Assessment of the significance of the ban on the access to the forest due to the threat of the COVID-19 epidemic for people resting in the forest

Abstract

The aim of the research was to determine the significance of the forest as a leisure and recreation area, through the prism of the prohibition of entry for the society, in force in forests managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding, which took place throughout Poland in the period 03-19/04/2020. Research relates to the topic with no scientific history. Within the study, an individual on-line questionnaire interview was conducted with a group of 278 adult Poles, selected taking into account demographic data (representative share of social groups). In the main question, a 7-point horizontal scale was used, on which the respondents indicated a point corresponding to the intensity of their assessment. The weighted average point value of the assessment was 4.63 (out of 7 points) indicating that the analysed ban was a significant problem for the respondents. The largest group (1/4 of the respondents) were people for whom rest in the forest is very important, and for whom the ban on entering the forest was a very big problem. Fraction of those for whom the introduced restriction was a very little problem was slightly over 10%. Statistical analysis (the chi-square function in the logarithmic form i.e. G function) showed a number of significant differences in respondents' answers depending on their social characteristics. The relationship between the assessment of the problem caused by the introduction of the entry ban and the time spent by respondents on leisure and recreation in the forest, should be considered to be the most important. The more days per year the surveyed rest in forests, the greater the problem resulting from the introduced restrictions turned out to be for them. The obtained results were: people spending a few days on rest in forests (22% of the respondents) - 3.82 points, a dozen or so days (37%) - 4.42, a few weeks (33%) - 5.10, a few months (8%) - 5.96 points. There is a need to conduct further research leading to the determination, to a broader extent, of the significance of the forests as areas for tourism and recreation, through the prism of the applied restrictions. Within the surveys, the different reasons for the prohibition of access to the forests, their location in time and space, and the length of their duration, should be taken into account.