Deforestation Near Public Lands: An Empirical Examination of Associated Processes

This article is an empirical examination of human-environment interactions associated with deforestation. The focus is on areas adjacent to the Buffalo National River and Ozark–St. Francis National Forest. Satellite imagery and census data over a 10-year timeframe are analyzed using multivariate methods to provide insight into underlying processes impacting land cover change. Examination of the parameters in areas near public land boundaries in conjunction with distance-to-the-boundary measures indicate changes immediately adjacent to the public lands differ from those at a distance. Public lands with differing mandates (resource conservation for current and future utilization in the case of U.S. Forest Service lands and preservation of existing “wilderness” condition in the case of the Buffalo National River) function separately within the wider landscape context. Land cover change due to deforestation is driven by transportation infrastructure, slope, distance to large urban centers, and location relati...