Title:

Historical northeastern forested boundary of the Great Plains grasslands in the United States

Author(s):

Hanberry, Brice B.

Publication Year:

2019

How to Cite:

These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Hanberry, Brice B. 2019. Historical northeastern forested boundary of the Great Plains grasslands in the United States. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2019-0034

Abstract:

Precise definition of the Great Plains grasslands has defied consensus, but historical vegetation reconstruction can provide a more authoritative boundary of the ecotone between the Great Plains and eastern forests. After comparing Great Plains boundaries, an eastern boundary was developed using evidence from historical tree surveys during the 1800s. The definition differs from others by including Illinois and small sections in Indiana and Wisconsin, but excluding Missouri due to regular tree presence overall at landscape scales, resulting in an extent of 2.29 million square kilometers in 15 states. Establishing the historical eastern boundary based on historical tree surveys contributes a solution to the debate over competing versions of the Great Plains. This data publication provides this historical boundary as a shapefile.

Keywords:

biota; Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment; grasslands; Great Plains; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Wisconsin; Minnesota; Missouri

Related publications:

• Hanberry, Brice B. 2019. Defining the historical northeastern forested boundary of the Great Plains grasslands in the United States. The Professional Geographer. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2019.1611460

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