Forest Cover

Forest Cover can be assessed using a number of methods. Forest cover and the change over time is an important indicator of sustainable forestry. The statewide forest inventory assesses forest cover annually using field plots. This data is available at the county level. Inventory data for forest cover is available for 1983, 1996, and 2003. The second method used to calculate forest cover is satellite data -- commonly referred to as WISCLAND. Forest cover estimates from WISCLAND are available for 1992 and are available at the township level.

Data & Maps

• Wisconsin DNR – WebView
• Pre-settlement forest type map
• Land Use Change in The Lake States (Wisconsin data is available, dates include 1950, 60, 70, 80, 1990)
  USDA Forest Service Regional Analysis and Projections (exit DNR)
• Acres of Forest - Annual Forest Inventory (exit DNR) - Good for forest and non-forest acreage
• USDA Forest Service remote sensing of land-cover change (exit DNR) 1980-2000 using heterogeneous USGS LUDA and NOAA AVHRR 1 km Data.

• USDA - Natural Resource Inventory (exit DNR) - 1982, 1987, 1997, 2003
  Great source for land conversion information