Skip to Main Content
U.S. Forest Service
Caring for the land and serving people

United States Department of Agriculture

Home > Search > Publication Information

  1. Land parcelization and forest cover fragmentation in three forested countries in Northern Lower Michigan

    Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on Twitter
    Dislike this pubLike this pub
    Author(s): Scott A. Drzyzga; Daniel G. Brown
    Date: 1999
    Source: In: Proceedings of the society of American Foresters 1998 national convention; 1998 September 19-23; Traverse City, MI. SAFPubl. SAF-99-01. Bethesda, MD: Society of American Foresters: 129-135.
    Publication Series: Scientific Journal (JRNL)
    Station: North Central Research Station
    PDF: View PDF  (402.97 KB)

    Description

    Many northern Michigan counties have grown in permanent residents and seasonal homes over the past several decades. Forest managers have observed that this influx of new forest owners affects public expectations and the range of socially acceptable forest management options. This shift in settlement and ownership patterns affects the landscape and has important ecological and economic implications. Information regarding landscape and ownership changes is necessary to make management and policy decisions. Changing patterns of land ownership and land parcelization were studied in three adjacent Michigan counties -- Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Crawford. Historical parcel maps were analyzed for each county at three points in time (approximately 1970, 1980, and 1990). Parcels were digitized into a geographic information system in vector format using five categories: private large parcels, private small parcels, public lands, built-up areas, and water features. Parcelization was calculated as the change in average parcel size between each time period. Average parcel size declined in all three counties while rates of parcelization varied. Forest cover patterns were quantified, for three dates, using classified Landsat MSS data and spatial pattern analysis. This research describes the link between land ownership parcelization and changes in forest cover at multiple spatial scales.

    Publication Notes

    • Check the Northern Research Station web site to request a printed copy of this publication.
    • Our on-line publications are scanned and captured using Adobe Acrobat.
    • During the capture process some typographical errors may occur.
    • Please contact Sharon Hobrla, shobrla@fs.fed.us if you notice any errors which make this publication unusable.
    • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
    • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

    Citation

    Drzyzga, Scott A.; Brown, Daniel G. 1999. Land parcelization and forest cover fragmentation in three forested countries in Northern Lower Michigan. In: Proceedings of the society of American Foresters 1998 national convention; 1998 September 19-23; Traverse City, MI. SAFPubl. SAF-99-01. Bethesda, MD: Society of American Foresters: 129-135.

    Keywords

    MIchigan, landscape, parcelization, spatial scales

    Related Search

    XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
Jump to Top of Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/12209