NCDC Tech | Forest Composition

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NCDC Imaging ->Services ->Urban Sustainability -> Forest Composition

Forest Composition Mapping

Whether you are designing a harvesting strategy or updating an existing forest management plan, NCDC can readily provide high resolution satellite imagery and mapping services that pertain directly to forest composition and health regardless of species. In many forested areas, the mapping of individual tree crowns is possible thereby permitting stem inventory and the measurement of crown density. In densely forested areas the entire crown canopy can be accurately delineated permitting the calculation of crown closure and the measurement of associated open space. The resultant data set can then be subclassified into deciduous and evergreen components. Further subclassification by individual species is also possible in some areas.

NCDC is also adept at identifying and mapping dead, dying, and diseased timber within a forested area, including insect, fire, and drought induced stress and mortality. Within living trees, it is also often possible to identify and map individual stems that are exhibiting declining health due to stress and other factors. Annual or biennial monitoring of the forest health can also be performed by using a change analysis to record the spatial expansion or decline of these adverse conditions.

These mapped data sets can then be draped (overlaid) onto a 3-dimensional Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in order to subdivide the data on the basis of percent slope and aspect. This 3-dimensional view can be valuable for identifying avoidance areas based on technical harvesting limitations, view-sheds, stream protection zones, archaeological sites, and critical wildlife protection areas. This in turn facilitates the 3-dimensional delineation of the forested areas into commercial, and non-commercial stands. By introducing river, stream, and road data sets into the 3-dimensional perspective, transportation planning can also be performed. Likewise, these same mapping techniques can be used during actual harvesting to monitor compliance, or for post-harvest applications associated with restoration and recovery.

For wildfire applications, NCDC can accurately identify and rapidly map burn perimeters across broad geographical areas. This perimeter mapping can also include the identification of living but fire-stressed trees located immediately adjacent to the visible carbon scar, thereby facilitating the development of accurate salvaging plans and erosion control/reseeding strategies.

Insect Red Attack & Timber Mortality Mapping

When equipped with an adequate QuickBird satellite image set, NCDC can often identify and map areas within the forest where beetles and other insects have attacked the trees, resulting in a high mortality.

With conifer trees, these infestations often result in rapid tree death with the needles turning a reddish brown color. This affect is also known as Red Attack. In many Red Attack areas individual trees can be mapped and inventoried. These Red Attack trees eventually drop their needles completely, leaving vast areas of gray colored dead stems that constitute an extreme wildfire hazard. By examining the spatial patterns of the gray and Red Attack zones, predictions can be made regarding the spread of the infestation. In certain situations, multispectral imagery analyses can then be used to identify Green Attack zones where live trees are infested and stressed, but not dead. These coordinated identifications can be invaluable for designing mitigation treatments.

The cost of performing these types of analyses is dependent on the availability of adequate satellite imagery, the type of forest that is being affected, elevation, and the spatial extent of the infestation. Please contact NCDC directly for a feasibility assessment and customized cost quote.

RELATED MATERIALS

Million Dollar Trees (presentation)

Place Your Urban Forest in the Spotlight (presentation)

Climate Change and the Urban Forest (pdf)

Mapping Urban Trees in Providence, Rhode Island (pdf)