Forest managers can better engage users from groups under-represented in forest recreation by improving information and transportation access for outdoor recreation

This study aimed to understand the constraints to leisure and outdoor recreation faced by users from different racial and ethnic backgrounds in the setting of a national forest close to an urban area and to learn how they might work around these constraints to participate more in outdoor activities.  The paper builds on constraint negotiation theory, a framework that has been developed over the last two decades to understand barriers to leisure activities such as personal fear, social factors like friends and family who might prefer other activities, or external factors like lack of time or transportation.

The study made use of a 2005 USDA Forest Service survey conducted in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest close to Seattle.  The survey asked “non-traditional” recreationists, defined as users who were not Caucasian, or who were Caucasian but identified themselves with another ethnic or racial heritage, about their motivations for and constraints to outdoor recreation.  On-site interviews focused on non-Caucasian users to develop a sample of 234 individuals, 65% of whom were non-Caucasian.  For analysis, these users were further divided into Asian recreationists and those from other cultural or ethnic groups.

Out of the three groups, Asians were found to perceive the most constraints to outdoor recreation, with barriers ranging from the weather, to lack of information, to a preference for other leisure activities.  In addition, it was found that cultural and informational constraints were more significant for so-called “non-traditional” users than for Caucasians. Notably, fear and prejudice were not significant barriers in any of the user groups surveyed, but time was a major constraint to all groups.

The authors suggest that forest managers can make an effort to reduce constraints by improving access through public transportation and providing more targeted information to non-Caucasian user groups. They caution that demographic groups must be considered as distinct and information strategies developed accordingly. Providing information on the physical, educational, and social benefits of outdoor recreation and delivering it in a way that suits the needs and interests of different ethnic groups could be a way to convince more users to prioritize outdoor activity.