Evaluation of the Private Forestland Ownership Paracelization and its effects on the forest landscape in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of the forestland ownership parcelization on species composition, age structure and spatial pattern of the forest landscape. First, a computer model was developed to create ownership patterns characterized by the actual shape and size. Model is validated and applied to simulate ownership patterns with various parcelization levels. Second, a transition matrix model is used to characterize the changes in forestland ownership parcelization. Results suggest a strong tendency towards further parcelization, characterized by parcel size classes smaller than 100 ha, and reveals the contributions from purchases by the Pioneer Forest. Third, the harvest regimes in a parcelized ownership landscape is spatially implemented for a forest landscape model --LANDIS -- to evaluate their effects on forest composition, age structure, and spatial pattern. Results suggest that changes will be dominated by the successional process, with significant but limited effects from parcelization levels and harvest intensities.