At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Provides estimates on the volume and characteristics of visitors to National Forests and Grasslands.
- Provides information on recreational physical activity in National Forest lands.
- Provides information on children (younger than age 16) and older adolescents (ages 16-19) visiting National Forest lands.
Website
https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/nvum
Purpose
To collect data about characteristics of recreational activities engaged in, and facilities used by, visitors to National Forests and Grasslands in the United States.
Target Population
Visits by persons participating in one or more recreation activities on a National Forest or Grassland site in the United States.
Conducted
Began in 2000. Conducted in 5-year cycles. Most recent cycle was 2012-2016.
Sponsor
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
Special Note(s)
Visitors must be participating in a recreation activity on Forest Service managed lands for their information to be included in the survey. Other activities, such as simply passing through Forest Service lands, do not count as visits.
Contact:
USDA Forest Service
Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness Resources
Mail Stop 1125
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20090-1125
(202) 205-1706
Sampling
Sample Design
Cross-sectional. Stratiļ¬ed multistage sampling design based on rotating panels over a 5-year sampling timeframe. Learn more about the sampling design.
Sample Size
Approximately 110,000 interviews completed with visitors to National Forest System lands and 198,900 total estimated site visits from 2005 through 2009.
Special Note(s)
Income information was collected for approximately one third of the sample.
All U.S. national forests are sampled one time in 5 years.
Caution should be used in interpreting any comparisons of results for the 2005-2009 and 2000-2004 survey periods. Differences cannot be interpreted as a trend. Several method changes account for the differences, for both visitation estimates and visit characteristics.
Key Variables
Demographic
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Age | Interview/questionnaire |
| Annual household income | Interview/questionnaire |
| Sex | Interview/questionnaire |
| Race/ethnicity | Interview/questionnaire |
Physical Activity-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Whether visit was a wilderness visit | Interview/questionnaire |
| Participation in specific recreational activity (e.g., downhill skiing, hiking/walking, bicycling, backpacking, swimming) and main activity | Interview/questionnaire |
Geocode/Linkage
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Zip code for visitor | Interview/questionnaire |
Other
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Annual frequency of visits to National Forest site | Interview/questionnaire |
| Duration of visit (in days) | Interview/questionnaire |
| National Forest site visited | Interview/questionnaire |
| Whether the visitor is local (traveled less than 50 miles to the site) | Interview/questionnaire |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Obtain data by completing a data request form.
Cost
Free of charge
Special Note(s)
The most recent year for which data are available is not necessarily the most recent year this survey was conducted.
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
Region and latitude/longitude of National Forest site; state, county, and zip code of visitor.
Existing Linkages
None found.
Special Note(s)
National Forest sites are categorized by the following 10 geographic regions: Northern, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Intermountain, Pacific Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Southern, Eastern, Alaska.
Selected Publications
General
U.S. Department of Agriculture. National Visitor Use Monitoring Results . USDA Forest Service National Summary Report. Washington (DC): National Forest Service, April 2010.
Resources
Documentation/Codebook(s)
http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum/2012%20National_Summary_Report_061413.pdf
http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum
