The northeastern United States experienced extensive deforestation during the seventeenth through twentieth centuries primarily for European agriculture, which peaked in the mid-nineteenth century, and followed by widespread farmstead abandonment and reforestation. Analysis of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data has revealed thousands of historical land-use features with topographic signatures across the landscape under the region’s now-dense forest canopy. This study investigates two different types of features—stone walls and relict charcoal hearths—both of which are associated with widespread deforestation in the region. Our results demonstrate that LiDAR is an effective tool in reconstructing and quantifying the distribution and magnitude of historical forest cover using these relict land use features as a reliable proxy. Furthermore, these methods allow for direct quantification of cumulative land clearing over time in each town, in addition to the extent, intensity, and spatial distribution of cleared land and forest cover.

美国东北部在 17 世纪到 20 世纪期间经历了大规模的森林砍伐，主要是为了欧洲农业，在 19 世纪中叶达到顶峰，随后是广泛的农田废弃和重新造林。对机载光探测和测距 (LiDAR) 数据的分析揭示了该地区现在密集的森林冠层下的数千个历史土地利用特征以及地形特征。这项研究调查了两种不同类型的特征——石墙和废弃的木炭炉——这两者都与该地区广泛的森林砍伐有关。我们的结果表明，LiDAR 是一种有效的工具，可以使用这些残余土地利用特征作为可靠的代理来重建和量化历史森林覆盖的分布和大小。