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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2013
- Title: 1984-2013 Timber Harvesting Along a Rural to Urban Gradient
- Author: George D Andrews (Worcester State University)
- Abstract:
Massachusetts is one of many states dominated by non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership. Examining timber harvesting records from 1984-2013 along two rural to urban gradients across the state offers great insight into where timber harvesting occurs geospatially, reasons which may influence harvesting and human decision making, and changes or patterns over time as more recent harvests are analyzed. To collect and update the data we travelled to the DCR Office in Clinton, MA, and photographed the maps and sketches of all 588 forest cutting plans (FCPs) along the gradients which occurred between 2003 and 2013, and recovered archived attribute data for each harvest. We then georeferenced each FCP in ArcGIS, and created polygons with file numbers joinable to any of the harvest data. Previous statewide data from 1984-2003 were already collected and analyzed. The data indicate that factors such as decreasing parcel size, economic recession, and urbanization over the past decade have caused an overall decrease in timber harvesting along the gradients. Analysis of decadal harvesting data yielded that harvesting appears to recede west to rural areas along the gradients as recordable eastern harvesting becomes less viable and virtually nonexistent in the urban and suburban range of Boston. The addition of data from the years 2003-2013 show a decrease in timber harvesting, and a westward shift in cutting and harvest intensity. The map created from the FCPs offers a unique geospatial record of harvesting within an NIPF dominated landscape.
- Research Category: Conservation and Management
- Figures: pic6.jpg
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