Estimating ownerships and parcels of nonindustrial private forestland in Massachusetts
Publication Date
2008
Journal or Book Title
Northern Journal Of Applied Forestry
Abstract
Woodland ownership for three regions of Massachusetts is estimated using property tax assessor data. These data are nonspatially explicit and are based on commercial, industrial, residential, or other activity rather than actual land cover. A heuristic was used to aggregate similar parcels to provide an estimate of actual landownership. The estimated average statewide ownership is 17.9 ac, and when properties less than 10 ac are excluded, the average rises to 42.5 ac. The median ownership varies from east to west in the state across the spectrum of suburban development radiating from the metropolitan Boston area, with the median being 4.8, 7.8, and 8.6 ac in the eastern, central, and western part of the state, respectively. These results are compared with ownership estimates generated by the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis.
Volume
25
Issue
2
Pages
93-98
Recommended Citation
Kittredge, DB; D'Amato, AW; Catanzaro, P; Fish, J; and Butler, B, "Estimating ownerships and parcels of nonindustrial private forestland in Massachusetts" (2008). Northern Journal Of Applied Forestry. 265.
Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/nrc_faculty_pubs/265