to expert-based assessments of the visible characteristics of the same test scenes, using the landscape/scene variables indicated by the preliminary field study; depth of view, proportion of road in view, and proportion of open meadow in view. Results indicated highest preferences for park managed scenes with a central open meadow framed by forest. Similar scenes in the forest-administered sections of the corridor were less preferred, apparently due to the effects of seasonal livestock grazing on visual features within the meadows. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.