Landsat’s Role in Managing Forests
People and economies around the world rely on forests for timber, carbon storage, flood control, biological diversity, recreation, and more. Forest managers face many challenges. In the last few years, forest fires have become more intense and more frequent; North American forests have experienced widespread infestations by pests such as the pine bark beetle; and tropical deforestation continues. Our changing climate adds complexity to government and commercial decisions about how to manage, protect, and sustain our forest resources. Landsat satellites provide key data for forest monitoring and management across the globe. Landsat gives us consistent views of the health, composition, and extent of forest ecosystems as they change over time. Curtis Woodcock, Professor, Boston University and specialist in remote sensing, has said, “I would argue that the Landsat data archive may be the most valuable environmental data record we have.” Designed, built, and launched by NASA, Landsat satellites have recorded global forest conditions every year since the 1970’s, and they have observed all U.S. forests once a season throughout those years. The U.S. Geological Survey provides this valuable data to the public at no cost. Landsat observations will continue into the future with Landsat 8.
Assessing the Impact of Hurricanes on Puerto Rico’s Forests
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have produced a rapid mapping of the disturbance intensity across Puerto Rico’s forests with the help of Google Earth Engine and Landsat 8.
USGS Video: Landsat in Action—Forestry Research with Warren Cohen
Warren Cohen from the USDA Forest Service talks about the value of Landsat’s long history of observations in monitoring and assessing forests.
USGS Video: Landsat in Action—Monitoring Canada's Forest with Mike Wulder
In this USGS Landsat in Action video Mike Wulder of Canada’s Forest Service talks about the value Landsat images have for mapping and monitoring Canada’s forested areas.
Satellite-based Program to More Accurately Identify Land Cover
A new program uses Landsat satellite data to automatically categorize what’s on the ground more accurately than other land cover products.
USGS Video: Landsat in Action—Changing Forest Phenology with Andrew Elmore
Elmore delves into the changing phenology of forests and how that impacts the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere.
Tracking Forest Change in Canada
Researchers used a time series of data from Landsat satellites to quantify areas burned or harvested across Canada.