Land Use Lesson 6 Extension : Analyzing Forestland Changes - County

1. Define county.

If students are not familiar with the term county, draw their attention to a map of the United States and ask what the map shows. [The country, the United States of America.] What are the parts of the United States called? [States.] Which state do we live in? [Michigan.] Is Michigan divided into parts like the United States is divided into states? [Yes, it is divided into counties.] Explain to students that counties have governments that deal with many important issues, such as building and maintaining roads, enforcing the law in areas that are not part of cities, and planning for land use.

Show a map of Michigan’s counties (see http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/michigan_map.html). Point out that Michigan has 83 counties, 68 in the Lower Peninsula and 15 in the Upper Peninsula. Help students locate their own county and surrounding counties on the Human World, Michigan County map.

2. Review graphs.

Ask students to review the graphs of agricultural land use in Michigan that they created in Lessons 5 and 6.

What did we learn about agricultural land use in Michigan? [That land used for farming is decreasing in the state.]

Do you think agricultural land use is changing in our county? [Accept all reasonable answers.]

3. Complete the table by finding the difference between the 1993 and 2009 land use shown in the County Land Use Data Bank: Forests.

Distribute a copy of the County Land Use Data Bank: Forests to each pair of students. Review with students what the table shows and point out that the difference between 1993 and 2009 has not been calculated for 21 counties. Allow time for students to complete these calculations. Be sure they understand that if 1993 acreage is larger than 2009 acreage, the difference is recorded as a negative number; if 2009 acreage is larger than 1993 acreage, the difference is recorded as a positive number. This is a good place to introduce the use of calculators and address a math standard.

4. Graph area of forestry for 1993 and 2009 for the local county.

Working in pairs, have students complete a bar graph for changes in forestry land use in their county on the Number of Acres of Forest in __________ County student activity page. If your students are not able to deal with the thousands (000s) then you can round values to the nearest two- or three-digit number and then graph.

5. Analyze the graphs.

How has forestry land use been changing in our county? [The graph may show either big changes in land use or show stability with few changes. If forestry land is decreasing, then discuss the land use that is replacing it.]

What do the bars on the graph tell us about changes in forestry land use in the county? [The bars show the general change that occurs during a ten-year period. For example, forestland may have been decreasing since 1993. If the 2009 bar shows less acreage in forests, then the trend in that county has been that land cover in forests has decreased. In some counties there may not be much of a change and both bars may be nearly the same height.]

Why are the changes shown by the graph important to people living in the county? [Forestry land use is accompanied by jobs. Wood products and processing employ people who cut, transport, and convert wood products to paper, fiberboard, and furniture. If there is less forestry, then it may mean more land is being used for other purposes that may increase the population. The result may increase the number of students who attend school or fast food restaurants that are located nearby. Perhaps a mall will open to service the many shoppers who live in new residences.]

Have you observed evidence that land use is changing as you travel to and from school or as you travel with your families? [This information may also be obtained from the local newspaper, county planning office, recorder of deeds, etc. Direct observation by the students is a useful way to collect data and build skills.]

How can we learn about land use changes in our community? [Talking to other people, reading the newspaper, watching local TV news programs, attending local planning board meetings, the World Wide Web, and visiting the governmental offices to read notices are all ways in which we become informed.]

Why is land use an important issue in our community? [The economy is often based on how we use the land. Land uses may affect whether the land is being polluted such as too many herbicides and pesticides on suburban lawns. Open space may disappear so that people have fewer places to walk, jog, or play sports. There may be more streets and roadways. Land use is important to the tax base of a community and influences the number and quality of services that are provided.]

6. Compare urban, suburban, and rural counties.

Select two comparison counties from the County Land Use Data Bank: Forests. The counties selected should be different from your county. For example, if your county is rural, choose an urban and suburban county for comparison. Locate the three counties you are studying on the Human World, Michigan County map.

With students working in pairs, follow the same graphing procedures used for the local county. If graphing skills are still being developed and students need practice, then it may be best to assign each student in the pair to do one of the two graphs. All students should graph the same comparison counties on the Number of Acres of Forest in _______ County student activity page. Label the three graphs as rural, urban, and suburban.

Once the graphs have been completed, place them side by side on the desk or table. Each pair of students should discuss the following questions.

Are the bars on the graphs similar or different? [Suburban counties are generally undergoing greater changes in land use, although some rural counties are changing as well.]

Do the bars on the graphs indicate that there will be more, less, or about the same amount of forestland in these counties in future years? [The most likely answer is less, but there may be some variation based on the counties graphed.]

7. Map forest change data.

Read the key on the Forestland Change, 1993-2009 map. Note that 21 counties are blank. They correspond to the counties that were left blank on the Land Use Data Bank: Forests. For each of those counties, have students identify the category in the key that applies to the amount of change between 1993 and 2009 and draw that symbol in the correct county on the map. Assign students to complete the map in groups of two students. Stress that they should be neat in drawing in the symbols so that the next step, analysis, is possible.

8. Analyze the map.

The analysis of the Forestland Change, 1993- 2009 map engages the students in observing the map and looking for large patterns. Review with students that the symbols on the map show the amount of change in forest land over the tenyear period. Most Michigan counties, if they are six by six townships, have about 800,000 acres of land. Some counties are larger, especially in the Upper Peninsula, and others are smaller, such as Macomb and Berrien counties. A visual comparison of change will tell the students if the forests in Michigan Counties are generally increasing or decreasing and if there are certain areas of the state where one or the other is occurring.

Most of the counties that have decreased in forestlands are in the southern part of the Lower Peninsula. Help students to identify patterns.

a. Ask students to count north three tiers of counties from the southern border of Michigan and draw an east-west line across the state.

b. Next ask the students to count south two tiers of counties from the Mackinac Straits and draw an east-west line across the state.

c. Draw the table (blank) below on the chalkboard.

d. Next have them count the number of counties that increased in forestry and those that decreased in forestry for the southern and middle groups of counties in the Lower Peninsula. Record the number for the two regions.

e. Then make a similar count for the Upper Peninsula and northern counties of the Lower Peninsula. Record the number for this region.

Comparison of Changes in Forests

Use the information in the table to answer the following discussion questions:

Did forestland increase or decrease in the southern region of the Lower Peninsula? [It decreased in more counties than it increased.]

Did forestland increase or decrease in the middle region of the Lower Peninsula? [Overall it decreased in more counties than it increased.]

Did forestland increase or decrease in the Upper Peninsula and the northern counties of the Lower Peninsula? [It increased in more counties than it decreased.]

How does forestland change as you travel from the northern part of the Upper Peninsula to the very southern part of the Lower Peninsula? [The amount of forestland steadily decreases.]

Does this Land Use/Land Cover Poster map show the same pattern? [yes]

Using what you know about where most people live in Michigan, how does the population change as you travel from the northern part of the Upper Peninsula to the very southern part of the Lower Peninsula? Refer to the Land Use/ Land Cover Map poster [The population steadily increases.]

What is the relationship between forest land and population? Refer to the Land Use/Land Cover Map poster. [In general, as population increases the amount of forest land use decreases.]

9. Review.

How has forest land use changed in our county since 1993? [Answers will vary.]

How is the land being used in our county presently?  [Answers will vary.] 

Are there changes underway that we can observe? [Answers will vary.]

Is land use in our county the same or different from the counties we have used for comparison? [Answers will vary.]

What do the three graphs show about changes in forestland use in urban, suburban, and rural counties? [Answers will vary.]