New pub on czo land use dynamics

This publication, authored by four HECLab members explores the historical land use dynamics in the Calhoun CZO. We conducted a high spatial resolution analysis to explore land use land use transition from 1931 - 1944, during the time that the National Forest Service purchased the land. We found that factors such as topography and and market access influence land use practices and timing of abandonment. However, this relationship varies between farmers. Land tenure proves to be a critical factor in decisions to use land in particular ways.  Thus, we argue that land use policy aimed at improving environmental conservation and human wellbeing must explicitly consider not only economic and topographic factors, but also, the local constraints and dynamics introduced by land tenure and property regimes.

The paper can be accessed here.