Linking Land-Use Projections and Forest Fragmentation Analysis
- ISBN-10
- 1508798141
- ISBN-13
- 9781508798149
- Pages
- 46
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2015-06-26
- Publisher
- CreateSpace
- Author
- U S Department of Agriculture
Description
An econometric model of private land-use decisions is used to project land use to 2030 for each county in the continental United States. On a national scale, forest area is projected to increase overall between 0.1 and 0.2 percent per year between now and 2030. However, forest area is projected to decrease in a majority of regions, including the key forestry regions of the South and the Pacific Northwest Westside. Urban area is projected to increase by 68 million acres, and cropland, pasture, rangeland, and Conservation Reserve Program land is projected to decline in area. Regional econometric models are needed to better represent region-specific economic relationships.
