Forest ThreatNet
Virtual Training Expands Toolbox for Landscape-Scale Insight
Sustaining the benefits of forests for present and future generations requires consideration of the big picture. But first, decision makers need to use the right tools in order to see the big picture. “The Forest Service is realizing and embracing landscape-scale insight for planning, monitoring, and restoration,” says Renee Jacokes-Mancini, a Remote Sensing Coordinator for the Forest Service Southern Region. To help Southern Region personnel gain this insight, she recently worked with the Forest Service Geospatial Technology and Applications Center and Eastern Threat Center ecologist Lars Pomara to organize a virtual training session on remote sensing tools. Among the presenters were Center biological scientist Bill Christie, who provided an overview of the ForWarn monitoring and assessment system; ecologist Bjorn Brooks, who shared the Landscape Dynamics Assessment Tool (LanDAT); and research ecologist Kurt Riitters, who discussed landscape pattern analysis using GuidosToolbox software. The training was part of an ongoing series focused on landscape restoration. “Remote sensing data, tools, and information will provide unique opportunities and play an essential role for the Forest Service’s capacity to reach its restoration goals,” says Jacokes-Mancini.
For more information, contact Renee Jacokes-Mancini at rjacokes@fs.fed.us.
Pictured: A map from the LanDAT viewer shows increasing seasonality (deciduousness) of some Southern Appalachian forests that appears to be driven in part by hemlock decline. LanDAT maps are developed from satellite imagery, a form of remote sensing.
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