This study used Wales as a study area to discuss the subjects of farm woodland design and landscape evaluation. Chapter 1-3 introduce the subjects from the perspective of the landscape of Wales. Chapter 4 gives an account of the principles of landscape and forest design, with particular reference to planting on a farm woodland scale. Chapter 5 introduces the methods of landscape evaluation, whilst the following two chapters analyse the results of two landscape evaluation surveys for a sample of Welsh landscapes selected randomly through the ITE's land classification. It was thought that
this land classification might be used as a predictor of landscape aesthetic quality, but this was found not to be the case. An initial survey was conducted by the author in the field, followed by a second survey involving the evaluation of the same points through a photographic slide presentation by university students. The results showed a strong correlation between the initial survey and the group means, supporting the argument for an evaluation by a single expert. Woodland designs were then drawn up for a selection
of the evaluated points and values allocated for the increase in landscape value which could be ascribed to such tree-planting. The result was transformed via the travel cost method utilised by Bergin (1993) to give a mean monetary value for the proposed woodlands of £3.28 per visitor per day. This was then multiplied by the annual number of visitors to Wales to give a value of £157.3 million per year for Wales if treeplanting of equal landscape quality could be designed for each landscape in Wales.
Chapter 10 uses the design prescriptions of chapters 3 and 8 and a 100% landscape evaluation survey of Gwynedd as a basis for an indicative forestry strategy for the county.