Fundamental Studies on the Image of Forest

A Case Study in Oku-Nikko

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find out what comfortable images of forest are. A questionnarie was made using a semantic differential technique, which was handled to recreationists who visited Oku-Nikko. The questionnarie was written in by the recreationists were analyzed using a principal component analysis.
The results are;
1) The recreationists felt comfortable in a deciduous forest consisting of Quercus crispula and Larix leptolepis, and on the spacious moor in Senjogahara. On the other hand they felt uncomfortable in an evergreen needle-leaved forest consisting of Abies homolepis, and on the developed lakeside of Yuno.
2) The results related to images of forest were; a. They had a more natural image in a deciduous forest with trees of the same size. b. They had an extensive image for the opened space of the moor and the lake. c. It is recognized the Yuno lake and the moor of Senjogahara are so developed that they had an artificial image exaggeratedly. d. They had a simple and monotonous image in a large area. e. They felt more uncomfortable in the forest with richness in variety.(species and density are complicated.) f. They had a soft image in a deciduous forest consisting of Quercus crispula, and a solid image in an evergreen needle-leaved forest consisting of Abies homolepis.
3) Elements were abstracted from forest images mentioned above. The elements are as follows; a. An illuminance in a forest. b. A form of trees in a forest. c. An openness of a place. d. A degree of development of a place.