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North American Forest Disturbance and Regrowth since 1972: Empirical Assessment with Field Measurements and Satellite Remotely Sensed Observations
Project Funding: 2005 - 2010
NRA: 2004 NASA: Carbon Cycle Science
Funded by NASA, USDA
Abstract:In this study we are combining the USFS FIA and Landsat information sources to characterize recent trends in North American forest disturbance and regrowth. Initial projects by this team have shown that the basic patterns of disturbance can be evaluated using change detection methods and that regrowth can be evaluated from inferences of forest structural change noted by spectral reflectance changes. Collaboration with the US Forest Service has provided important access to Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data that permit direct comparison of the satellite-based spectral reflectance patterns with ground-based forest structural attributes. Finally, our capacity to process large volumes of Landsat satellite data has been demonstrated by a series of recent projects (REALM, LEDAPS). We will employ a statistically robust sampling system to select ~25 Landsat WRS locations within the coterminous US to conduct comparative Landsat/FIA analysis of recent disturbance and regrowth patterns. In addition, we are collaborating with our Canadian colleagues as they pursue similar analyzes in their country. Combined, these analyzes will provide a continental-scale assessment of North American forest dynamics from 1972 to present. A dense biennial time-series of Landsat imagery 1972-2005) are being assembled for each selected location. From these data the spatio-temporal trends in disturbance and regrowth, as will as their relation to “driving” variables (climate, management regime, etc) will be extracted. The combination Landsat-observed temporal spectral trajectories canopy reflectance modeling, , and plot-level FIA data, will be used to evaluate the diversity in regrowth dynamics that occur on this continent
Publications:
Cohen, W. B., S. P. Healey, S. N. Goward, G. G. Moisen, J. G. Masek, R. E. Kennedy, S. L. Powell, C. Huang, N. Thomas, K. Schleeweis, and M.A. Wulder. 2007. Use of Landsat-based monitoring of forest change to sample and assess the role of disturbance and regrowth in the carbon cycle at continental scales, pp.14-19, proceedings of the ForestSat 2007, Montpellier, France, 5-7 November.
Gitelson, A. A., Vina, A., Masek, J. G., Verma, S. B., Suyker, A. E. 2008. Synoptic Monitoring of Gross Primary Productivity of Maize Using Landsat Data. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters. 5(2), 133-137. DOI: 10.1109/LGRS.2008.915598
Goward, S.N., Masek, J.G., Cohen, W., Moisen, G., Collatz, G.J., Healey, S., Houghton, R., Huang, C., Kennedy, R., Law, B., Powell, S., Turner, D., & Wulder, M.A. (2008). 'Forest disturbance and North American carbon flux.' Eos Transactions, 89, 105-116.
Healey, S. P., W. B. Cohen, and G. G. Moisen. 2007. Applications of satellite-derived disturbance information in support of sustainable forest management, pp.158-162, proceedings of the ForestSat 2007, Montpellier, France, 5-7 November.
Healey, S., G. Moisen, J. Masek, W.B. Cohen, S.N. Goward, S. Powell, M. Nelson, D. Jacobs, A. Lister, & Shaw, J. (2008). Measurement of forest disturbance with Landsat and FIA data: Anticipated benefits from FIA's collaboration with NASA and University partners. In R. R.E McRoberts, G.A. Van Deusen, P.C., McWilliams, W.H. (Ed.), 7th Annual Forest Inventory and Analysis Symposium (pp. 171-178). Portland Maine: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Washington DC
Huang, C., Thomas, N., Goward, S. N., Masek, J. G., Zhu, Z., Townshend, J. R. G., Vogelmann, J. E. 2010. Automated masking of cloud and cloud shadow for forest change analysis using Landsat images. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 31(20), 5449-5464. DOI: 10.1080/01431160903369642
Huang, C., Song, K., Kim, S., Townshend, J. R., Davis, P., Masek, J. G., Goward, S. N. 2008. Use of a dark object concept and support vector machines to automate forest cover change analysis. Remote Sensing of Environment. 112(3), 970-985. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.07.023
Kennedy, R. E., Yang, Z., Cohen, W. B. 2010. Detecting trends in forest disturbance and recovery using yearly Landsat time series: 1. LandTrendr -- Temporal segmentation algorithms. Remote Sensing of Environment. 114(12), 2897-2910. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2010.07.008
Kennedy, R. E., Cohen, W. B., Schroeder, T. A. 2007. Trajectory-based change detection for automated characterization of forest disturbance dynamics. Remote Sensing of Environment. 110(3), 370-386. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.03.010
Masek, J. G., Collatz, G. J. 2006. Estimating forest carbon fluxes in a disturbed southeastern landscape: Integration of remote sensing, forest inventory, and biogeochemical modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research. 111(G1). DOI: 10.1029/2005JG000062
Masek, J. G., Vermote, E. F., Saleous, N. E., Wolfe, R., Hall, F. G., Huemmrich, K. F., Gao, F., Kutler, J., Lim, T. 2006. A Landsat Surface Reflectance Dataset for North America, 1990-2000. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters. 3(1), 68-72. DOI: 10.1109/LGRS.2005.857030
Masek, J.G., Wolfe, R., Hall, F., Goward, S.N., Huang, C., Cohen, W.B., Kennedy, R.E., Powell, S.L., Healey, S.P., & Moisen, G.G., 2007. Assessing North American Forest Disturbance from the Landsat Archive, IGARSS Proceedings, Barcelona, Spain.
Masek, J. G., Huang, C., Wolfe, R., Cohen, W., Hall, F., Kutler, J., Nelson, P. 2008. North American forest disturbance mapped from a decadal Landsat record. Remote Sensing of Environment. 112(6), 2914-2926. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2008.02.010
Nelson, M.D., G. G. Moisen, M. Finco, & Brewer., K. (2007). Forest Inventory and Analysis in the United States: Remote sensing and geospatial activities Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 73, 729-732
Powell, S. L., Cohen, W. B., Kennedy, R. E., Healey, S. P., Huang, C. 2013. Observation of Trends in Biomass Loss as a Result of Disturbance in the Conterminous U.S.: 1986-2004. Ecosystems. 17(1), 142-157. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-013-9713-9
Schroeder, T. A., Cohen, W. B., Yang, Z. 2007. Patterns of forest regrowth following clearcutting in western Oregon as determined from a Landsat time-series. Forest Ecology and Management. 243(2-3), 259-273. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2007.03.019
Wulder, M. A., White, J. C., Goward, S. N., Masek, J. G., Irons, J. R., Herold, M., Cohen, W. B., Loveland, T. R., Woodcock, C. E. 2008. Landsat continuity: Issues and opportunities for land cover monitoring. Remote Sensing of Environment. 112(3), 955-969. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.07.004
2013 NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team Meeting Poster(s)
2008 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Posters
More details may be found in the following project profile(s):