Development of Issue-relevant State Level Analyses of Fragmentation and Urbanization

There has been considerable research concerning the extent and effect of urbanization and fragmentation and the importance of monitoring current and potential magnitudes of change is recognized. However, there are limited guidelines for interpreting fragmentation data or for their application for analysis and statewide planning efforts. In this study we take a first step toward developing a state-level analysis of urbanization and fragmentation that addresses three categories of information. Example maps, tables, and analyses are drawn from New York, Maryland, and Delaware. Landscape metrics calculated from various regional or national datasets were chosen for their relevance to issues of interest and other traits such as accuracy and consistency. Examples of results include maps accompanied by graphic and tabular analyses addressing several landscape factors that are increasingly impacting forest resources and the ecosystem services and products they provide. Where published guidelines are available, results include management-relevant maps in which the metrics have been translated into impacts on stream water quality, interior bird species composition, and other processes. From these elements a prototype structure can be developed for reporting on the status of fragmentation and urbanization in a state and across the region so that we can better understand our forest resource in the context of its surrounding landscape and the status of changes in its natural, social, or economic ecology.