Recreation in suburban forests – monitoring the distribution of visits using the example of Rzeszów

Abstract

The research aimed to determine the actual distribution of visits in suburban forests in the temperate climate zone, using the Rzeszów metropolitan area as an example. The study also examined whether there is a correlation between the number of visitors to the forests and weather conditions: average daily air temperature, total daily precipitation, and the maximum sustained wind speed within a day. The distribution of visits was determined based on a 365-day monitoring of recreational traffic intensity using a sensor in the form of a pyroelectric detector. Weather data for each day of observation were obtained from a meteorological station. An average of 51 daily visitors was recorded (29 on weekdays and 101 on weekends and holidays). Most people visited the forest during the vacations, in August (14.7%) and July (14.1%), and least in winter: in February (2.7%) and December (3.4%). It was observed that the number of visits to the forest increased with the rise in average daily air temperature. In contrast, as the maximum sustained wind speed increased throughout the day, the number of visits decreased. There was no clear correlation between the number of visits and the total daily rainfall, except for weekends and holidays (number of visits decreased with the increase in rainfall). The number of visitors to suburban forests was more influenced by public holidays than weather conditions. Many forest visitors were significantly more frequently observed on holidays and weekends than weekdays. More than half of all visits occurred on weekends. Forests were most frequently visited on Sundays (38.2%). Suburban forests were visited from 5 AM to 10 PM, with shorter weekend hours (from 6 AM to 8 PM). The results obtained in the study can be valuable for managing recreational activities in suburban forests.