Potential duration of active recreation season based on bioclimatic evaluation

S. Destan

Abstract: The objective of this study is to determine the bioclimatic recreation potential of a forest area located just north of Istanbul. The stages of the study covered: identifying the climatic and bioclimatic parameters, characterizing and evaluating the weather conditions, determining the bioclimatic characterization of the air temperature variation, the bioclimatic characteristics of the local weather conditions and a bioclimatic evaluation of the daytime weather conditions. The bioclimatic recreation potential is related to the various levels of human body activity during forest recreation. Therefore, forest recreation can be categorized into activities with ‘high’, ‘moderate’ or ‘low’ human body activity. The accepted mean and borderline bioclimatic values for the various levels of human body activity were calculated using international standards, heat indices and data from previous studies of this area. The obtained results were correlated and analyzed with regard to the distribution of the average number of visitors in the area for the periods between 1970-1985 and 1990-2008. E established a clear link between the number of visits and types of physical activity to weather conditions. Compared with raw meteorological data, the potential for lower body activity decreased by 6.5%, the moderate body activity by 12.1%, while high body activity by 14.1%. Weighted average reduction was 11.2%, which equaled 18.1 days with 14 hours in the day for recreation. This classic approach to assessing the bio-climatic, combined with levels of physical activity, allows for specific forest management decisions in shaping the forest recreation areas.

Keywords: bioclimatic; body activity; forest management; forest recreation; thermal comfort

Date published: 2019-03-29