Cool Geo-Pic - Insect Damage in British Columbia Forests

Cool Geo-Pic: Insect Damage in British Columbia Forests

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory, this is a neat use of imagery to monitor environmental stress.

Cut & Paste Details:

download large image acquired June 26, 2006 - July 11, 2006 (7 MB, PNG).

" ... Beginning in the 1990s, British Columbia’s forests were increasingly plagued by a population explosion of mountain pine beetles. This beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, destroyed large tracts of forest in the province.

Such widespread forest loss affects more than just the scenery. Forests have economic value, and they provide habitat and food for wildlife. In addition, they play an important role in Earth’s carbon cycle, which affects climate. Healthy, growing forests take up carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Dead forests produce carbon dioxide when trees decay. Being able to map the location and severity of pine beetle and other insect infestations is a crucial task for forest managers and biologists. ... "

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References:

Kurz, W. A., Dymond, C.C,. Stinson, G., Rampley, G. J., Neilson, E. T., Carroll, A. L., Ebata, T., Safranyik, L. (2008). Mountain pine beetle and forest carbon feedback to climate change. Nature, 452, 987-990. doi: 10.1038/nature06777.

Leatherman, D.A., Aguayo, I., Mehall, T.M. (2008). Beetle Information. Colorado State University. Accessed December 15, 2008.

Ministry of Forests and Range - Province of British Columbia. Mountain Pine Beetle. Accessed December 15, 2008.

Ranson, K.J. Montesano, P.M. (2008, December 16). Application of MODIS for general survey of forest insect disturbance in British Columbia and Siberia. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.

NASA map by Robert Simmon, based on data from Paul Montesano, Jon Ranson, and the MODIS land team. Caption by Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey.
Instrument:
Terra - MODIS