NEW JERSEY LANDSCAPE CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1009988
• Project Start Date: Jul 21, 2016
• Project End Date: Jun 30, 2021
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
3 RUTGERS PLZA
NEW BRUNSWICK,NJ 08901-8559

Performing Department
Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources

Non Technical Summary
As the most densely populated region in the nation, as well as one that is still faced with a growing population and steady development pressure, New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic provides the perfect laboratory setting for the study of land use/land cover change. Understanding the driving factors, quantifying the trends, and mapping the key hotspots of landscape change along with identifying the thresholds of environmental impact, are all central to an informed response on the part of government and the citizenry alike. While the proposed work will focus on New Jersey, the implications of this research are relevant much more broadly, to elsewhere in the United States, as well as globally.My goal with this proposed project is similarly to inform the public and government agencies about land use change issues and the overall state of NJ's landscape. This will be accomplished by continuing our the long term time series of Land Resources Impact indicators, as well as an analysis of the implications of the change data set for the state of New Jersey. More specifically, I propose to address specific questions related to the influence of such events as SuperStorm Sandy and the Great Recession on the development/redevelopment of urban lands and the conversion or alteration of natural habitats in New Jersey. The data and information generated by this project will aid the NJAES in fulfilling its mission "To enhance the vitality, health, sustainability and overall quality of life in New Jersey by developing and delivering practical, effective solutions to current and future challenges to agriculture; fisheries; food; natural resources; environments; public health; and economic, community, and youth development."

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
131	0120	2060	100%

Knowledge Area
131 - Alternative Uses of Land;

Subject Of Investigation
0120 - Land;

Field Of Science
2060 - Geography;

Keywords

land use/land cover change

urbanization

habitat loss and alteration

coastal resiliency

Goals / Objectives
This goal of this proposed project is not so much to develop novel methods of remotely sensed image-based land use/land cover classification and mapping techniques but rather to analyze the changes across this time period, and examine the implications of these trends for New Jersey's land and water resources. The proposed project has three main objectives:1. Short term: Map changes in urban land use as of 2015 to provide an updated picture of urban development for selected NJ watershed/regions to assessShort term post SuperStorm Sandy-related damage and rebuilding;Development/redevelopment during the tail end of the Great Recession;2. Longer term: When the 2012-2017 become available, analyze land use change from 1986 to 2017 and provide a more detailed characterization of statewide spatial and temporal trends.3. Undertake focused studies of coastal habitat change to inform coastal resiliency planning and management.

Project Methods
The proposed methods will be discussed separately for the three main objectives outlined above:2015 Urban Land Use UpdateEmploying the recently released 2015 digital orthophotography, a Level 1 analysis will be undertaken to map new urban development that has occurred between 2012 and 2015. A Level 1 analysis groups all land into six broad categories of land use/land cover: urban, agriculture, forest, water, wetlands, and barren. The focus of our mapping will be on updating changes in urban land use patterns for selected watersheds/regions. For example, areas of interest include the Raritan River watershed as it is the focus of Rutger's Sustainable Raritan River Initiative and the Mullica River and Barnegat Bay watersheds as these relate to our ongoing involvement in the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program. Specific questions that we propose to address include: a) new development vs. redevelopment; and, b) Short term post SuperStorm Sandy-related damage and rebuilding in the coastal zone.We propose to use heads-up digitizing with the 2015 orthophotography displayed on a computer screen with the 2012 land use GIS overtop. The GIS analyst will interpret the imagery and map urban land use change polygons. Thus we will be generating a novel data set not available from other sources.The resulting LULC change data set will be analyzed using ESRI ARCGIS software in a raster polygonal format. Due to errors of both omission and commission in this data set (as with any photo-interpretation and LULC mapping exercise) the reported acreages should be treated as estimates and not "absolute" amounts. The proposed methodology will be consistent with our earlier efforts (http://www.crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/urbangrowth/index.html).2017 Land Use UpdateIn keeping with the state's 5 year timetable for generating statewide aerial overflights and digital GIS land use data, we expect an overflight and subsequent release of data in 2017 (i.e., five years after the 2012 overflight and interpreted land use GIS data release). We will not be generating the digital GIS 2017 land use data set but will rely on the State of New Jersey to contract and provide these data (as they have done in the past). We will undertake a more detailed spatial analysis of the land use/land cover change data set to quantify the trends, and map the key hotspots of landscape change. In particular, we are interested in furthering our understanding of the land use change dynamics involved.We have developed a series of key indicators of landscape impacts (Landscape Resource Impact (LRI) Indicators) as a means of assessing the consequences of urban growth on the state's natural resources. The indicators that will be assessed include: 1) urban growth density (i.e., efficiency of land utilization); 2) prime farmland loss; 3) core forest habitat loss; 4) natural wetlands loss; and 5) impervious surface cover gain.The individual LRI indicators provide useful metrics for focusing on individual resource impacts (see Hasse and Lathrop, 2003). To locate more problematic overall trends of land resource impacts attributable to sprawling urban growth, the 5 LRI indicators will be summed by municipality to provide a combined-LRI indicator. By looking across this most recent 5 year time period, we will be able to quantify what types of land uses are replacing the 3 key natural resources lands (forests, farms and wetlands) and at what rates. Of particular interest are the gains and losses in forest habitat cover due to land use conversion to urban or agricultural uses vs. natural succession of abandoned farms and/or urban lands back to forest. The spatial locations and characteristics of these forest land transitions may have major implications on the attendant ecosystem services (i.e., habitat value, water quality protection, carbon sequestration) lost or gained. This knowledge gained through the above analyses will then inform and leverage complementary field studies.The knowledge generated on land use/land cover change will then be used to inform place-based decision-making and policy generation. In an effort to address the negative consequences of poorly planned development and the challenge of uncoordinated planning between municipalities, the state has taken several large scale regional planning initiatives over the past several decades: 1) the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan; 2) the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan; 3) NJ Highlands Preservation and Planning Area; and, 4) New Jersey watersheds (DEPHUC 11). We will summarize the change statistics by the different management jurisdictions within these planning jurisdictions. Individual municipal level statistics will also be calculated. By conducting multiple levels and extents of analysis, this project will provide a comprehensive snapshot of New Jersey's 2017 landscape condition as well as an invaluable assessment of how that landscape condition is changing.Coastal Habitat Change studiesIn the wake of Superstorm Sandy, there is widespread interest in the role of natural habitats and nature-based solutions as a coastal protection strategy. However, in assessing coastal marshes and beach/dunes as promoting coastal resiliency, we need to account for the longevity of said systems in the face of continued, if not accelerated, sea level rise. The sustainability of these ecosystems must be understood in light of the fact that these systems are not spatially fixed but rather are continually responding and shifting in response to sea level rise. In the short run, it may make sense to attempt to maintain existing coastal marshes in place, while recognizing in the long run that we need to retain flexibility to allow their movement. In thinking about the driving factors affecting the long term sustainability of coastal marshes, we are using a conceptual model on marsh sustainability and proposal to monitor and characterize changes in the seaward edge, marsh platform and landward edge of coastal marshesFocused land cover change studies will be undertaken to map coastal habitat change to better understand how these systems are changing under present day conditions. Three major issues will be examined:Changes in coastal wetland land cover will be assessed to examine issues of wetland loss, die-back and landward migration.Changes in coastal marsh and estuarine shorelines of Delaware Bay and Atlantic coastal lagoons.Changes in seagrass meadows in Atlantic coastal estuaries.Baseline mapping for each of these coastal habitat features during the time period of 2000-2015 has been accomplished by CRSSA. Under this new Hatch project, we will update the time series as new high resolution remotely sensed imagery becomes available. We will use similar techniques to ensure that the data are comparable but also investigate methodologies that might improve on the accuracy and information content of the resulting habitat maps.These coastal habitat change analyses will use existing high resolution remotely sensed imagery (including digital orthophotography, multispectral satellite imagery, airborne LiDAR), as well as newer customized imagery acquisitions that may become available. We propose to use a mix of image analysis techniques including heads-up digitizing and automated multispectral image classification. The specific techniques will vary depending on the ecological feature/habitat type of interest. The resulting GIS data sets and derived reports will be made freely available on the CRSSA website.

Progress 07/21/16 to 06/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The NJ land use/land cover change analysis conducted for this project was developed to address the information needs for a number of land use and regional planning entities, including: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Pinelands Commission, NJ Highlands Council, U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, The US Fish & Wildlife Service, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife and other non-governmental organizations concerned with the consequences of land use/land cover change on aquatic ecosystems, wildlife habitat and forest health; The Barnegat Bay and Delaware Bay Estuary Programs, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve and the American Littoral Society on coastal land use, sea level rise impacts and habitat protection issues; and, New Jersey Green Acres, the Trust for Public Land, the Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Future and the Association of NJ Environmental Commissions and other non-governmental organizations on prioritizing its open space preservation/watershed protection/habitat restoration efforts. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One graduate student assisted on the geospatial analysis for this project. He developed proficiency is various aspects of Geospatial analysis and maps/graphics production. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The resulting reports are available at http://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/ and archived in the Rutgers University Library. https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/esploro/outputs/report/Changing-landscapes-in-the-Garden-State/991031550019104646 A press release was developed and distributed. Rutgers University highlighted the project on the Rutgers Today website https://www.rutgers.edu/news/land-development-new-jersey-continues-slow Several news outlets picked up the story. https://nj1015.com/nj-land-development-slows-down-but-covid-leaves-future-uncertain/ https://whyy.org/articles/pandemic-has-potential-to-renew-demand-for-suburban-housing-in-n-j-land-use-expert-says/ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1. Map changes in urban land use as of 2015 to provide an updated picture of urban development for selected NJ watershed/regions to assess. Longer term: Goal 2. Analyze land use change across a longer time period (i.e. from 1986 to 2015) to provide a more detailed characterization of statewide spatial and temporal trends. As part of the Hatch-supported NJ Landscape Change Research Program, we analyzed the changes in the state's land use/land cover occurring between the spring of 2012 and spring of 2015 (Goal 1) based on the New Jersey Land Use/Land Cover Change (NJLULCC) data set (developed by private contractors to the state of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection). Conversion of green space to new urban development in New Jersey has continued to slow from its historic high pace of new urban development in the 1990's and 2000's. Between the year 2012 and 2015, New Jersey expanded the amount of urban land by 10,392 acres, equivalent to a rate of 3,464 acres of new urban development per year. This rate represents a continuation of the trend of decreasing urban development initiated during the Great Recession of 2008. In comparison, urban development grew at a pace of 16,852 acres per year in the late 1990's. Over the 2012 to 2015 time period, New Jersey had a population growth rate of 0.3% (from 8.85 million in 2012 to 8.87 million in 2015) and an urban growth rate of 0.7% (from 1.56 to 1.57 million acres). The three year period from 2012 to 2015 saw population growth occurring at less than the rate of urbanization, although the magnitude of both rates of change has declined significantly over the 29 year study period (Goal 2). Goal 3. Undertake focused studies of coastal habitat change to inform coastal resiliency planning and management. New Jersey prides itself on being a coastal state with the 'Shore' an integral part of the Jersey psyche. As elsewhere in the United States and the world, there has been an increasing concentration of population and development in New Jersey's coastal zone. One notable success story has been the near complete halting of the dredging, filling and development of coastal wetlands. Coastal wetlands - those wetlands along the tidal coastline where dominant vegetation is tolerant of saline conditions- were protected under the Wetlands Act of 1970, as well as the Coastal Area Facility Review Act of 1973 (CAFRA), and the Waterfront Development Law of 1914 (ANJEC, 2004). The NJLULCC data set shows a steady decline in the rate of coastal wetland conversion to urban land uses. During the nearly three decades between 1986 and 2015, 1,046 acres of coastal wetlands were mapped as converting to urban uses with only 26 acres of that change occurring between 2012 and 2015. The NJLUCC mapping suggests that 311 acres per year of coastal wetlands converted to BARREN during T5. Of the 934 acres of coastal wetlands converted to BARREN during T5, the vast majority (908 acres) was converted to beaches (through the process where sand beaches overwash, usually during major storm events, such as SuperStorm Sandy, and bury adjacent salt marsh). Given the importance of coastal wetlands for the host of ecosystem services they provide, a series of targeted studies to document past change and project potential future change was undertaken. Three key aspects that can govern salt marsh sustainability were considered: 1) shoreline erosion (i.e., horizontal change); 2) the maintenance of elevation (i.e., vertical change) of the marsh platform; and, 3) the conversion of adjacent upland and wetland areas to salt marsh under future sea level rise (referred to herein as marsh retreat zones). The methods employed to model future change in coastal wetlands and adjacent upland areas is described in greater detail in Appendix C. Our comparison of the 1977 New Jersey Tidelands and LiDAR-derived shoreline maps for the year 2010 suggests that nearly 4,400 acres of salt marsh were converted to tidal flat or open water during the intervening 33 years. In some locations, the shoreline has retreated over 1,000'. To project potential future change, three scenarios of sea level rise (1, 2 and 3') out to the Year 2050 were modeled. Our results suggests that approximately 20% of New Jersey's salt marshes are highly vulnerable to conversion to tidal mud flat or open water or heightened "drowning" stress by 2050. We estimate that nearly 25,000 acres (or over 11%) of existing salt marsh is vulnerable to conversion to tidal flat or open water from continued marsh shoreline erosion. An additional 19,000 acres (or nearly 9%) of interior marsh is vulnerable to biological stress or conversion under 1 feet of sea level rise. A proportion of the expected loss due to erosion and drowning may be balanced by new marsh created as upland/wetland forests or abandoned cropland are converted (through natural succession) to salt marsh We refer to those areas where new marsh may develop in the future as unimpeded marsh retreat zones. Our modeling of a 3' SLR scenario mapped 66,343 acres of marsh retreat zones statewide, though not enough to compensate for the expected losses. We suggest that these marsh retreat zones should be high priority for conservation protection to allow New Jersey's salt marshes to "migrate" to provide some level of compensation for expected losses from sea level rise in the coming decades. The resulting reports are available at http://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/ and archived in the Rutgers University Library. https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/esploro/outputs/report/Changing-landscapes-in-the-Garden-State/991031550019104646

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Changing landscapes in the Garden State: land use change in New Jersey 1986 through 2015 Richard G. Lathrop and John E. Hasse Rutgers University; 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7282/t3-x1yc-dh86 https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/esploro/outputs/report/Changing-landscapes-in-the-Garden-State/991031550019104646
• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: New Jersey Landscape Change Research Program https://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/urban_growth.html

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includesfederal, state and local government agencies and non-governmental organizations engaged inland use and regional planning. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A report summarizing the finding was published onlinehttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-x1yc-dh86 Rutgers University sent out a press release advertising the report and several interviews with radio and newspapers/news sites were done. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Undertake focused studies of coastal habitat change to inform coastal resiliency planning and management.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A team of researchers from Rutgers and Rowan Universities undertook a study examining New Jersey's urban growth and land use change over the past three decades. The research team led by Richard Lathrop (Rutgers University) and John Hasse (Rowan University) have collaborated on a number of studies tracking New Jersey's changing landscape. The team reliedheavily on the NJ Department of Environmental Protection's Land Use/Land Cover Change (NJLULCC) data set with the focus of analyzingland use/land cover data mapped in 2015 but publicly released in 2019. A report summarizing the finding was published onlinehttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-x1yc-dh86 The most recent data available (between the year 2012 and 2015) reveals that New Jersey has expanded the amount of urban land at a rate of 3,464 acres of new urban development per year. This rate represents a continuation of the trend of decreasing urban development initiated during the Great Recession of 2008. Not only was there a dramatic slowdown statewide in overall acres developed, the residential footprint shrank in relative proportion when compared to other urban land uses.The report notes that the conversion of green space to new urban development in New Jersey has continued to slow from its historic high pace of new urban development in the 1990's and 2000's. While the rate of farmland converted to urban land uses has decreased quite dramatically in recent years, the conversion of upland and wetland forests has shown an uptick. This loss of forestlands is concerning as these ecosystems play a critical role in removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in wood and forest soils.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lathrop, R.G. and J.E. Hasse. 2020. Changing landscapes in the Garden State: land use change in New Jersey 1986 through 2015. Rutgers University Center for Remote Sensing & Spatial Analysis. https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-x1yc-dh86
• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Changing Landscapes in the Garden State: Land Use Change in New Jersey, 19862015. https://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/urban_growth.html

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Natural resource management agencies, land use planning agencies, land and wildlife conservation non-governmental organizations, coastal decision-makers Changes/Problems:The only substantive change vs. the original proposal was that we would examine LULC change between 2012 to 2017. However, the state of New Jersey has released (in the fall of 2019) only a 2015 LULC dataset, not a 2017 LULC dataset; thus the 2015 data set has been the subject of our project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan on completing our 2015 NJ LULC Change analysis in the next reporting period and document the results in a report. We will post this report on the Rutgers Center for Remote Sensing & Spatial Anlaysis NJ Landscape Change Research Program website https://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/ .

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The state of New Jersey released the 2015 NJ Land Use/Land Cover digital GIS data set. We are in the process of undertaking a detailed spatial analysis of the land use/land cover change data set to quantify the trends, and map the key hotspots of landscape change. In prior work, we have developed a series of key indicators of landscape impacts (Landscape Resource Impact (LRI) Indicators) as a means of assessing the consequences of urban growth on the state's natural resources. The indicators that are being assessed include: 1) urban growth density (i.e., efficiency of land utilization); 2) prime farmland loss; 3) core forest habitat loss; 4) natural wetlands loss; and 5) impervious surface cover gain. By looking across this most changes between 2012 (date of prior LU/LC mapping) and 2015, we are quantifying what types of land uses are replacing the 3 key natural resources lands (forests, farms and wetlands) and at what rates. Of particular interest are the gains and losses in forest habitat cover due to land use conversion to urban or agricultural uses vs. natural succession of abandoned farms and/or urban lands back to forest. The spatial locations and characteristics of these forest land transitions may have major implications on the attendant ecosystem services (i.e., habitat value, water quality protection, carbon sequestration) lost or gained. Similarly, we are examing changes in wetland habitats to compare with our other ongoing coastal marsh studies. This knowledge gained through the above analyses will then inform and leverage complementary field studies.

Publications

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Natural Resource and wildlife management professionals, coastal land use planners Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?An undergraduate and graduate student participated in the data work this period How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A presentation was given in May 2017at a special workshopon 20 years of Conservation and Research on the Delaware Bay Stopover. http://arubewithaview.com/2017/06/06/abstracts/ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are finalizing the analysis of the digital mapping and preparing a manuscript for publication. The final digital data will be made available for free public download athttps://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/hcrab/

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under Goal 3: detailed mapping of coastal beach habitat change of the Delaware Bayshore, both on the New Jersey as well as Delaware coastlines. This mapping was conducted using public domain aerial imagery for the Year 2017. The work updates earlier work from 2002 and 2010. The focus is on characterizing the quality of the beach as horseshoe crab spawning habitat.

Publications

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Natural resource/watershed/coastal zone managers, land use planners and persons involved with wildlife conservation Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several undergraduate students and a postdoctoral associate were engaged in the projects. These students were able to present the results of the work through poster and oral presenetations at several professional conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Mapped products were developed and provided to interested stakeholders. Data from the salt marsh change work was incorporated into an online data portal www.NJadapt.com. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Under Objective 2: Additional analysis of the consequences of land use/land cover change on watershed health in the Raritan River Watershed. Under Objective 3: more refined modeling of future marsh land cover under changing climate and sea level rise.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under Objective 2, we undertook a comprehensive assessment of land use/land cover change in the Raritan River Basin. Under Objective 3, we undertook a number of studies on coastal habitat change: Loss and fragmentation of seagrass meadows in Barnegat Bay NJ due to recreational boating activities; Mapping and modeling of change in salt marsh extent due to "marsh" drowning and shoreline edge erosion.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lathrop RL, Bognar J, Buenaventura E, Ciappi M, Green E, and Belton, TJ (2017) Establishment of Marine Protected Areas to Reduce Watercraft Impacts in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Journal of Coastal Research: Special Issue 78 - A Comprehensive Assessment of Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey: pp. 277-286. https://doi.org/10.2112/SI78-019.1

Progress 07/21/16 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Watershed associations, environmental protection agencies and non-governmental organizations interested in the implicatiosn of land use change Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Trained undergraduate and post-doctoral associates on how to process and analysze land cover change data sets. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Raritan Basin results were presented at a public forum on November 9 and to the basin's watershed assocations on November 21, 2016. Both meetings were held on Rutgers University campus. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Further assess more recent land cover changes (as of 2015) to address questions related to: Short term post SuperStorm Sandy-related damage and rebuilding; Development/redevelopment during the tail end of the Great Recession

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We undertook an analysis of land use/land cover change in the Barnegat Bay watershed for the period 1986-1995-2002-2007-2012-2015. This was undertaken using the NJ Department of Environmental Protection New Jersey Land Use/Land Cover Change (NJLULCC). This data set represents a detailed mapping of the land use and land cover as depicted in high resolution aerial photography that was acquired in the spring of 2012. The imagery was then classified and mapped providing a window into how the Garden State has developed over the past several decades (from 1986 through 2012) and the subsequent consequences to its land base. To update the land use change to 2015, visual interpretation and heads-up digitizing of March 2015 digitial orthophotography was undertaken for the Barnegat Bay watershed. The land use change trends were analyzed and the results incorporated into the State of the Barnegat Bay Report 2016. Several key indicators were also examined (e.g., Upland Forest, Wetlands and Prime Agricultural land conversion) were analyzed.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Contribution to the State of the Barnegat Bay Report 2016 http://bbp.ocean.edu/PDFFiles/SOTB%202016