Forests are part of our environment and represent the most highly developed terrestrial ecosystem. Social values of forests play an important role for people. Urban forests are areas for recreation, relaxation, education, experiencing nature and much more, but their benefits are often under-recognized. The thesis explores the possibilities to encourage urban forest visits by residents . As a tool for this, the theory of social marketing and thus the possibility of changing the behaviour of individuals and society using the theoretical framework of this marketing branch were studied. In order to research the problem, three hypotheses were set and tested with quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative one was conducted in the form of an online questionnaire and involved 198 people. The qualitative part is 20 semi-structured interviews with visitors of the urban forest Mestni gozd Celje. Both confirmed a poor knowledge of social values, despite the fact that many visit the forest precisely because of them. The research confirmed the possibility of using social networks to inform and educate about urban forests and their functions. With a planned and professional approach to the problem, communication on social networks could expand knowledge about social functions and thus encourage people to visit urban forests.
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