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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2009
- Title: Land Owner Decision Monitoring Over Long Term Displays Trends in Acreage Parcelization
- Author: Cristina Subt (The University of Texas - El Paso)
- Abstract:
The purpose of this project was to develop an effective way to characterize and monitor land owner decision-making over an extended period of time. We created a random sample of 100 points, all found on privately owned forest land in the North Quabbin area. We studied patterns or trends in the types of decisions land owners typically make about their land (e.g., changing ownership, acreage, and price), by using the Registry of Deeds for transaction and spatial data, and tracking the ownership of land over time. We also determined type of ownership (e.g., single owner, joint/spousal, family or business) and the extent to which people own adjacent parcels. Through these methods we found that most owners own multiple adjacent parcels, and about 2/3 of these owners are multiple people. The rate of decision-making for businesses is considerably slower than it is for other types of landowners. In the aspect of harvesting decisions, the decision to harvest has some correlation to parcel size, but appears to be unrelated to the sale-of-land decisions. These results provide an indication of the rate and kind of decisions owners are making, and the consequences of this decision making on the landscape. Unlike other projects, where the research only provides insight to the decisions landowners make about their land only for single snippets of time, this project looks at these for long periods of time where it is more possible to have an idea of how often these decisions get made.
- Research Category: Conservation and Management
