The premise behind this kind of econometric modeling is to take data concerning population density, agricultural costs, and/or land quality, and use it to model changes in the amount of forested land in a particular area.  In my model, I use GIS technology to determine the change in forested land over the 20 year period of 1970 to 1990 for 15 individual MN counties.  Then, using, as independent variables, historical data on change in agricultural revenues, agricultural costs, population density, and changes in cultivated and pastured land, I construct several models explaining the variability in the amount of forested land in northern MN in 1970, in 1990, and changes over the time period in question.  This work holds significance in that the models created, if robust, may be used to make predictions on how land use will change in the future in Minnesota forests, particularly what impact some land use or farm subsidization policies would have on forest cover in N. Minnesota. 

My research is divded into the typical segments of an economic research paper, each of which may be accessed through the links in the upper left corner.