Indicators of wildness: using attributes of the land to assess the context of wilderness

Abstract

Land can be described in a space defined by two fundamental qualities: naturalness and freedom. The axis of naturalness describes the wholeness of the ecosystem relative to a historical norm, while the axis of freedom describes the degree to which land remains outside of human control. Some land can be natural but not free, and vice versa, but the most natural and free are the most wild — they are the lands we recognize as wilderness. These concepts are illustrated through the mapping of indicators of wildness, derived from readily available data in a Geographic Information System.

Parent Publication

• Wilderness science in a time of change conference-Volume 2: Wilderness within the context of larger systems; 1999 May 23-27; Missoula, MT

Citation

Aplet, Gregory; Thomson, Janice; Wilbert, Mark. 2000. Indicators of wildness: using attributes of the land to assess the context of wilderness. In: McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N.; Borrie, William T.; O’Loughlin, Jennifer, comps. 2000. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 2: Wilderness within the context of larger systems; 1999 May 23–27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-2. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 89-98