Topic
January 18, 2011
A national assessment of physical activity on U.S. national forests
Background
Physical inactivity has become a national concern owing to its association with chronic
diseases, obesity, and other public health issues. Outdoor recreation has long been a
popular and widely recognized use of national forests. Less recognized are the public
health benefits associated with these recreation activities. In cooperation with Oregon
State University, we examined the public health benefits resulting from the physical
activities of recreation visitors on national forests. We estimated the net energy
expenditure (in calories) associated with national forest recreation for adults and
children (table on back). We used these estimates to evaluate the degree to which
national forests help to enable people to meet Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention guidelines for regular physical activity.
Short-Term Goals/Action Items


We complete the analysis
Completed a report of our results, which is “in press” with the Journal of Forestry
Long-Term Goals

We are considering ways to extend our investigation to produce estimates and
analyses of the distribution of public health benefits by region, among other
extensions.
Conclusion/Summary

National forests receive over 173 million recreation visits per year. The physical
activity associated with these visits burns over 290 billion food calories. That
equals enough french fries laid end to end to reach the moon and back, twice.

Annual energy expenditures on national forest recreation are equivalent to 6.8
million adults and almost 317,000 children meeting Centers of Disease Control
and Prevention guidelines for regular aerobic physical activity for a year.

The distribution of these health benefits may differ with income, as visitors tend
to come from higher income households. Proximity also is a factor—52 percent
of recreation visits are people who live within 60 miles a national forest boundary.
Estimated total annual net energy expenditure associated with outdoor
recreation activities in national forests.
Net energy expenditure (millions cal) Percentage
Activity
Adults
Youths
All*
of total
Downhill skiing
49,611
5,319
54,928
19.0
Hunting
48,955
3,670
52,626
18.2
Hiking and walking
47,014
3,200
50,214
17.3
Camping (developed)
18,996
4,784
23,781
8.2
Fishing
21,299
1,749
23,048
8.0
Backpacking
12,961
1,390
14,351
5.0
Relaxing
11,307
733
12,039
4.1
Cross-country skiing
9,118
644
9,762
3.4
Biking
6,772
390
7,162
2.5
Snowmobiling
5,249
241
5,490
1.9
Viewing nature
4,427
470
4,897
1.7
Motorized trail riding
4,378
251
4,629
1.6
Camping (primitive)
3,808
694
4,502
1.5
Off-highway vehicle use
3,518
275
3,793
1.3
Non-motorized boating
2,999
361
3,359
1.2
Horseback
2,039
144
2,183
0.7
Other
1,905
248
2,153
0.7
Driving for pleasure
2,039
67
2,106
0.7
Other non-motorized
activities
1,472
526
1,999
0.7
Motorized boating
1,558
263
1,821
0.6
Viewing wildlife
1,499
135
1,634
0.6
Resort use
1,012
40
1,052
0.4
Gathering
905
144
1,049
0.4
Picnicking
287
79
366
0.1
Nature study
206
80
286
0.1
Historic sites
166
11
177
0.1
Other motorized activities
88
18
106
0.0
Nature centers
57
3
61
0.0
Total
263,645
25,929
289,574
100.0
* Ranked in descending order by “Net energy expenditure, all.”
Contact
Collaborators
Jeffrey Kline, research forester
USDA Forest Service
3200 SW Jefferson Way
Randy Rosenberger
Oregon State University
Pacific Northwest Research Station
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541-758-7776
Email: jkline@fs.fed.us
Eric White
Oregon State University