Landscapes are shaped by complex relationships between human population, so
cial structure, and environmental conditions. Traditionally, these factors
have been studied separately within their respective disciplines. Few studi
es explore the relationship between indicators of social structure and ecol
ogical factors. Our objective was to examine the relationship between housi
ng density, as recorded in the U.S. Census data, and a satellite land-cover
classification in the northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens region. We used a g
eographical information system (GIS) to integrate these two data sets. Our
results revealed strong patterns. For example, housing densities were highe
r where water is more abundant, a possible case where land cover influences
housing density. In other cases, housing density appears to influence land
cover. These complex relationships are discussed. Our approach represents
an initial methodology to integrate social and ecological data, a task need
ed to improve our understanding of rural societies and to facilitate broad-
scale ecosystem management.