1-2 November 2004 Who visits British forests and what do they do? Sheila Ward Forestry Commission Economics & Statistics United Kingdom

1-2 November Introduction Background to forestry recreation statistics in Britain Survey methodologies: Local on-site surveys Automatic counters All forests surveys Quality of experience Household surveys Future developments

1-2 November Background Forestry Commission programme of on-site monitoring started in 1995 On-site survey methods: local on-site surveys automatic counters all forests methodology piloted in 2002, run from 2004 quality of experience piloted in 2002, run from 2003 Household surveys: Day Visits Survey, Public Opinion of Forestry

1-2 November Local on-site surveys: methodology Programme started by 2001, 24 surveys covering over 3,000 interviews Local surveys - focus on main sites Interviewer administered questionnaires Visitors interviewed as they leave Topics covered include: Group composition Whether travelled from home, transport, distance travelled Frequency of visits Main purpose of visit Ratings of facilities

1-2 November Local on-site surveys: results For 2001, results from surveys at 12 districts included: One quarter of visitors were senior citizens (aged 60+) and one fifth were children. 46% lived locally (within 15 miles/ 24 km) of the site and 33% were holidaymakers. Over two thirds had visited the site before. 40% were there for a walk and 20% for fresh air and exercise.

1-2 November Automatic counters Around 100 vehicle and/ or people counters installed on-site (mainly busier sites) Some problems with data reliability Calibration exercises carried out to estimate average number of people per vehicle Reports produced giving trends in visitor numbers

1-2 November All forests: methodology Piloted at 2 areas in 2002; running in Wales in 2004 and Scotland in Representative sample of recreational forest blocks (usage, population) Interviewer administered questionnaires + counting of visitors at all access points Visitors interviewed as they leave Many blocks have very low usage, so few interviews per day Model to estimate total visitors

1-2 November All forests: methodology Topics covered include: Group composition Whether travelled from home, transport, distance travelled Frequency of visits Main purpose of visit Expenditure

1-2 November All forests: results

1-2 November Quality of experience: methodology Piloted in 2002; running in England from sites selected each year Interviewer administered & self completion questionnaires Visitors interviewed as they leave Focus groups to follow up on specific user groups, e.g. mountain bikers

1-2 November Quality of experience: methodology Topics covered include: Group composition Whether travelled from home, transport, distance travelled Frequency of visits Main purpose of visits Rating of facilities Importance of facilities Impact of other visitors Disturbances to visit

1-2 November Quality of experience: results Grizedale, NW England, 2003: Importance v satisfaction ‘go ape’ course Being able to enjoy scenery/ views Play equipment Leaflets & information

1-2 November Future developments Alternative methodology for quality of experience at quiet sites being used in interviews of households in local community rather than on-site interviews. Review of & improvement to all forests methodology Improved automatic counters at key sites