Identifying Cultural Landscapes in Wilderness Areas on the Francis Marion National Forest

Summary

Wilderness is often interpreted to mean areas of pristine nature lacking evidence of human activity. But how realistic is this view given the length of human occupation where many endeavored to mold the landscape to suit their needs? The Francis Marion National Forest is positioned at the northern end of the Sea Islands Coastal Region of the South Atlantic Slope and contains four designated wilderness areas. Given the size and condition of the two largest wilderness areas the Forest Service employed remote sensing techniques to quickly identify cultural landscapes within areas. The most expeditious technique was to use of the forest’s hillshade images derived from digital elevation models. This provides a visual scene of what the bare earth looks like. Grayscale and color ramps are used to display the hillshaded elevation model revealing extensive landscape modification within the wilderness areas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22480