Regeneration Harvests Versus Clearcuts: Public Views of the Acceptability and Aesthetics of Northwest Forest Plan Harvests

The Northwest Forest Plan, "New Forestry," and the "regeneration harvests" they prescribe offer some potential resolution to long-standing adverse perceptions of clearcut logging. This study investigated prospects for this potential resolution preliminary to more robust findings from a larger social perceptions study in progress. Ratings of acceptability and scenic beauty for depictions of timber harvests with aggregated and dispersed patterns of about 15 percent green-tree retention were acquired from a diverse sample of adults in western Oregon and Washington. Respondents rated actual photographs and simulated scenes showing the two retention patterns as well as clearcuts and uncut forests shown in the same scenes. Respondents rated the green-tree retention scenes with and without information about their "New Forestry" attributes and intentions. Comparisons of the average ratings suggest that 15 percent green-tree retention harvests can be perceived much the same as clearcuts. Public education is needed to improve perceptions of the acceptability of retention harvests. Aggregated green-tree retention patterns within harvests may help to produce more favorable perceptions of scenic beauty.