The role of visual and acoustical characteristics on forest attractiveness

Recreational forests play a vital role for human well-being and recreation. Yet, the role of and interplay between visual and auditory environmental characteristics in forest recreation remain underexplored. This study investigates how multisensory characteristics, particularly visual forest characteristics and the local soundscape, influence perceived forest attractiveness, perceived restfulness, and visit frequency aiming to gain a holistic understanding of forest visitors' multisensory perceptions of recreational environments. Employing a mixed-method approach, we conducted quantitative surveys with a total of 482 participants and recordings of the local soundscape at 20 study sites across Switzerland's lowlands with high recreational demand, which represent Swiss National Forest Inventory sample plots. Multilevel regression models combining physical forest data, acoustic, psychoacoustic and sound categories (e.g., birdsong, road traffic etc.) obtained from recordings, and survey data revealed that personal characteristics and individual soundscape perceptions accounted for the majority of variance for the three investigated variables. Notably, natural auditory stimuli such as birdsong enhanced perceived visual attractiveness, while anthropogenic sounds (e.g., helicopters, road traffic) significantly diminished restfulness and reduced visit frequency. Ground vegetation features, such as moss and ferns, also positively influenced perceptions, while dense understory and deadwood had negative impacts. The results highlight the importance of subjective, multisensory experience (e.g., perceived soundscape quality) over environmental characteristics and external sounds in shaping forest preferences. The study’s findings further emphasize the importance of integrating soundscape considerations into forest planning to maintain and enhance restorative qualities, as well as the need for holistic, multisensory strategies in recreational forest management.