Preferred recreational activities determine environment and infrastructure requirements among forest visitors in Latvia

Forests provide essential spaces for outdoor recreation, supporting public health and well-being. Latvia, where public access to forests for recreation and foraging is legally guaranteed, offers a relevant case for examining how activity-specific preferences shape forest use across a nationally representative population. This study examined the expectations, infrastructure needs, and self-reported recreation quality of forest visitors participating in walking, cycling, and foraging (mushroom and berry picking), the three most common forest-based activities in Latvia. Using a nationally representative survey (n = 1004), we analysed differences in preferred forest types, infrastructure needs, and self-assessed recreational quality across activity groups, and identified predictors of recreation quality using ordinal logistic regression. Walkers and cyclists tended to choose accessible urban forests or mixed landscapes with developed infrastructure, whereas foragers strongly preferred forests without dedicated recreational infrastructure and a lower level of management intervention. Activity group and age were the primary predictors of recreation quality; perceived management and accessibility impacts were not. Open-ended responses highlighted activity-specific improvement needs: trail provision for cyclists and adjustment of forest management practices for foragers. These findings support a spatially differentiated, mosaic approach to forest recreation management, aligning infrastructure investments and silvicultural strategies with the specific needs of diverse user groups.