Play and peril: Displacement drivers and types across recreation motivations in crowding and wildfire-prone southern California national forests

Abstract

Many southern California residents use urban-proximate national forests to meet their recreation needs, but with climate change and increased forest popularity, displacement is of concern due to the potential for degraded conditions and/or closures. Displacement could result in recreationists completely foregoing the national forests for other forms of leisure activities. To guide would-be visitors to suitable alternative recreation experiences when they are unable to recreate as they want due to undesirable conditions (e.g., crowding, poor resource conditions), a better understanding of how recreationists are experiencing and reacting to displacement is needed. In a 2023 survey of 3585 southern California residents who had visited at least one of the four national forests in the study area (Los Padres, San Bernardino, Cleveland, and Angeles National Forests) since summer 2020, we asked about drivers and types of displacement for these recreationists. We found that road closures and extreme heat are the two most common drivers of displacement resulting in a change of plans. The USDA Forest Service may need to consider these group differences when suggesting alternative high-quality recreation opportunities for displaced recreationists.

Citation

Thomas, Alyssa S.; Budzyn, Erin E.; Perry, Elizabeth E.; Peterson, Brian A.; Sánchez, José J. 2025. Play and peril: Displacement drivers and types across recreation motivations in crowding and wildfire-prone southern California national forests. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 50(1): 100889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2025.100889.