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Land
Special Issues
Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021
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Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Landscape Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2022) | Viewed by 16810

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Brent Chamberlain

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
Interests: visual resource management; geospatial analytics; environmental psychology; land use planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Robin E. Hoffman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Landscape Architecture, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Interests: land system science and social–ecological system research; land management including agriculture, forestry, the built environment and others; landscapes, landscape design and landscape planning
Prof. Dr. Richard Smardon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Studies, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Interests: visual resource management; landscape assessment; cultural ecosystem services; wetland assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The biennial visual resource stewardship conferences of 2017, 2019 and 2021 were designed to catalyse ideas and innovation between academia, practice, NGOs and government agencies who work to address the analysis, planning, valuation, design and management of visual resources. The aim of these conferences was to share ideas and discuss issues associated with the assessment and protection of visual resources in an era of major landscape change—regionally, national and globally. For this Special Issue we want to encourage the submission of articles that address international visual, scenic and landscape resource assessment and management.

History: At the 2012 National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) meeting (Portland, Oregon), a number of key active visual resource professionals and academics organized a track in Visual Resource Management as a major part of the conference. This group also presented a one-day preconference short course, which was attended by about 100 attendees. This was the largest gathering of visual resource management practitioners since the 1979 Our National Landscape Conference at Lake Tahoe Nevada (Elsner and Smardon, 1979). After the 2012 NAEP meeting, the same organizing group started monthly conference calls and followed up with visual resource presentation tracks organized for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 NAEP meetings. However, there were fewer visual resource presentations and the content had to compete with the many other tracks within the NAEP meetings.

In early 2016 the visual working group decided that a conference totally dedicated to visual resource stewardship was warranted. Robert Sullivan at Argonne National Laboratory, engaged in visual resource assessment methodology work for the USDI Bureau of Land Management, volunteered to host a conference at Argonne. The major sponsors were the USDI Bureau of Land Management, The USDA Forest Service, the USDI National Park Service, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The proceeding of the conference was published as a USDA Forest Service General Technical publication, Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-183 (Gobster and Smardon 2018).

The 2019 Visual Resource Stewardship Conference at Argonne National Laboratory had five conference themes. All of these themes were carried through to the 2021 virtual Visual Resource Stewardship conference co-hosted by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Utah State University.

  1. Landscape scale and context;
  2. Visual resource benefits;
  3. Visual analysis benefits;
  4. Integrated visual resource planning and application; and
  5. Skill building workshops.

The Council of Europe established the European Landscape Convention in 2020 (Council of Europe 2020). The Landscape Convention is dedicated to bringing a much broader treatment of landscape characterization, assessment and management to all places, not limited to outstanding landscapes. Most recently, a “landscape manifesto” was proposed that aims to reframe the relationship between people and place.

We are pleased to invite you to submit manuscripts for peer review for the Special Issue of Land entitled ”Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021”

This Special Issue aims to publish the latest international research and application of visual/scenic landscape resource stewardship assessment methods. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Ethics, equality and equity in landscape assessment practice;
  • Public perception, participation engagement and conflict resolution;
  • Valuation of landscape resources and cultural ecosystem services;
  • Federal and state government programs, regulations and policies;
  • Urban community visual resource management;
  • Visual landscape and cultural resource management and mitigation;
  • Integration of visual resource inventory with multi-resource assessment;
  • Visual resource management tools and technology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References:

Council of Europe.2000. European Landscape Convention< European Treaty Series (Florence Convention), Strasbourg Council of Europe

Elsner G. and Smardon R.C. (Eds). 1979. Proceedings of Our National Landscape: A Conference on Applied Techniques for Analysis and Management of the Visual Resource. General Technical Report PSW-35, USDA Forest Service Pacific SW Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley CA {on line} https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/27530

Gobster P. and Smardon R. C. (eds.). 2018. Visual Resource Stewardship Conference proceedings: Landscape and Seascape Management in a Time of Change. General Technical Report NRS-P-183 Northern Research Station Newton Square PA. {online} https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/57492

Dr. Brent Chamberlain
Dr. Robin E. Hoffman
Prof. Dr. Richard C. Smardon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • visual resource
  • stewardship
  • landscape characterization
  • landscape perception
  • cultural resources
  • landscape assessment
  • visual impact assessment
  • visual mitigation
  • sustainability

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review, Other

4 pages, 181 KiB  
Editorial
Selected Papers from the 2019 and 2021 Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences
by Brent Chamberlain, Robin Hoffman and Richard Smardon
Land 2023, 12(2), 443; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land12020443 - 09 Feb 2023
Viewed by 845
Abstract
The biennial Visual Resource Stewardship conferences of 2017, 2019, and 2021 were designed to catalyze new ideas and innovation between academia, practice, NGOs, and government agencies who work to address the analysis, planning, valuation, design, and management of visual resources [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)

Research

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38 pages, 5367 KiB  
Article
The Consequential Role of Aesthetics in Forest Fuels Reduction Propensities: Diverse Landowners’ Attitudes and Responses to Project Types, Risks, Costs, and Habitat Benefits
by Robert G. Ribe, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Bart R. Johnson, Chris Enright and David Hulse
Land 2022, 11(12), 2151; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11122151 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1285
Abstract
Private landowners in the southern Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA were surveyed. The survey queried probabilities of implementing specific fuels reduction projects in extensive areas of specific forest types on their property. The projects were described in relation to the beginning and target [...] Read more.
Private landowners in the southern Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA were surveyed. The survey queried probabilities of implementing specific fuels reduction projects in extensive areas of specific forest types on their property. The projects were described in relation to the beginning and target forest types, the actions required, costs, and long-term maintenance. Forest types were first rated for scenic beauty and informed levels of wildfire risk reduction, scarce habitat production, and associated property rights risks. Propensities to perform each fuels reduction project were then obtained. These were adversely affected by disbelief in heightened wildfire risks or climate change, higher project costs, feelings of hopeless vulnerability to wildfire, and low aesthetic affections for target forests. Propensities were enhanced by aesthetic affection for target forests, belief in the efficaciousness of fuels reduction, previous experience with wildfire evacuation, and higher incomes. All landowners favored thinning of young conifer forests, but some were averse to thinning of mature conifer forests. Anthropocentric landowners, mainly farmers, foresters, and some small holders, tended to favor conventional thinnings toward commercially valuable conifer forests and avoided long-term habitat maintenance. Nature-centric landowners, mainly some rural residents and wealthy estate owners, leaned more toward long term habitat goals and oak forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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16 pages, 2620 KiB  
Article
Differences in Visual Attraction between Historical Garden and Urban Park Walking Scenes
by Chang Li and Xiaohui Huang
Land 2022, 11(10), 1766; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11101766 - 12 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1533
Abstract
Previous studies on visual perception and landscape element preference have mainly focused on urban green spaces such as parks and forests; the visual attraction potential of historical gardens has been less explored. Based on the analysis framework of the visual landscape experience, this [...] Read more.
Previous studies on visual perception and landscape element preference have mainly focused on urban green spaces such as parks and forests; the visual attraction potential of historical gardens has been less explored. Based on the analysis framework of the visual landscape experience, this study employed normalized eye-tracking data and preference questionnaires to compare the difference in visual attraction of typical walking scenes between historical gardens and urban parks. The results showed that in terms of landscape elements, the variation fluctuation of the fixation time on various landscape elements by participants viewing historical garden walking scenes (HGWSs) was less than for urban park walking scenes (UPWSs). Additionally, the visual perception scores of the former (i.e., fascinating, coherent, complex, and mysterious) were higher than the latter. In terms of the visual attention area, the visual exploration of HGWSs around the scene (i.e., top, bottom, left, and right) was longer than for UPWSs, while the latter’s central fixation time was longer than that of the former. The visual attraction of HGWSs was related to the foreground and middle ground, while that of UPWSs was related to the middle ground and background. Additionally, for policy makers and managers of urban green spaces, the recommendation of the present study was to consider and evaluate the differences between HGWSs and UPWSs in terms of visual attraction before policy establishment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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17 pages, 4517 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Viewpoint Selection for Route-Based Experiences: Assessing the Role of Viewpoints on Viewshed Accuracy
by Garet Openshaw and Brent Chamberlain
Land 2022, 11(8), 1324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11081324 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1505
Abstract
A visual analysis is useful to assess potential impacts to our surroundings. There has been tremendous progress toward the optimization, accuracy, and techniques of these analyses. Viewshed analyses are a common type of visual analysis. The purpose of this study was to identify [...] Read more.
A visual analysis is useful to assess potential impacts to our surroundings. There has been tremendous progress toward the optimization, accuracy, and techniques of these analyses. Viewshed analyses are a common type of visual analysis. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal trade-off between the number of viewpoints needed to generate an accurate viewshed for a given route. In this study, we focused on identifying how a viewshed differs based on the sampling distance (interval) of viewpoints, topography, and distance of analysis. We employed the Geospatial Route Analysis and Visual Impact Assessment (GRAVIA) tool, a type of advanced viewshed that uses visual-magnitude measures. GRAVIA was applied across three different topographical environments (flat, hilly, and mountainous). We generated a one-mile-long segment for each environment and systematically discretized the route by varying the sampling-distance intervals from 1 m to 100 m. We also compared how the calculated results differed by distance from the route. The results showed a linear decrease in the correlation, though this was sensitive to the distance. When all distances were combined, a 30 m and 50 m sampling distance correlated to 0.9 and 0.7, respectively. However, when the results compared calculations beyond 300 m away from the route, the correlation values exceeded 97% for all the viewpoint-sampling distances. This suggests that for route-based analyses using visual magnitude, reducing the sampling rate can produce equivalent results with far less processing time while maintaining model precision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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14 pages, 1762 KiB  
Article
Exploring Awareness and Public Perception towards the Importance of Visual Aesthetics for Preservation of Permanent Forest Reserve (PFR) in Malaysia
by Riyadh Mundher, Shamsul Abu Bakar, Suhardi Maulan, Mohd Johari Mohd Yusof, Syuhaily Osman, Ammar Al-Sharaa and Hangyu Gao
Land 2022, 11(8), 1280; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11081280 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2428
Abstract
Malaysia has suffered a significant loss of forest cover over the years, mainly due to logging and land clearance for agriculture activities. Although the forest legislation has long been established and continuously enforced, it was not inclusive enough to protect the local natural [...] Read more.
Malaysia has suffered a significant loss of forest cover over the years, mainly due to logging and land clearance for agriculture activities. Although the forest legislation has long been established and continuously enforced, it was not inclusive enough to protect the local natural resources. This study aims to identify public perception and awareness regarding values and essential aspects that affect the preservation of permanent forest reserves (PFR) in Malaysia. In particular, this study investigated the values of visual aesthetics to promote the preservation of Malaysian PFR within the existing legal framework. Results from the survey revealed that the public strongly perceived ecology and research education as the two most important aspects of preserving Malaysian PFR. The study also confirmed that visual aesthetics are considered a crucial aspect of forest classification and preservation beyond people’s health, safety, recreational, and economy. Interm of PFR functions, aesthetic is aslo the third most important factors after protection and research/education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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Review

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24 pages, 1303 KiB  
Review
A Diversity of Approaches to Visual Impact Assessment
by James F. Palmer
Land 2022, 11(7), 1006; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11071006 - 01 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2664
Abstract
Within the broad field of landscape assessment, scholarship focused on visual impacts accounted for a very small percentage of peer-reviewed journal articles. There has been even less interest in reviewing the methods being employed to conduct visual impact assessments (VIA) as part of [...] Read more.
Within the broad field of landscape assessment, scholarship focused on visual impacts accounted for a very small percentage of peer-reviewed journal articles. There has been even less interest in reviewing the methods being employed to conduct visual impact assessments (VIA) as part of the development permitting process. The purpose of this review has been to show that VIA is not a uniform concept and includes a rich diversity of methods. Six diverse methods are described in some detail, including the assessment instruments, and then comments on the apparent dimensions of this diversity are made. The discussion compares the objectives, criteria, indicators, and standards used by these methods. It also considers whether the VIA is conducted using quantitative or qualitative measurements, professional or public assessors, and a geographic information system (GIS) or key observation point (KOP) framework. It concludes with a discussion of recommendations concerning identifying a gold standard against which to evaluate the VIA methods, the use of multiple methods in a VIA, and the need for research that evaluates the validity and reliability of tools and indicators as they are used in VIA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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38 pages, 5698 KiB  
Review
Visual Resource Stewardship—An International Perspective
by Andrew Lothian
Land 2022, 11(3), 451; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11030451 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2104
Abstract
This paper provides an international perspective on visual resource stewardship. It examines the long history of Britain’s love affair with its landscapes and its abandonment of measuring the subjective element of landscape quality, focusing instead on landscape character, which could be objectively assessed. [...] Read more.
This paper provides an international perspective on visual resource stewardship. It examines the long history of Britain’s love affair with its landscapes and its abandonment of measuring the subjective element of landscape quality, focusing instead on landscape character, which could be objectively assessed. This paper summarises the development of the European Landscape Convention, which has been embraced across much of Europe, and which follows Britain’s emphasis on landscape character. Programs in a range of European countries are reviewed. The recognition of outstanding landscapes under the World Heritage Convention, the UN List of Protected Areas program which includes landscapes, and National Scenic Area programs, are briefly summarised. The key message of this paper is that most of the provisions summarised focus on the character of the landscape and not its quality. Because it has been alleged, particularly in Britain and Europe, that it is too difficult to measure scenic quality, landscape character has become the subject instead of scenic quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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Other

14 pages, 4335 KiB  
Essay
Deep Meaning in Scenic Assessment: Seeing around the Bend
by Patrick Alan Miller
Land 2022, 11(10), 1646; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11101646 - 23 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1411
Abstract
Many of today’s scenic assessment tools were developed initially to preserve the visual quality of public lands and to mitigate the negative visual impacts of large-scale landscape alterations, such as timber harvesting, mineral extraction, and renewable energy production. However, we are beginning to [...] Read more.
Many of today’s scenic assessment tools were developed initially to preserve the visual quality of public lands and to mitigate the negative visual impacts of large-scale landscape alterations, such as timber harvesting, mineral extraction, and renewable energy production. However, we are beginning to see more interest today in preserving scenic views on non-public lands. This essay makes a case for additional scenic assessment tools that reveal deep meaning in the landscape. Deep meaning is different than the immediately visible attributes of the landscape. It includes things that come to mind when looking at the landscape and are shared by people familiar with that landscape. Understanding the concept of deep meaning can be difficult. The author describes how deep meaning in the landscape was first revealed to him. Two non-landscape examples are then used to demonstrate different aspects of deep meaning. First, the rocks in a rock garden show the personal nature and attachment of deep meaning. Second, the wording on two wine bottle labels illustrates the distinction between surface meaning and deep meaning. Poetry is then examined as a means of conveying deeper landscape meaning. Lastly, four different landscape contents categories that are used in the proposed Virginia Scenic Viewshed Program demonstrate how deep meaning content can be used in the scenic viewshed assessment. The conclusion is that deep meaning would be a valuable addition to the scenic assessment of non-public land viewsheds, particularly if the assessment process involves the public. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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20 pages, 3637 KiB  
Hypothesis
Viewing the Landscape of the George Washington Memorial Parkway: A Cultural History of Scenic Resources and Landscape Ideology
by Paul J. Kelsch
Land 2022, 11(8), 1190; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land11081190 - 29 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1489
Abstract
This paper investigates several views along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which runs along the Potomac River between Washington, DC, and George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. It focuses on the role these views have had in transforming the banks of the Potomac into [...] Read more.
This paper investigates several views along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which runs along the Potomac River between Washington, DC, and George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. It focuses on the role these views have had in transforming the banks of the Potomac into a landscape, and it compares them to a set of landscape paintings that reveal complexities in the ideology of landscape. These dimensions of landscape ideology are used to interpret the parkway as a landscape, a projection of certain values on the land. The paper concludes with a discussion of the values of this approach for the stewardship of visual resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Visual Resource Stewardship Conferences 2019 and 2021)
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