Visitor Perceptions of Bark Beetle Impacted Forests in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Forest disturbance by bark beetles and other insects is a global issue expected to increase with the warming climate. Visitor aesthetic appreciation of these forests affected by infestations is an important factor for land managers. Environmental education by land managers allows visitors to understand natural disturbances. We explored how the recent bark beetle-caused forest changes were perceived and understood by visitors at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, in reference to the aesthetic model of scientific cognitivism. Visitors completed an onsite questionnaire that was analysed using factor analyses and ANOVAs. Visitors perceived the forest as beautiful, inspiring, and interesting. No direct relationship was found between knowledge and perceptions. Visitor reactions combined affective with less salient cognitive dimensions. These findings emphasise the need to instill primary affective connections to cognitive subject matter in conservation education using knowledge to ameliorate cognitive dissonance associated with naturally disturbed landscapes.