Aesthetic considerations in British forestry

Summary The paper 'Aesthetic Considerations in British Forestry' (Dallimore, 1927) is reviewed from a current perspective. The subsequent lack of attention to the appearance of afforestation led to widespread criticism and the Forestry Commission responded by the appointment of Sylvia Crowe as landscape consultant. The development of a visual response to the landscape in forest design was adopted by some foresters but others found a functional and silvicultural approach easier and this resulted in continued visual problems of shape and, more frequently, scale. The ecological, hydrological, archaeological and social demands on forest planning and design have followed those of landscape and have become part of an integrated approach. Policy continues to be more clearly prescribed about such matters with the development of guidelines, indicative strategies and forestry standards. The need for other environmental demands to be integrated with landscape considerations and not to its detriment is stressed especially as good landscape design is capable of inspiring strong public support for forestry.