Demands, preferences and expectations of academic youth regarding recreation in the forest

The survey carried out among university students has proved that they choose the forest as a place to spend their leisure time mostly in the spring (13.2%) and in the summer (21.2%). Students declare that they relaxed in the forest even a few times a week. Apart from recreation (walking - 61.6%, picking mushrooms - 37%), they engage in health improving activities, including sport (29.4%). Young people (especially town dwellers - 40.2%) decide go to the forest to get away from everyday routine (33.9%) in search of peace and quiet surroundings (40.5%). They do not have any specific preferences for the type of forest (50.1%), they feel good in mixed forests (31.9%), however. Since the forms of activity most frequently indicated by students are hiking and biking, they notice poor infrastructure of forest areas (lack of marked hiking routes - 14.3% and bicycle lanes - 12.5%). Respondents are familiar with the condition of forests in the proximity of the place of their residence (81.6%), considering it as basically good (75.9%). However, their knowledge of the natural environment protection forms and fire protection rules is definitely insufficient.