Producing a sensitivity assessment method for visual forest landscapes

A landscape sensitivity index provides information about the location of the most sensitive forest areas in terms of visual alteration. This information is needed to recognize those areas which require special attention in terms of management policy decisions and in directing landscape management activities and subsidies. The main goal of this study was to develop and test a GIS-based method to enable the production of a sensitivity index map on a regional scale. To accomplish this, sensitivity criteria, a model and calculating techniques were developed for the landscape province of the Kainuu and Kuusamo hill area in Finland. Sensitivity was described using three main criteria: (i) visibility, (ii) the amount of potential users (use pressure) and (iii) the attractiveness of the landscape - which are further defined by several sub-criteria. The calculation method was based on spatial multicriteria evaluation (SMCE), where cartographic modeling and expert knowledge modeling are utilized. The method was demonstrated and tested by a case study, where a visual landscape sensitivity map was produced for one municipality in the selected landscape province. The results were evaluated by forest and environment experts. The evaluation process showed that the sensitivity values estimated by the sensitivity model were quite similar to the values calculated from the expert map and field evaluations.