Considérer l’expérience du visiteur, une clé pour la gestion intégrée des forêts
The practice of outdoor recreational activities in western forests is becoming increasingly popular.  Therefore, the implementation of integrated management with regards to publicly-owned forests is more important than ever in order to maintain conditions necessary for all activities on the territory.  The province of Québec which has recently adopted a new Forestry Act is following this trend by addressing the numerous forest management issues such as harmonizing of various uses which represents a major challenge, particularly with regards to recreation and timber production.  Throughout this research, we focused on the concept of visitors’ experience as a means to facilitate harmonization.  The objectives were to identify the attributes of visitors’ experiences in a regional park and to assess how it can be useful in forest management. Two complementary qualitative methodologies were applied: on the one hand, we analyzed the comments written by visitors on guest books, and on the other hand, we interviewed visitors we met on the site.  Results indicate the relevance of using visitors’ experiences to promote a plural and harmonious use of forest lands.  The study allows for an in-depth understanding of experience components, both common and specific, which vary according to visitors.  Moreover, the study reveals that it’s possible to connect certain experience profiles with harmonization terms.  Finally, beyond the mere experience, it appears that forest managers who are aware of the perception and image of forest management will certainly benefit from this information.
Québec Visitors’ experience in forest Harmonization of uses Integrated management