Difference between forestry technicians and the general public in the way of looking at forest trees : Analysis of tree selection based on video pictures

Abstract

Despite the fact that proper forest management does not result in destruction of forest environments, some people still consider the forestry industry to be responsible for environmental destruction. In this study we examined the differences between forestry technicians and the general public (elementary school children and senior high school students) in the selection of their favorite forest trees using a video camera mounted on the subject's head to investigate the direction of eye gaze. We found that forestry technicians examined the entire tree when making their selection. However, the final selection by both forestry technicians and the public was that of trees which are of greatest value for timber production. This suggests that there is no great difference between forestry technicians and the general public in the way of looking at forest trees. Thus it appears that there is some possibility of promoting forest environmental education through friendly dialogue between forestry technicians and the general public.