Novel and lost forests in the Upper Midwestern United States, from new estimates of settlement-era composition, stem density, and biomass

PLoS ONE
By: , and 

Links

Abstract

EuroAmerican land-use and its legacies have transformed forest structure and composition across the United States (US). More accurate reconstructions of historical states are critical to understanding the processes governing past, current, and future forest dynamics. Here we present new gridded (8x8km) reconstructions of pre-settlement (1800s) forest composition and structure from the upper Midwestern US (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and most of Michigan), using 19th Century Public Land Survey System (PLSS), with estimates of relative composition, above-ground biomass, stem density, and basal area for 28 tree types. This mapping is more robust than past efforts, using spatially varying correction factors to accommodate sampling design, azimuthal censoring, and biases in tree selection.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Novel and lost forests in the Upper Midwestern United States, from new estimates of settlement-era composition, stem density, and biomass
Series title PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0151935
Volume 11
Issue 12
Year Published 2016
Language English
Publisher PLOS
Contributing office(s) Southwest Climate Science Center
Description e0151935; 34 p.
Country United States
State Michigan, Minnesota Wisconsin
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details