This study documents a management history for two forested sites at Fort Leavenworth military reservation in Leavenworth County of northeastern Kansas. Additionally, we monitor forest cover change in the study area through the application of a single-band, multi-date satellite image analysis method. We use existing land use records and information from key informants to reconstruct a history of forest use. Our examination reveals that while the past witnessed significant timber felling from these forests, more recent ‘benign neglect’ management approaches have contributed to a resurgence in the growth of woody species. To monitor more recent trends in forest cover change, we successfully employ a multi-date image analysis method using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data from 1987, 1992 and 1997. Furthermore, a cursory comparison between this technique and routine land use classifications reveals significantly more information on the direction of change and vegetation health from the multi-date method.