THE HISTORIC LAND USE INITIATIVE (HILI): MAPPING AND INVESTIGATING THE EXTENT AND LEGACY OF 300+ YEARS OF LAND USE CHANGES IN THE NORTHEAST US FOLLOWING EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT

The Historic Land Use Initiative (HILI) at UConn is a platform of mapping and scientific investigation into the extent and legacy of 300+ years of land use changes in the northeast US following European settlement. Ongoing work utilizing high-resolution, publicly available LiDAR point clouds and derivative Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) addresses the patterns, magnitudes, physical, and geologic controls of 17^th-early 20^th century land use features such as stone walls and relict charcoal hearths. From the historical archaeology perspective, this research allows for the development and distribution of archaeologically sensitive datasets for preservation and future analysis. From mapping and documenting alone, new contributions can be made to geographic and anthropological theory that address specific questions regarding how individuals divide the landscape, how they shape land use history and the environment in a region, and how the physical landscape (geology, topography, slope, etc.) influences the magnitude, style and patterns of land-use. From a geomorphological perspective, this research provides a unique opportunity to quantify humans’ role as geomorphic agents and the drastic changes wrought upon a de-glaciated landscape, and study the direct soil impacts, erosional consequences (gullies), and mobilization of sediment into main waterways (legacy sediment). Research emphasis on hillslope modification (i.e., quantifying human imprint, material moved, and erosional gullies) provides a novel complement to the geomorphology community focused on legacy sediment in fluvial networks, river restoration, and the upland sources of flood sediment loads in landscapes with significant historical human impacts.