NCRS - The Changing Midwest Assessment

Region-wide, the prevalence of oaks observed to have decline-associated damage decreased from approximately 19 percent in 1980 to 14.5 percent in 2000.

At the state level, change in decline-associated damage ranged from a decrease of 10 percent in Indiana to an increase of 26 percent in Michigan.

In addition to mapping changes in the prevalence of oak decline, scientists at the North Central Research Station and collaborating universities are working to identify the forces that are driving change. For example, we are investigating the role of urbanization in the decline of oak forest health in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro-area. Further, efforts are in progress to understand the ecological, economic, and social consequences of oak decline and other forms of landscape change. Specifically, we are studying how changes in land cover are related to changes in water quality. Finally, we are developing a set of interactive, web-based tools that will allow users to visualize the spatial distribution of changes that are likely in the future given a range of alternative economic, social, and ecological scenarios.