Examining the relationship between ecological integrity and forest aesthetics: a case study of western Sichuan, China

• The SBE of autumn forests was found to vary significantly across vegetation types, species composition, and life forms. • A significant positive correlation was identified between SBE and both color saturation and value. • A synergistic relationship exists between forest aesthetics and color aesthetics. • A trade-off relationship was observed between ecological integrity and the medium- to long-term aesthetic of forests in western Sichuan. • Forest aesthetic was primarily influenced by native tree abundance, saturation, value, and slope aspect. Preserving various ecosystem services is a crucial objective of forest conservation management. Yet, these services do not always exhibit synergy. Consequently, reconciling ecological preservation with local economic advancement has emerged as an essential concern for forest management. This research examines the autumn forests of western Sichuan, China, adopting ecological integrity as the objective of forest conservation. Utilizing a network questionnaire and Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV) color interpretation, we evaluated the aesthetic of western Sichuan forests from both subjective and objective perspectives, while exploring the relationships among forest aesthetics, color aesthetics, ecological integrity, and their influencing factors. The results indicate that: (1) the overall aesthetic of western Sichuan forests is at a medium–high level, primarily influenced by forest characteristic attributes, color saturation, and value index; (2) while forest aesthetics and color aesthetics demonstrate a synergistic relationship, comparative analysis among various forest types reveals that color aesthetics cannot be entirely encapsulated by any singular color metric within Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE); (3) A trade-off between ecological integrity and forest aesthetics over medium-to long-term scales. Accordingly, the deliberate incorporation of controlled human disturbances and augmenting landscape heterogeneity may effectively reconcile ecological preservation with forest aesthetics. This study offers methodological and theoretical foundation for incorporating forest aesthetics into conservation management and ecotourism planning in Western Sichuan.