Aesthetic study of road construction patterns and surrounding forests

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Forestry, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Art and Architecture, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran

3 Master's student in Forest Development and Utilization, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
Introduction and Objective: Road construction is the costly construction activity in the forest and requires physical, environmental, and social considerations. In recent years, public concerns about the visual quality of the road and roadside aesthetics have increased. The visual quality of a road pattern depends more on the condition of the road curvature, the condition of the excavation and embankment slopes, and the beauty of the roadside vegetation and the shape of the surface.
Materials and Methods: In this study, parts of Dr. Bahramnia's Series I forest roads were evaluated to evaluate the aesthetics of the forest road pattern. A number of photographs were taken during the day when there was sufficient sunlight (10 am to 3 pm) of different road patterns, including the condition of the curves or arches, the road surface, the paths with and without trenches, mixed and pure coniferous-deciduous and broadleaf roadside stands in the three seasons of summer, late autumn and winter, and then these photographs were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 by 60 tourists. Then, statistical analysis was performed to determine the average aesthetic value of each component (AAV) and the average road visual quality (AVQ) in each season, as well as to identify the most important factor affecting the overall aesthetic value of the road patterns. The analyses were performed in SPSS software.
Results: In examining the role of different road construction patterns in the level of visual quality, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the appearance of the road surface, the surrounding stands, the earthen slopes and the curvature or arch of the road in beautifying the landscape of forest roads, and each had the same contribution to the visual quality of the road. The results showed that from the perspective of tourists, the average visual quality of the grassy road was significantly higher than that of the sandy road. Also, forest roads had the highest visual quality in the fall and the lowest visual quality in the winter. The results of the correlation analysis showed that there is a positive and significant correlation between the visual quality of forest roads and the visual quality of slopes, surrounding stands, and road surface. If the visual quality of the dirt slopes (P<0.001), the stands surrounding the road (P<0.05), and the road surface (P<0.05) improves, the visual quality of the forest road will also increase.
Conclusion: Designing forest paths and roads with beautiful and unique landscapes can have a significant impact on attracting tourists and sustainable development. Therefore, improving the condition of the forest road surface by establishing grass cover in the middle and sides of the road and restoring and revitalizing the mounds and slopes of excavation and embankment along the road should be done in a way that reduces the environmental impacts of road construction on the forest ecosystem and improves the aesthetic aspects of the road. Also, considering the high tendency of tourists to forest tourism in the fall, it is necessary to take appropriate measures in this season to facilitate traffic and benefit from the blessings of the forest.

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Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology
Volume 32, Issue 3
September 2025
Pages 43-58

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