The first study, the basis of Gary Purdum's doctoral research, used
the Ecological Classification and Inventory System (ECI) as a starting
point for studying scenic quality. Photographs were taken at three National
Forests in Michigan to represent specified designations within this
system. Participants in the study, varying considerably in their knowledge
and experience with these ecosystems, were asked to rate the scenes
in terms of their personal preferences for the settings. Following a
procedure that has been used in dozens of previous studies (Kaplan &
Kaplan, 1989), these ratings were used as a way to understand how participants
classify these environments. The results show dramatic differences in
classification based on participants' expertise. Not only do the resulting
categories differ from each other, but also from the ECI system.
The second study, in collaboration with
Drs. Anne Kearney and Gordon Bradley at the University of Washington,
focused on the ways different stakeholder groups conceptualize "appropriate
forest management." Using a cognitive-mapping tool that permits
study participants to identify their own way of seeing this issue, eleven
themes emerged as salient. For five of these the three stakeholder groups
were equivalent. Two themes - Timber management and Economics
- were mentioned significantly more by both industry participants and
environmentalists than by Forest Service participants. Perhaps the most
striking differences between the groups were apparent with respect to
the three themes related to human dimensions of "appropriate forest
management." For each of these the environmentalists in the sample
had significantly fewer mentions: aesthetics were particularly
strong for the industry participants; Forest Service personnel emphasized
that multiple values must be considered; process issues
were included in the categories of half of the industry and Forest Service
participants, but none of the environmentalists.
Classification is necessary and its
impacts are pervasive. Classification is strongly based in experience
and is central to what we consider reality. Bringing different realities
together is usually a challenge and often not a satisfying experience
for all who are involved. These studies provide some mechanisms for
highlighting the different categories. They also provide tools that
could be used for facilitating collaborative processes in efforts to
find mutually satisfying solutions.
References
Kaplan, R. and Kaplan, S. (1989) The Experience of Nature: A
Psychological Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Republished by Ulrich's (Ann Arbor, MI), 1995.
Kearney, A. R., Bradley, G., Kaplan,
R., and Kaplan, S. (1999) Stakeholder perspectives on appropriate forest
management in the Pacific Northwest. Forest Science, 45, 1, 62-73.
