Historical Landscape Reconstruction Research Articles

Disentangle the effects of environment and disturbance on landscape dynamics using LANDIS forest landscape model

Forest landscapes pattern and development are affected by environment and disturbance. Disentangling their effects is important to understanding current landscape and predicting future changes. Such studies are limited by short-term observation and sparse disturbance-history data. Spatially-explicit forest landscape modeling represents a solution to these limitations. Here, we reconstructed the 300-year-time-series (1710–2010) of post-volcanic-eruption forest landscapes experiencing periodic-typhoons in Changbai Mountain, China, using LANDIS forest landscape model. We used a factorial simulation design to quantify the main and interactive effects of environment and typhoon on forest landscape recovery. Results showed environment had dominant effects (>80%) on early recovery (1710–1760), suggesting early forest development follows deterministic community-assembly processes governed by environment. However, as forest matured, disturbance became dominant (>50%) at later-recovery stages (1860–2010). This study showed that historical landscape reconstruction reveals the full spectrum of interplays of environment, disturbance, and succession in forest ecosystems, which may not be captured by short-term studies.

Virtual reconstruction of historical landscapes: a 3D environment to contextualise data in space and time

Virtual reconstruction of historical landscapes: a 3D environment to contextualise data in space and time

Peri-urbanization landuse dynamics: an analysis of evolving patterns and their impacts on Gabane Village, Botswana

This case study investigates peri-urban land-use conflicts and changes, in a typical African setting, for a village located on the outskirts of the capital city of Gaborone-Botswana, in order to explore policy implications for sustainable core-region development. The year 1982 provided the baseline situation that was compared with other dates, namely: 1996; 2006 and 2012 in order to analyze land-use conflicts, competition, and succession. The study tracked the landuse changes using: Geographic Information System (GIS), with 1:50 000 air photos taken in 1982; Landsat images from 1996 and 2006 as well as 2012 Google images of medium resolution. The investigation also relied on a social survey, historical landscape reconstruction approaches, field interviews and direct observations. An analysis of 1982 aerial photographs revealed that Gabane Village had experienced little urban influence from the city of Gaborone at that time. Subsequently, stakeholders with different socio-economic demand emerged. This caused extensive land-use changes over the study period. The residents of Gabane nonetheless employed diverse adaptive strategies to sustain their livelihoods. An analysis of the proposed 2001-2025 Development Plan for Gabane Village, identifies possible future land-use changes and conflicts and proposes tentative policy solutions for the emerging sustainable development challenges.

Spanish Landscapes in the Middle Ages: Reconstructing Territorial Memory from Early Documents and Cartography –A GIS-Based Methodology

The gradual disappearance of traditional ways of life in the countryside is changing the historical relationship between rural inhabitants and their environment. As a consequence, the reconstruction of historical landscapes and territories plays an important role in historical memory. Toponyms are now considered an essential means of constructing community identities, because they refer to old uses and infrastructures, as well as to historical landmarks. Following the clues left behind by toponyms, old landscapes emerge from the past and endow the present ones with new meanings. The main goal of our project has been to preserve, protect, and disseminate this essential cultural heritage, which might otherwise sink into oblivion under the weight of the recent sweeping transformations wrought on the countryside by urban development and land use planning. To this end, we have developed an Open GIS-based tool that can be applied worldwide and which falls within the framework of European Union policies to promote free multilingual digital access to Europe's cultural heritage. This tool will provide free information on toponyms, helping to reconstruct historical territories and landscapes.

Spatial analysis of heath toponymy in relation to present-day heathland distribution

We explore the use of toponyms as an information source of land use changes in heathland landscapes of Galicia, an Atlantic region of northwest Spain. Heathlands are prized for their condition of remarkable landscapes, biodiversity reservoirs and cultural heritage areas. A strong decline of heathland cover has taken place in Atlantic Europe during the last centuries, as land use changes toward more productive systems. Galicia retains a high proportion of heathland cover, but there is a trend of land use transformation to forest plantations and improved pastures. Place names rooted with vernacular names of heathers (Erica, Calluna and Daboecia genera, Ericaceae) were recorded in a geo-referenced database. We applied spatial statistics to account for correlation between heath toponym density and present-day heathland distribution. We did not find such correlation, but differences were found for altitudinal ranks, suggesting a wider habitat loss at lowlands than at mountain areas. We discuss the possibilities of a systematic use of toponymic databases in historical landscape reconstruction.

Intensive woodland management in the Middle Ages: spatial modelling based on archival data

Firewood played an indispensable role in European socio-economic systems from prehistory until the nineteenth century. Recent research has shown that in European temperate lowlands the most important management form to produce firewood was coppicing. In spite of the growing body of research on traditional woodland management, there remain large gaps in knowledge. Detailed studies of individual sites or smaller areas have provided a wealth of information on the methods of medieval coppicing, and at such sites the long-term effects of coppicing on vegetation structure and composition have also been examined. However, little is known about the distribution and extent of coppicing at the landscape scale, and forming a coherent picture of the spatial extent rather than the management details of coppicing in larger regions remains a challenge. This paper investigates the distribution and extent of coppice management in Moravia (eastern Czech Republic, ca. 22,300 km2) in the Late Middle Ages. We created an extensive database of written sources that contained information on the presence of coppice woods at the parish level. Subsequently we used the MAXENT algorithm to create a model of the distribution of coppicing over the entire area. With the help of wood production and consumption estimates, we also calculated the minimum area of managed woodland for the study period. Results show that coppicing was predominant in the lowlands and often occurred at higher elevations as well, where neither natural conditions nor tree species composition were favourable. The paper also highlights the potential of spatial models based on archival data for historical landscape reconstructions.

Historical Open Forest Ecosystems in the Missouri Ozarks: Reconstruction and Restoration Targets

Brice B. Hanberry Brice B. Hanberry (corresponding author), University of Missouri, 203 Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO 65211, hanberryb{at}missouri.edu.

Application of geographic information technologies to historical landscape reconstruction and military terrain analysis of an American Revolution Battlefield: Preservation potential of historic lands in urbanized settings, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Through funding from the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program, geographic information technologies were employed to create a high resolution, spatially accurate representation of the 1775 landscape of Boston's Inner Harbor and to conduct a geospatial and temporal assessment of the location, extent, and preservation potential of an American Revolutionary War battlefield and its associated cultural resources. Geographic information technologies provide the tools and methodologies to accurately create digital representations of historical landscapes. These tools enable the visualization and geospatial analysis of landscapes and significant historical events, greatly enhancing the understanding of temporal and spatial interactions between these events and the physical landscape upon which they occurred. Data sources include historical bibliographic and cartographic records, high resolution orthophotographs, constant value raster grids, and LIDAR data. A military terrain model was created utilizing American Battlefield Protection Program's KOCOA system categories, in order to identify defining features of the battlefield. KOCOA is an acronym which stands for Key terrain, Obstacles, Cover and Concealment, Observation and Fields of Fire, and Avenues of Advancement and Withdrawal. The KOCOA analysis provides an established method for identifying critical defining features of the battle and determining the influence of the landscape on the ephemeral battle events. The base map was created utilizing U. S. Navy Coast Survey maps dating from the mid-19th century. A digital elevation model was created to represent the 1775 topography, utilizing LIDAR data and constant value raster layers. The military terrain analysis provided valuable insights into battlefield events and decisions. Defining features of the battle were also identified and mapped. A detailed Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS Citation Data Model was used to link landscape and KOCOA features to the historical sources they were derived from. A comprehensive source table was created as part of this effort. The results of this investigation have provided a high resolution dataset of Boston's historical landscape during the time of the American Revolution. The geospatial analysis will aid in the development of long-range management strategies for the Chelsea Creek Battlefield and facilitate the assessment of threats to cultural resources posed by both anthropogenic activities and environmental change. The methodologies and interdisciplinary approach will also be applicable to other investigations seeking to recreate historical landscapes within a geographic information system. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. (Less)

Historical landscape ecology of an urbanized California valley: wetlands and woodlands in the Santa Clara Valley

Historical records provide information to land managers and landscape ecologists attempting to understand current trajectories in altered landscapes. In this study, we synthesized a heterogeneous array of historical sources to reconstruct historical land cover in California’s Santa Clara Valley (a.k.a. “Silicon Valley”). To increase and assess accuracy, we used the triangulation of overlapping, independent data sources and the application of certainty level standards. The region has been subject to extensive urbanization, so we also evaluated the applicability of historical landscape reconstructions to the altered landscape. We found evidence for five major land cover types prior to significant Euro–American modification. Valley freshwater marsh, wet meadow, alkali meadow, willow grove, and valley oak savanna have all experienced extreme decline (85–100%) since Euro–American settlement. However, comparison of historical land cover patterns to contemporary land use suggested several new strategies for environmental recovery, despite the limitations of surrounding urbanization. We also observed a temporal shift in riparian habitat along the mainstem of Coyote Creek, from a relatively open mixture of riparian scrub, sycamore woodland, and unvegetated gravel bars to dense riparian forest, likely resulting from stream flow regulation. By identifying former land cover patterns we provide a basis for evaluating local landscape change and setting restoration targets, including the identification of residual features and under-recognized land cover types. These findings suggest that reliable historical landscape reconstructions can be developed in the absence of standardized historical data sources and can be of value even in highly modified regions.

Assessing Ecological Restoration Potentials of Wisconsin (U.S.A.) Using Historical Landscape Reconstructions

Abstract Historical landscape reconstructions provide baseline information for evaluating current land management regimes and restoration potentials. We assessed the historical landscape composition and structure of the state of Wisconsin (U.S.A.). This knowledge forms a basis for delineation of potential spatial distribution of forest species and landscape structures before major human‐induced changes, quantification of the spatial extent and intensity of change in habitats and landscapes, and identification of target areas for ecological restoration (e.g., threatened ecosystems). Methods included two conceptually and methodologically different vegetation classifications. The classifications rely on the original U.S. Public Land Office Surveys conducted during the nineteenth century to sell land to Euro‐American settlers. The subjective classification method we examined was R. W. Finley's “Original Vegetation of Wisconsin.” This classification accounts for qualitative information such as early land surveyors' descriptions of ecosystems (e.g., distinctions into wet and dry prairies). However, the classification is hard to reproduce because some criteria are not strictly hierarchical or exclusive. Numerical cluster analysis was used as an objective classification method. This method offers reproducible, quantitative results and full hierarchical distinction between the classes. Qualitative information, however, is not accounted for in the objective numerical approach and may thus be viewed as less complete when representing local landscape details. Both classifications represent major vegetation characteristics consisting of a complex mosaic of forests (coniferous, mixed coniferous–deciduous, deciduous, and swamps), savannas (oak and pine), and prairies. The objective classification indicates that savannas cover two times more (40%) and prairies six times less area (2%) compared with the subjective classification (savanna, 20%; prairie, 12%). We address the applications of these classifications to current and potential restoration projects, including eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), wetland/riparian, savanna, and prairie ecosystems.

The spread of gray birch (Betula populifolia) in eastern Quebec: landscape and historical considerations

The understanding of recent changes of the spatial distribution of tree species occurring in agricultural landscapes is essential to realistically predict future positions of the range limit of tree species. In Quebec (Canada), it has recently been suggested that gray birch (Betula populifolia Marsh.) is spreading rapidly eastward. We tested the hypothesis that this tree migration is strongly facilitated by human activities. Herbarium specimens, historical landscape reconstructions, botanical surveys in mined peatlands and old fields, and dendrochronological data were used to reconstruct past and recent distribution limits of gray birch in the study area (Bas-Saint-Laurent region). Gray birch has been present in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region since at least 1945. However, herbarium specimens and botanical surveys indicate that gray birch individuals were scarce before 1970. The introduction of gray birch in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region seems to be associated with peat mining activities. All mined peatlands located between Rivière-Ouelle and Isle-Verte were colonized by gray birch, but only 11% of old fields surveyed contained at least one gray birch individual. This suggests that the spread of an early successional tree species in an agricultural landscape is facilitated more by the presence of a few large patches favorable to the growth of the species (mined peatlands) than by numerous small patches (old fields). The recent expansion of gray birch populations in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region could be a major concern for peat mining companies because massive invasions of gray birch in abandoned mined bogs may impede successful restoration of these ecosystems.Key words: Betula populifolia, gray birch, Quebec, peatland, old field, landscape ecology.