NCRS - The Changing Midwest Assessment

In addition to documenting changes in personal income derived from lumber and wood products, we also considered change in income from economic activities related to the "Amusement and Recreation" industry.

Further, efforts are currently underway at the North Central Research Station to understand the ecological, economic, and social forces that drive change, as well as the consequences of landscape change. For example, we are currently investigating how ecological and economic conditions (i.e. the presence of wood processing facilities) have influenced the location of past housing developments - and how such factors are likely to influence the location of future housing developments.

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.