Land-Use History (1730-1990) and Vegetation Dynamics in Central New England, USA

Histories of changing land use and vegetation of a 380-ha forested area in central Massachusetts (Prospect Hill tract of the Harvard Forest) were reconstructed to investigate (i) the environmental controls over land ownership patterns, agricultural practice and logging activity, and (ii) the vegetation response to these land-use factors. 2. Forest clearance and agricultural expansion parallel trends for central New England: increasing rates of deforestation through the late eighteenth century led to a peak in 1820-80 when more than 80% of the land was open. Reforestation on abandoned fields commenced in 1850 and increased progressively through the early twentieth century