The changing Midwest assessment: data and shapefiles

This data publication contains the data and shapefiles used in Potts, et al. (2004) The Changing Midwest Assessment: land cover, natural resources, and people. GTR-NC-250 from the North Central Research Station. The Midwest is defined to include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The fifteen geospatial data sets included in this data publication describe: state boundaries, county boundaries, land cover, forests (acreage, ownership, tree size class data), wildlife indicator species (white-tailed deer, Henslow's sparrow, northern cardinal, and wood thrush), and the social landscape (income, housing, and population). The data describe conditions from 1980 to 2000.The purpose of the Changing Midwest Assessment is to describe the spatial distribution and intensity of changes on the biophysical and social landscapes of the North Central Region over the past two decades. The land cover section describes changes in the amount and distribution of dominant land cover types. The forest characteristics section summarizes change in forests. The wildlife indicator species section describes change in the relative abundance of species of special concern. And the human demographics section describes change in population, housing and seasonal housing density, and income from Wood Products and Recreation.Original metadata date was 10/06/2005. Metadata modified on 03/21/2012 to adjust citation to include the addition of a DOI (digital object identifier) and update the distribution method. Minor metadata updates on 02/12/2013, 10/27/2014, 12/01/2016, and 07/17/2019.