Bent Creek Experimental Forest: Data from the 2005-2007 survey of visitor characteristics, perceptions, economics and traffic

Vehicles and visitors entering Bent Creek Experimental Forest (BCEF) in the Pisgah National Forest, near Asheville, NC, were inventoried from mid-2005 to mid-2007 to establish a baseline of visitation for management of dispersed recreation. A study using a stratified random sampling design was conducted that resulted in three datasets: (1) blocks of sampling dates and times during which all vehicles entering were counted, (2) onsite interviews of drivers of selected vehicles entering during a block of time to determine their reason for visiting and other information, and (3) telephone follow-up interviews of selected visitors to determine costs of their visit and other information. A total of 350 blocks of 2-hour intervals of time were designated for counting all entering vehicles and interviewing drivers of randomly selected vehicles. Onsite interviews were conducted with 4,167 vehicle occupants to determine the destination in BCEF of their visit, the type of planned recreational activity (hiking, biking), the number of occupants by gender and age class, and if pets were present. Telephone interviews were conducted later with 1,106 visitors to obtain additional data including their age, education, evaluation of environmental conditions, number and distance travelled for this visit, and expenses. Included with the three data sets are survey forms used for the data collection and maps of the BCEF.<br>Experimental forests of the USDA Forest Service are established in national forests for the purpose of conducting forestry research primarily on subjects related to silviculture and its effects on wildlife habitat and hydrology. The research forests also allow dispersed outdoor recreation of the type provided by national forests, however there are few reports from social science studies that have utilized this community of users either as an available audience for environmental education or as a source of environmental disturbance associated with their activities. Visitation data are available for entire national forest areas, but not for specific areas, such as experimental forests. Bent Creek Experimental Forest is located near a large urban and suburban population and is heavily used for dispersed recreation. This investigation provides data on the volume and distribution of visitation among types of recreation activities pursued at Bent Creek Experimental Forest and as a baseline for future studies. The data included in this study were collected with the objectives: (1) sampling the volume of vehicles entering Bent Creek Experimental Forest (BCEF), (2) learning the planned purpose of the visit from vehicle occupant(s) from an immediate onsite (in person) interview, and (3) determining characteristics, perceptions and economic information associated with their visit from a follow-up telephone interview.<br>For more information about this study and these data, see McNab et al. (2023). These data were published on 05/09/2022. On 10/05/2023, minor metadata changes were made which included a citation update for a newly published article.