3.1 Case study protocol
According to Yin (2014), a research protocol for a case study provides the reliability of the research, and the present study follows the procedure of literature synthesis, data collection, data analysis, and pattern matching. Literature review and pattern matching between previous studies and analyzed data provide external and internal validity; various data sources support the construct validity of the study. The NLF's service assessment items for pattern matching were adopted from Li et al.'s (2010) study that classified the forest recreation services into three levels - basic, expanded, and special.
3.2 The National Luxury Forest in South Korea
South Korea was the only developing country when it succeeded in post-war forest rehabilitation along with Germany, the U.K., and New Zealand (Lee et al. 2018). The success of the national forestation transformed the political focus on managing the state forests from forest rehabilitation to forest welfare services (Korea Forest Service 2022). The NLF is the integrated model of public welfare promotion and local economic development through FCES. Since 2017, Korea Forest Service has recognized forests with exceptional ecological and landscape values and designated them as NLF, and forty-five forests around the country are managed as NLF by the National Forest Management Division of the Forest Industry and Policy Bureau (Korea Forest Service 2022).
3.2.1 Policies and management in the state forests in South Korea
In the 1960 s, forests in South Korea were left in extreme devastation due to the Japanese colonization and Korean War, which resulted in social problems, such as severe floods and droughts or a lack of forest resources. As a result, planning for forest rehabilitation was initiated with legal and institutional preparation. For the last half a century, the political governance of the state forests has evolved from utilitarian or economic value-oriented to inclusive service-oriented (Fig. 1). The first National Forest Plan was enacted in 1973, and the government declared the National Tree Planting Period and the National Arbor Day to draw public attention to forest rehabilitation (Choi 2019). In the late 2000s, the political focus on managing the state forest changed to inclusive forest welfare provision, and the establishment of a forest welfare system became the vision of the 5th National Forest Plan in association with people's well-being and quality of life. The 6th National Forest Plan, enacted in 2018, declared its vision to expand the forest welfare system to 100% of people by 2037 with the promotion of life with forests from the cradle to the grave (Dodev et al. 2020; Koo 2021).
The management of NLF is associated with several legal acts in which FCES is emphasized (Table 1). Although the forest service provision of NLF primarily attends to people's well-being and quality of life, it represents the consolidated model to promote both the national economy and the welfare service by diversifying approaches to forest resources. Most of all, the job creation of forest experts who facilitate forest welfare service distribution has drawn attention (Dodev et al. 2020). The Government adopted a certified forest service provider system under the Forestry Culture and Recreation Act, pursuing to improve people's quality of life through forest activities. A trained and accredited forest commentator appeared as a forest interpreter in 2007. According to the Forest Welfare Promotion Act (2015), the job has become more specified into three categories - forest interpreter, forest guide for young children, and forest trekking guide. More than 24,000 people are now certified by Korea Forest Service. Along with these three expertise service categories, the work of a forest healing instructor was adopted in 2015 as a part of the more qualified forest service provision, primarily focusing on mental restoration and holistic well-being.
Table 1 The legislation associated with the management of the National Luxury Forest
Name
|
Enactment
|
Purpose
|
Summary of Issues
regarding Forest welfare Services
|
State Forest Administration and Management Act.
Act No. 18254
|
Aug. 4, 2005
|
Develop the national economy and promote the welfare service by improving state forests' function.
|
●The National Luxury Forest (2017~):
Discovers state forests with beautiful landscapes and exceptional ecological values and designates them NLF.
|
Forestry Culture and Recreation Act.
Act No. 17421
|
Aug. 4, 2005
|
Improve citizens' quality of life by providing comfortable and safe services for forestry culture and recreation concerning the conservation, use, and management of forestry culture and recreation resources.
|
●Promotes interactions between forests and human beings and activities for mental and physical relaxation and healing.
●Ecological environment enhancement:
natural recreation forest, healing forest, forest paths
●Cultural assets’ delivery through forest service experts: forest interpreter (2007~) and forest healing instructor (2011~)
|
(Enforcement Decree of the Forestry Culture and Recreation Act.
Presidential Decree No.29972)
|
Aug. 4, 2006
|
Forest Welfare
Promotion Act.
Act No. 17171
|
Mar. 27, 2015
|
Promote welfare for improving the people's health and quality of life by providing systematic welfare services.
|
●Korea Forest Welfare Institute (2016~):
Monitoring forest service specialists under “forest welfare experts” categories
●Forest service experts: forest interpreter/ forest guide for children/ forest trekking guide/ forest healing instructor
|
(Enforcement Decree of
the Forest Welfare
Promotion Act.
Presidential Decree
No. 29450)
|
Mar. 25, 2016
|
Forest Education
Promotion Act
Act No. 18260
|
Jul. 25, 2011
|
Promote forest education to ensure citizens acquire a correct knowledge of forests and develop a proper sense of value.
|
●Forest education for the general public
●National legislation for designating forest welfare experts except forest healing instructor
|
Among various forest services developed under the legal acts and management of the Korea Forest Welfare Institute, the construction of an integrated forest recreation platform is known as the most significant achievement since it encouraged the public to become more closely engaged in forest recreation (Koo 2021). In 2017, NLF was introduced as a part of the forest welfare service provision; now, a total of forty-five forests provide forest recreation services to the public under the division of national forest management. Recognition of the state forests with exceptional ecological and aesthetic value followed the designation of the NLF, through which local economic development can be facilitated along with forest welfare service provision (Korea Forest Service 2022). Forty-five NLFs are managed under three types – management·landscape type (14), conservation·research type (14), and recreation·welfare type (17). Three places from each type were employed for the present case study.
3.2.2 Study areas
Uljin Geumgangsong Forest, Seoul Hongneung Forest, and Gimcheon Danjibong Forest were employed as research areas representing management·landscape type, conservation·research type, and recreation·welfare type correspondingly (Fig. 2). Hongneung Forest can be seen as an urban greenspace because of its location in the capital city, Seoul, while the rest two forests are located three hours' drive away from the capital city. The first national forest path was introduced in Uljin Geumgangsong Forest in 2010 as a delivery of the 5th National Forest Plan (2008-2017) that promoted the establishment of a national network of forest paths. Certified forest experts, i.e., forest interpreters, forest guides for young children, and forest trekking guides, assist path trekking as a part of inclusive service provision. In Uljin Geumgangsong Forest, locals are trained to become forest interpreters and provide guide services to visitors. Gimcheon Healing Forest is well known as the first national healing forest providing various healing programs, such as forest bathing, forest yoga, or aqua therapy, under the qualified assistance of forest healing instructors (Korea Forest Welfare Institute 2022).
3.3 Data collection
3.3.1 Forest recreation services of NLF
The three levels – basic, expanded, and special – of forest recreation service items were employed to apply a case to acknowledge detailed elements of research destinations (Table 2). The basic level service items are the core services of forest recreation areas and emphasize the accessibility of forest resources and environmental-friendly activities. In contrast, expanded and special service items are relatively artificially modified aspects like accommodation facilities or special events like local festivals (Li et al. 2010). The application of each destination in the case confirmed that most three-level service items were covered in the management·landscape and the recreation·welfare type of NLF.
Table 2 Levels of forest recreation services and the application of a case
Forest recreation services and amenities
|
National Luxury Forest, South Korea
|
Management· Landscape
Uljin Geumgangsong Forest
|
Conservation· Research
Hongneung Forest
|
Recreational· Welfare
Gimcheon Danjibong Forest
|
Basic
|
A good forest environment
|
pine habitat
|
1st arboretum
|
birch habitat
|
Ecotourism and other nature experiencing leisure activities
|
path trekking
|
students’ field trip
|
healing programs
(free or paid)
|
Environmental education
|
forest interpreter
|
forest interpreter
|
forest healing instructor
|
Preserving natural and cultural landscapes
|
cultural forest path
|
2,035spieces
|
G. Healing forest
|
Regulating tourists’ activities to preserve the forests’ ecosystem and special species
|
limit visitors 80/day
|
reserved entrance
|
reserved entrance
|
Introducing country’s forest history and culture
|
forest interpreter
|
forest interpreter
|
forest healing instructor
|
Introducing contemporary and future public forest policies
|
forest interpreter
|
forest interpreter
|
forest healing instructor
|
Multilanguage guide services
|
|
English service
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mountaineering facilities (e.g., meeting points and first aid kits)
|
meeting points
|
|
gathering points
|
Shuttle services inside the National Forest Recreation Area
|
Ecorium
to forest path
|
|
G. Healing forest
|
Facilities for the disabled
|
lift
|
lift
|
lift
|
Multifunction tourist center
|
Ecorium
|
|
G. Healing forest
|
Expanded
|
Accommodation services
|
Ecorium
|
|
|
Food services
|
a local association
|
|
|
Vending machines
|
Ecorium/camping site
|
|
|
Shops selling refreshments and souvenirs
|
Ecorium
|
|
G. Healing forest
|
Group appointment services (e.g., conferences and educational field trips)
|
Ecorium
|
students’ field trip
|
G. Healing forest
|
Camping site services
|
auto-camping site(free)
|
|
2023
|
Special
|
Self-barbeque places
|
|
|
2023
|
Water leisure activities
|
Ecorium
|
|
G. Healing forest
|
Mountain biking places
|
8km MTB route
|
|
MTB park
|
Fishing
|
|
|
|
Weekday/Non-peak time ticket discount
|
free entrance or paid
|
free entrance
|
free entrance / paid
|
Establishing regular closing periods and tourism carrying capacity to maintain the natural environment and recreation qualities
|
rotate the opened paths
|
Mon closed
|
reserved entrance
|
Hosting relevant seasonal or local events
|
specialty food festivals
|
festivals for residents
|
specialty food festivals
|
Prepaid ticket cards for entering the National Forest Recreation Area
|
service voucher
|
service voucher
|
service voucher
|
*Assessment items adopted from Li et al. (2010)
3.3.2 Forest value orientation
Expert-driven forest management policies tend to limit explaining place-specific valuation and the plurality of subjective (Jenkins et al. 2020). Therefore, it is crucial to notice users' perspectives regarding forest management since an individual's value orientation indicates a determinant of their trust in management agencies (Bengston et al. 2004; Müller et al. 2020). UGC is recognized as a data source shared by creative consumers under copy-left creation (Berthon et al. 2015; Kaplan and Haenlein 2010; Lund et al. 2017). In studies of the human-nature relationship, UGC was employed to interpret user perception or attitude toward green images or activities (Accuti et al. 2018; Raum et al. 2021; Zhao et al. 2021). More specifically, Kim and Son (2021) analyzed text data from blog posts on a social media platform. They claimed the most frequently perceived values among local mountain trekkers, such as recreation and ecotourism, aesthetic values, and social relations.
In the present study, 302 blog posts on NAVER were adopted to explore visitors' perceptions regarding three research destinations of NLF, i.e., Uljin Geumgangsong Forest, Seoul Hongneug Forest, and Gimcheon Healing Forest. NAVER is the third most-used portal website in South Korea; Kim and Son (2021) also employed its blog posts to elicit a distribution of CES in the local mountain. Qualitative text data sourced in November 2022 from blog posts were analyzed by using the qualitative data analysis (QDA) software NVivo. Automatically coded themes inform the common values perceived traversing three research destinations: ecological aspects - forest, trees, or plant (Fig. 3). Coded themes also signify the singularities of each destination, such as a species of tree or forest trail (road)—especially users' experience in Gimchen Healing Forest appear relatively diverse compared to the other places.
Automatically coded themes were employed to analyze the FVO of visitors of NLF by conducting a network analysis of NVivo (Fig. 4). Coded themes from each destination congregate at the centered term, forest. Themes were consolidated under two major categories – ecology and sentiment. The ecological value indicates environmental attributes, i.e., forest, path (trail, gil), tree, plant, and flower. On the contrary, forest healing, well-being, programs, family, and memory belong to spiritual assets describing emotional responses from experience; these codes were assigned as the sentiment value.
3.4 forest recreation services and forest value orientation
A canonical correlation was tested to acknowledge the relationship between forest recreation services and FVO regarding NLF (Fig. 5). The set of FCESs comprises three levels of forest recreation services - basic, expanded, and special. More specifically, the basic level interprets a forest, path, gil, road, trekking, hiking, tree, pine, birch, healing program, and forest commentator. The extended level signifies Ecorium and Healing Forest; the special level represents water therapy, mountain biking, reservation, festival, and service voucher. These are used to utilize the web-sourced text data along with previously elicited FVO comprised of ecological and sentiment values. Each text data was codified as numbers based on the frequency of terms indicating two variables – FCES and FVO; the formula of the canonical correlation follows as below.
The result of the canonical correlation (a∗,b∗ ) were .461 and .330. Canonical loadings greater than .30 are eligible for interpretation (Milan and Militký 2011), and the result implies FCES of NLF was related to FVO. The elaboration can be drawn from Function 1 and Function 2, with which the attribute of one variable - FCES or FVO - is more associated with the other variable. Function 1 showed basic forest recreation services were more likely related to ecology and sentiment value orientation rather than expanded and special forest services. Function 2 showed expanded forest recreation services closely related to sentiment value orientation, such as psychological well-being, healing, or memory. Function 2 also denoted that expanded forest recreation services were slightly negatively related to ecology value orientation.