The Quality Assessment of Forests in the Cadastral District of Zvolen (Slovakia)

The town of Zvolen was founded on an ancient trade route. Forests occupy more than half of its cadastral district and nearly a half the area is expected to be a recreational zone according to a urban planning documentation. The article focuses on the forest quality assessment using criteria (A and VA) indicating forest values and their accessibility from town centre, primarily by pedestrians: the forest accessibility (A) (the quality of peri‑urban zone; the accessibility by greenways; the presence of natural and urban barriers) and forest values (VA) (natural heritage and biodiversity; cultural and historical heritage; hiking trails; educational pathways and greenways). To accomplish this objective the importance of criteria was assigned for each one and the evaluation was proceeded within a decision matrix. Access to forests was tested on 13 greenways; forests were accessible from the town centre by 6 greenways overlapping hiking trails in a distance of 11.85 km (30.09 %) and historical roads in a distance of 6.28 km (15.96 %); 2 greenways exhibited the shortest distances and the most comfortable connection from the town centre to the most valuable forests (the Borová Hora Arboretum and municipal forests in surroundings of the Deserted Castle). Additionally, we pointed out, that these forests corresponded with the most popular place‑based identity localities. According to the results, we noticed a reserve for the improvement of recreational facilities in forests and a hiking trail was proposed in the forest bearing the highest quality. The establishment of a functional greenbelt in the vicinity of the town is challenging opportunity to valorise still underestimated cultural and tourism potential of surrounding forests