Spatial modeling of forest road pass ability with an Eco- tourism approach using multi-criteria decision-making methods in Kheyrud Forest, Nowshahr

Kokabiasl, R; Hosseini, .S.A; Danehkar, A; Khosravi, H

doi:10.22034/ijf.2026.545099.2067

Spatial modeling of forest road pass ability with an Eco- tourism approach using multi-criteria decision-making methods in Kheyrud Forest, Nowshahr

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

R Kokabiasl ¹

.S.A Hosseini ²

A Danehkar ³

H Khosravi ⁴

¹ Ph.D. student, Dept. of Forestry and Forest Economics, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran , I. R. Iran

² Prof., Dept. of Forestry and Forest Economics, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran , I. R. Iran

³ Prof., Dept. of Environment, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran , I. R. Iran

⁴ Prof., Dept. of Desert Restoration and Areas, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, I. R. Iran

10.22034/ijf.2026.545099.2067

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing demand for participation in forest-based tourism activities has made it necessary to understand the factors affecting the choice of these destinations. The road network and its appropriate design are of fundamental importance for tourism and ecotourism, because only in this way safe, convenient, and efficient access to natural and cultural attractions can be provided. This research was conducted with the aim of designing a forest road network with an ecotourism approach in the Kheyrud Forest, Noshahr.
Materials and Methods: In this study, according to the design criteria of a tourism-based road designing, first, the important 11 criteria including slope, erosion, geology, distance from the river, distance from the spring, distance from the fault, percentage of tree cover, slope direction, distance from the road, height and distance from the settlement were selected using the Delphi method. Then, using the Analytical Network Process (ANP), weight was assigned to each of the selected criteria. Finally, using the fuzzy overlap operation in ARC GIS software, a map of the areas susceptible to creating forest roads with a view to nature tourism was calculated and drawn.
Results: According to the results obtained, the three criteria of slope, erosion and geology have the highest weight in the designing of forest roads with an ecotourism perspective. The slope of the land plays a decisive role in the selection of forest road routes, because it affects construction costs, ecological sustainability and infrastructure safety. The results of the fuzzy layer overlap showed that 26.5% of the area has high pass ability and 14% has very high potential for the construction of ecotourism roads, while 12.2% of the area was considered unsuitable for road construction due to a slope above 60% and environmental sensitivity.
Conclusion: Based on the sensitivity maps, the results showed that the slope, erosion, and geology criteria had the greatest impact on determining the optimal route for nature tourism, and the distance from the settlement criterion was not very important and was eliminated. The results also showed that the capabilities of GIS and multi-criteria decision-making methods can be a suitable solution for determining areas with suitable pass ability.

Keywords

Forest roads

Ecotourism

Kheyrud forest

Fuzzy membership

Subjects

Forest Engineering

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