Massachusetts Historical Landcover and Census Data 1640-1999

An appreciation of historical landuse and its effects is crucial when interpreting the structure, composition, and spatial characteristics of modern forests. The Harvard Forest has compiled many different historical data sources in an ongoing effort to understand how anthropogenic disturbances have shaped our modern landscapes. Estimates of town land use and land cover were gathered from a variety of sources, including tax valuations (1801-1860) and state agricultural census records (1865-1905). Data prior to 1801 rarely cover the entire state and are excluded from these datasets. Data on forest structure are available for several time periods, including 1885 and 1895 (Agricultural Censuses) and 1916-1920s (State Forester’s reports).

在解析现代森林的结构、组成与空间特征时，明晰历史土地利用格局及其影响至关重要。哈佛大学森林（Harvard Forest）正持续整合各类历史数据源，以探究人为干扰如何塑造了现代景观格局。城镇土地利用与土地覆被的估算数据采集自多类渠道，包括1801年至1860年的税收估值记录，以及1865年至1905年的州农业普查档案。1801年之前的数据极少覆盖全州范围，因此未被纳入本数据集。另有多个时段的森林结构数据可供使用，涵盖1885年、1895年（农业普查数据）以及1916年至1920年代（州林务官报告）。