The Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry
at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Dynamic Models of Land Use Change in Northeastern USA GISF Research Paper 003 August 2004 Mary Tyrrell , Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Myrna H.P. Hall, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York R. Neil Sampson, the Sampson Group

America’s productive private forests are at risk, under threat of being converted to malls, housing developments, and personal green space. Conservationists and officials in many localities are asking what they can do to help conserve their forests and maintain local forest-based economies.

This study was designed to test the ability of a dynamic simulation modeling tool—GEOMOD—to illustrate local and regional land use changes, both in the recent past and in the near future. It stems from the idea that if people know how rapidly their forest
resource is being lost, where it is being lost, and what forces seem to be driving the losses, they will be better equipped to take effective conservation action.

Download PDF file:
• complete report (15.9 MB, high speed connections only)
• front cover
• 1st section - introduction
• 2nd section - Catskill/Delaware Results
• 3rd section - Thames Results
• 4th section - Reference and Appendices A and B
• 5th section - Appendices C and D