History of landscape patterns

History Of Landscape Patterns

Although historical ecology remains a relatively recent conceptualization, it provides a useful framework in which to understand the relationship between the historic uses to which terrain has been placed and its modern applications (Balee, 1999). The research to date in this area has focused in part on the history of landscape patterns. For instance, Balee reports that, "The concept of landscape, above all, seems paramount in historical ecology. These usages, when comprehended technically, facilitate a more holistic (and therefore more accurate and empirically sound) analysis of human ecology" (1999, p. 1). This point is also made by Swetnam, Allen, and Betancourt (1999) who discuss historical ecology and the importance of knowing the history of a landscape when making contemporary management decisions concerning new applications. In this regard, Swetnam and his associates note that, "Applied historical ecology is the use of historical knowledge in the management of ecosystems. Historical perspectives increase our understanding of the dynamic nature of landscapes and provide a frame of reference for assessing modern patterns and processes" (p. 1189).

One of the major strengths of applied historical ecology is its ability to provide modern researchers with useful insights concerning past uses that will help improve the design and functionality of new applications. Indeed, in many ways, in the Age of Information, modern researchers enjoy an enormous array of information sources that provide them with unprecedented historical data concerning the use of lands. Although these information sources provide much of what is needed for an informed decision concerning applied historical ecology, even these data sources may not provide the comprehensive long-term views of land use that are needed for some applications; however, even relatively short-term observations can provide useful feedback for some ecosystem applications (Swetnam et al., 1999). In essence, the longer the time period covered by the applied historical ecological analysis, the more comprehensive the findings that emerge will be with respect to future applications (Swetnam et al., 1999).

One of the major weaknesses of the applied historical ecological approach also relates to its primary strength, which both relate to the quality of the data that is available for incorporation into the analytical model. The adage, "garbage in, garbage out" is certainly applicable here, and Swetnam and his colleagues emphasize the need to carefully interpolate historical data to ensure that potentially misleading or erroneous data is not allowed to skew the interpretation of the findings that emerge from such analyses. In addition, Swetnam et al. cite what they describe as the "no analogue" problem wherein there are no corresponding historic analogs for modern conditions of historic applications of landscapes and vice versa. Notwithstanding these limitations, though, Swetnam et al. conclude that, "Although direct or simple extrapolation of historical patterns or trends into the future is usually erroneous, history can be useful for guiding the development and testing of predictive models" (p. 1200).