| Historical ecology relies on information from various sources at many spatial and temporal scales. Studies in the current literature have explained historical forest composition by using historical ecological data, especially forest species composition and distribution taken from land surveys of the early European Colonial period (approximately 1700–1800). Although this information has been regarded as reliable in the majority of cases in studies in North America, many make potentially unfounded conclusions about changes in forest composition. This research studies the forest landscape in Kejimkujik National Park (KNP) in Nova Scotia through the use of historical documents, historical aerial photography, witness trees and modern technology in the form of geographic information systems, with a view to documenting the changes that have occurred as a result of human activities. A witness tree approach is assessed as a means of understanding the species composition and distribution of the historical forest of KNP. The land use history of KNP is discussed in terms of resource extraction and agricultural practices from 1928 to 1992. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
