The survey carried out among university students has proved that they choose the forest as a place to spend their leisure time mostly in the spring (13.2%) and in the summer (21.2%). Students declare that they relaxed in the forest even a few times a week. Apart from recreation (walking - 61.6%, picking mushrooms - 37%), they engage in health improving activities, including sport (29.4%). Young people (especially town dwellers - 40.2%) decide go to the forest to get away from everyday routine (33.9%) in search of peace and quiet surroundings (40.5%). They do not have any specific preferences for the type of forest (50.1%), they feel good in mixed forests (31.9%), however. Since the forms of activity most frequently indicated by students are hiking and biking, they notice poor infrastructure of forest areas (lack of marked hiking routes - 14.3% and bicycle lanes - 12.5%). Respondents are familiar with the condition of forests in the proximity of the place of their residence (81.6%), considering it as basically good (75.9%). However, their knowledge of the natural environment protection forms and fire protection rules is definitely insufficient. ...
The research described in this article was conducted in the Tatra National Park in Poland, which is considered as one of the most-visited national parks in Europe. The exceptional popularity of this place is responsible for intensification of morphogenetic processes, resulting in the development of numerous forms of erosion. This article presents the outcomes of the research whose purpose was to verify the usability of unmanned aerial vehicles to check the condition of hiking trails and forests in alpine areas. An octocopter equipped with a non-metric camera was used for measurements. The paper sketches the methodology of data acquisition in harsh conditions and demanding locations of hiking trails on steep Tatra slopes. The paper also describes stages that lead to elaboration of basic photogrammetric products relying on SfM (Structure from Motion) technique. Finally, it shows the applicability of the prepared products to the evaluation of erosion along hiking trails, and to the study of plant succession or tree stand condition in the area located next to hiking trails. ...
