Hutterite colonies and canopy cover: A remotely sensed analysis of the effects of cultural-religious beliefs on the treed landscape

Located across the extent of the Canadian Prairies, the Hutterisch-speaking Hutterites are comprised of four groups or kinships: the Lehrerleut, Dariusleut, Schmiedeleut-1, and Schmiedeleut-2. Previous case studies with limited sample sizes have highlighted how the use of trees across the landscaped communities, including for aesthetic and agroforestry objectives, differs between the four kinships. Using photo-interpretive analysis of stratified samples using remotely sensed imagery, this study examines canopy cover and the spatial distribution and composition of trees within 100 Hutterite colonies in Canada, testing the conclusions of the prior limited-sample size case studies. The results illustrate that canopy cover around built infrastructure and aesthetic use of trees significantly differs between kinships and that a higher canopy cover is more common amongst the Schmiedeleut colonies, consistent with prior studies. The canopy cover extent also differed significantly between different ecological areas; however, this correlation is confounded by the historical immigration patterns and distinct economic ventures of the kinships. The canopy cover extent can also be traced back through the parental linkages, which shows significant differences between parental origins. This research helps add to discourse surrounding the influence of ethnocultural values on landscaping preferences at a large scale and provides both quantitative and qualitative remotely sensed methods for socio-ecological studies with the potential to complement ethnographic interviews and surveys.