Land use/ land cover change in Orange County, North Carolina from 1955 to 2001

Land use/land cover change (LULCC) has significant implications in terrestrial ecosystem goods and services. Current studies on LULCC are primarily based on space-borne satellite images. These studies are limited by the data availability. In this study, I extend the land-use land cover change analysis back to 1955 for Orange County, North Carolina based on historical aerial photos. I also analyzed the spatial configuration of the landscapes based on pattern matrix analysis and geospatial analysis. Results show that the urban area increased from 11.31 km2 to 128.15 km 2 from; the agricultural area decreased from 335.53 km2 to 259.81 km2; the forest area decreased from 676.95 km 2 to 632.45 km2. The LULCC change is associated with land configuration and composition changes. Pattern metrics analysis shows that in 2001, Orange County has more scattered land use patches and smaller patch sizes than in 1955 and 1975. Semi-vairograms generated for conifer and hardwoods are changing both in shape and the key characteristic parameters with time. These results can provide essential information for land management and planning to achieve sustainable development of Orange County in the future.