Abstract: Taking the old-tree communities in Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area as the object, the landscape photos and sampling plots information of 26 representative old-tree forest stands and 45 contrast forest stands were collected, and the scenic beauty values of the stands were acquired by using scenic beauty estimation (SBE) method. The landscape elements of old-tree communities were quantified by semantic differential (SD) method, and the relationships between scenic beauty values and specific landscape elements were evaluated with multi-regression model. The old-tree communities had significantly higher scenic beauty values than the other forest stands. In old-forest stands, the test trees had higher feedback values to the landscape elements such as arrangement of trees, light perception, and variation of tree size. The main elements affecting the landscape aesthetic value of old-tree community were the trunk form, richness of color, arrangement of trees, uniformity of ground plants, landscape gradation, natural pruning, and uniformity of shoots and leaves in tree layer. F-test showed that the model established by these landscape elements was reasonable and feasible.

Key words: Riparian, Species-area curve, Minimum sampling area, Species richness, Broad-leaved and Korean pine forest, Forested watershed