An analysis of land cover changes in the Northern Forest of New England using multitemporal Landsat MSS data

Abstract

Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) data were used to characterize land cover types, land cover changes, and landscape patterns in the Northern Forest region of Vermont, New Hampshire, and western Maine, USA. Eight Landsat MSS scenes from 1973, 1978, 1984/85, and 1990/91 were used to cover the regional study area and 18-year time period. Four watershed segments within the Northern Forest area were analysed: the Lamoille River watershed (151814 ha), the Connecticut River watershed (706880 ha), the Androscoggin River watershed (655445 ha), and the Kennebec River watershed (457168 ha). Multitemporal analysis indicates that the percentage of forested land that was converted to open land in each watershed over the 18-year period is similar, and is estimated to be approximately 10% of the forested land in each watershed segment.