Creating and Analyzing Digital Land Parcelization Histories to Better Understand Landscape Change
Timothy Kennedy, Dan McFarlane; University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
Methods
Abstract
Results
Case Selection: Comparing Parcelization
Across Diverse Landscapes
In this research, we sought to document and analyze the rate and spatial pattern of land parcelization in a
set of rural Wisconsin communities. Land parcels constitute a fundamental but largely invisible dimension
for understanding land ownership, uses, and resulting landscape patterns. Current tax and ownership
parcel maps are increasingly available in digital format at a range of scales, but historic parcel maps are
Comparing Forested and Agricultural Areas
Region Parcel Density
•Bayfield County represents a highly forested area in
northern Wisconsin rich with natural resource amenities.
largely confined to paper documents and are therefore difficult to employ for sophisticated spatial and
•This graph of descriptive statistics
show the parcel density in two rural
50
•Columbia County represents an exurban area with a
history of agricultural production. The Wisconsin River
municipal tax rolls. Tax rolls were necessary for mapping small-lot subdivisions that are generally excluded
from plat map books. This poster illustrates key steps in our methodology for recreating parcel maps in
and Lake Wisconsin border the western side of the
county.
digital format and communicates some of our findings. Distinct spatial-temporal patterns of parcelization
are evident, patterns that a simple count or averaging of parcel sizes would be unable to convey. We
conclude by pointing to several lines of research available for integrating parcelization histories with
Parcels per Square Mile
45
temporal analyses common to landscape ecology. To overcome this barrier, we developed a method for
accurately reconstructing parcel maps from earlier time periods by employing both paper plat maps and
40
counties in Wisconsin.
35
30
•The agricultural, exurban area
25
exhibits a higher density of parcels
compared to the rural forested area.
20
15
10
5
landscape histories to better understand human dimensions of landscape ecology.
Data Collection: Using Tax Archives
to Reconstruct Parcel Histories
• The agricultural study area is
0
1950
1960
1980
1990
2000
2010
Bayfield County
located near a major metropolitan
center.
Year
•Historic municipal tax rolls were searched for
Why Study Tax Parcels?
1970
Columbia County
potential parcel splits.
•This graph shows some spatial
Second Nearest Neighbor Among New Parcels
•Once a parcel split was located, the GIS layer
was adjusted accordingly to reflect the parcel
status at that time period.
statistics of the mean second nearest
neighbor distance among new
1600
1400
parcels.
1200
Feet
1000
•The second nearest neighbor
800
400
distance was chosen to show the
dispersal of new parcels to their non-
200
adjacent nearest neighbor.
600
Results
0
1950
1960
1970
1980
Columbia County
•Parcel data is becoming more readily available.
1990
2000
2010
Year
New Parcels Per Time Period
•Parcel is the land unit regulated by government.
•Individual land use decisions are made at the
Small Parcel Patches
parcel level.
Ownership Tracts vs. Tax Parcels
5.00
•This graph area normalized, shows
4.50
the quantity of small parcel patches
(0 – 5 acres) in a forested and
4.00
Tax Parcels
Patches/Square Mile
Plat Book
•Both areas exhibited a similar
change among distance in new
parcels.
Bayfield County
agricultural region.
3.50
3.00
•The quantity of smaller patches
2.50
increased in both areas; however the
2.00
rate of increase was greater in the
1.50
forested area.
1.00
0.50
0.00
1950
•Tax parcels represent the land owner’s true intent.
include multiple tax parcels under single ownership.
·
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Year
Town of Delta
Bayfield County
•Plat books display ownership trends, which can
•Smaller, potentially more fragmented
1960
Bayfield County
parcel patches occurred in the
forested area.
Columbia County
Legend
1960 New Parcels
1972 New Parcels
1991 New Parcels
2007 New Parcels
1967 New Parcels
1981 New Parcels
2001 New Parcels
Parcel Boundary
0
Towns of West Point and Lodi
Columbia County
0.5
Miles
1
2
Future Research
Parcelization in Hiding - Wis. Stat. § 236.02(12)
Major Land Division
Platted Subdivision
•The platted subdivision
on the left required prior
review and approval,
while the development on
the right required no
review or approval, and
circumvented the
subdivision approval
process.
Minor Land Division
Certified Survey Map
•Without prior approval,
this land owner acted as
community planner and
•We are examining the extent of how parcelization spatially and temporally
affects subsequent landscape patterns.
•We are investigating the landscape factors affecting parcelization in rural
amenity-rich areas.
•We also seek to find out if the spatial and temporal parcelization patterns are
different in agricultural vs. forested regions.
developer, leaving the
municipality with the
added infrastructure
maintenance costs and
zero design input.
Contact Information:
FACTORS INFLUENCING LAND PARCELIZATION IN
AMENITY RICH RURAL AREAS AND THE
POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF PLANNING AND
POLICY VARIABLES
Dr. Anna Haines
(715) 346-2386
ahaines@uwsp.edu
Eric Olson
(715) 346-2278
eolson@uwsp.edu
CONTRACT/GRANT/AGREEMENT NO: 2005
PROPOSAL NO: 2005 -01393
Dan McFarlane
dmcfarla@uwsp.edu
Tim Kennedy
tkenn265@uwsp.edu
-35401 -15924
Center for Land Use Education