Based on the statistics, we can
notice that among the types of land cover, the changes in the
Developed land, Turf & Grass, Agricultural Field and Deciduous
Forest were obvious. The Developed land and Turf & Grass
increased 148.8 square miles and 72.8 square miles respectively
from 1985 to 2010, while Agricultural Field and Deciduous Forest
decreased 166.8 square miles and 61.8 square miles respectively
during the same period. The Other Grasses and Barren land had
slight increases and the Coniferous Forest and Water had slight
decreases.
Connecticut
has clearly lost forest land cover over the 25 year period of
this analysis. The main reason is urbanization. The Developed
land, Turf & Grass and Other Grass are land cover categories
considered to be related to the built environment, which
increased at the expense of the Deciduous and Coniferous forest
and also Agricultural land cover. The percentage rate of change
represents how quickly a category is changing relative to the
1985 baseline. The Deciduous forest is decreasing at the fastest
rate compared with other land cover categories. The Developed is
increasing at the second fast rate. And it is evident that the
forest in Connecticut is becoming increasingly fragmented due
primarily to increased development. The increase in perforated
forest and patch forest is caused by the sprawl of development.
And the continued division of larger forest tracts into smaller
ones leads to the increase of barren land and a less viable
forest. Additionally, the decrease in all three core forest
categories (the Deciduous forest, Coniferous forest and Forested
Wetland) indicates the expansion of development to all of
Connecticut. Better land use decisions are necessary to protect
forest resources.
Moreover, the
decrease of Water and Wetland are also a danger signal. When we
enjoying the many benefits of growth, communities, we should
also mitigate the negative impacts on water resources. The land
use change sometimes can dramatically impact how water is
transported and stored and impact water quality. So preserving
critical ecological areas, such as wetlands, floodplains, and
riparian corridors and minimizing overall land disturbance are
quit important for protecting water resources.
In sum, it is
expected that the Connecticut will continually urbanizing which
resulting in increased pressure on the natural forested
ecosystem. Although Connecticut remains heavily forested, over
half of that forest is no longer functioning as core forest. So
it is important that Connecticut land use decision makers work
to protect the last remnants of core forest to maintain a
semblance of a healthy working forest within Connecticut’s
borders. On the other hand, preserving ecologically important
land, such as open space, water and wetlands is critical for
healthier natural resources.