General Land Survey Research Articles

Distribution of mammals in boreal forests of European Russia: Historical and ecological analysis based on materials in the General Land Survey

Historical changes in the distribution of animals on the European territory of Russia attract constant interest of specialists. In this aspect, information contained in the Economic Notes to the General Land Survey of the Russian Empire (18th–19th centuries) is of particular importance. This article presents the first results of a data analysis of mammalian fauna in boreal forests of European Russia. The data are contained in a systematic sample arranged on the basis of the Economic Notes and cover 7 governorates, 32 uyezds, and 377 specific dachas. Mentions of 1774 mammals were found: 21 names of mammals (species), 10 families, and 5 orders. For some species that are most typical and significant for boreal forests, we conducted a comparison with the present situation based on known data about historical changes in environmental conditions in the study area.

Distribution of Mammals in Boreal Forests of European Russia: Historical and Ecological Analysis Based on Materials of the General Land Survey

Distribution of Mammals in Boreal Forests of European Russia: Historical and Ecological Analysis Based on Materials of the General Land Survey

Vodlozerie (North-West Russia): former social potential in the light of historical data and geographical landscape

The article presents a comparative evaluation of quantitative evidence of the living conditions in the Vodlozero region in northern Russia collected in five time periods (1791, 1873, 1905, 1926, 1933) on the basis of the General Land Survey (Generalnoe Mezhevanie of Olonets Gubernia – GMOG), reintroduced into historical research practice, and a thorough examination of the lists of known settlements. Based on the information about the number of households and the dynamics of their habitability over time, as well as on the data pertaining to economic activities of the region’s inhabitants, the author shows the increase of regional potential for social and demographic development from the end of the 18th century until the first third of the 20th century, which enabled the local peasant community to survive through the political upheavals of the first quarter of the 20th century. By showing how the established traditional economic and social practices had evolved over centuries and ensured the sustainability of human and economic resources specific to the natural landscape of the Vodlozero area, the paper offers a retrospective reconstruction of the specifics of the extent of human intervention with nature, as well as social consequences of this process in the long run.

Dokuchaev’s Soil Map of European Russia of 1900 as a source of information for agroecological evaluation of the lands in the central gubernias (Historical aspect)

Information about significant soil agroecological parameters is extracted from the Soil Map of European Russia of 1900. Quantitative cartographic evaluations of natural soil fertility, fixing nutrients, and ease of soil cultivation are obtained using GIS. These data are used in interdisciplinary studies (history and soil science) to identify the role of the soil cover in the economic development of the central gubernias of European Russia in the 18th century by carrying out a comparison with socioeconomic parameters from a set of General Land Survey materials.

CHANGES OF MAMMAL BIODIVERSITY IN THE EUROPEAN RUSSIA (THE END OF THE XVIII CENTURY–XXI CENTURY)

The paper investigates the data on the fauna of the European Russia at the end of the XVIII century, contained in the materials of the General Land Survey, in comparison with contemporary data. The distribution ranges of the majority of large mammals observed in the study area two centuries ago, have not changed significantly, but the biological diversity has increased due to the emergence of new species.

Presettlement Vegetation of Two Prairie Peninsula Counties

Based on the original General Land Survey records (1821-24), the presettlement vegetation of McLean and Mason Counties, Illinois, included four vegetation types (prairie, savannah, open forest, and closed forest), separated on the basis of tree density. Density, dominance, frequency, and Importance Values were estimated for tree taxa in each vegetation type by applying a modification of the quarter method to the information in the survey records. The presettlement vegetation of McLean County was mostly prairie (89.5%). Savannah, open forest, and closed forest, dominated by white oak (Quercus alba), comprised 5.4%, 1.8%, and 3.3%, respectively, of the total vegetation. About 0.9% of the county is still forested today. The presettlement vegetation of Mason County consisted of 67.7% prairie, 14.4% savannah, 4.3% open forest, and 9.0% closed forest. Lakes and swamps covered 4.6% of the county. Presettlement forests were dominated by black oak (Q. velutina). Presently, about 2% of the county is forested. In bo...

The Use of Old Russian Land Survey Data in Geographic Research for Agricultural Purposes

Estate maps dating from the Russian general land survey of 1770–1781 are used to compile a historical map of land types, including cropland, forest, meadow, swamps, etc. The historical map is then compared with a modern soil map and a map of soil-forming parent materials to establish what effect, if any, past land types have had on present soil qualities. It is suggested that the better soils, in terms of drainage characteristics, were selected by man in the earliest stages of cultivation, and that poorer soils were put under the plow only subsequently as the crop area expanded. Some of these poorer soils have reverted, in the meantime, to grazing land. Soils long cleared of forest are found to have a higher carbonate horizon (effervescing with HCI) than soils more recently cleared of forest. The study area is Sapozhok Rayon of Ryazan' Oblast, southeast of Moscow.

The Forest Cover of the Catskill Mountain Region, New York, as Indicated by Land Survey Records

Surveyor's records antedating the General Land Survey of the public domain are utilized to assess the 18th-century forest composition of the Catskill Mountain region of New York. Although more difficult to compile they provide a reasonable quantitative evaluation of the principal tree species present before extensive occupation and disturbance of the area by European settlers. The principal tree components in the lower and mid-altitudes (below 3,000 feet) were beech 49%, hemlock 20%, sugar maple 13%, birch spp. 7%. Such information is useful in providing a base for modern quantitative studies of forest composition.

Gustaf S. Ljungdahl (1882–1940)

By the sudden death of Dr. Gustaf S. Ljungdahl on November 2, 1940, at his home in Lidingö (near Stockholm), the Magnetic Section of the Hydrographic Service (Kungl. Sjökarteverket), and the Observatory at Lovö lost their capable chief, and magneticians in many parts of the world an esteemed colleague and friend.Gustaf S. Ljungdahl was born at Helsingborg on November 2, 1882. He attended the University of Upsala, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1904. During 1910 to 1,912 he served as a geodesist in the General Land Survey of Sweden receiving valuable training in field survey‐work. In 1913 he continued his studies under the eminent professor of physics, Knut Ångström obtaining an M.A. degree. He was later an assistant at the Royal Nautical Meteorological Bureau (Kungl. Nautisk‐Meteorologiska Byrån) until 1921; here he had the opportunity of acquiring a thorough experience with liquid compasses. During this period he began magnetic survey‐work both on land and sea. Several of the areas of greatest local magnetic disturbance known at present in Swedish waters were surveyed and charted. In 1921 he obtained his doctorate, his dissertation being entitled “The storm‐flood in Skagerrak‐Kattegatt on December 4, 1914, and connected fluctuations of water‐level.”