Geographic Information System (GIS) software has been in use by foresters for several years, but its usefulness is limited by the availability of low-cost geo-referenced and rectified images. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are now reaching a level of affordability and accuracy such that their use in the field is more common. Their usefulness is, however, still limited by the availability of geo-referenced, current images.

The integration of GIS and GPS in the field of forest management will allow insights into research and management decision making that haven’t been imagined as yet. Think of the opportunities: timely data obtained affordably that is accurate to within a meter, available from the most remote locations imaginable.

GPS, GIS, and digital aerial imaging could be combined to study effects of tree canopy and disturbance factors on understory plant species. Using GPS, the locations of plots are mapped. Location data is transferred to an aerial image using GIS software. When the forest canopy is altered by a disturbance factor such as timber harvesting, wind, or fire (which affects tree survival), sample plots are located via GPS in minutes instead of hours. A digital image overflight can provide an aerial photo base update allowing an assessment of the potential impact on the plant community and predicted future conditions. Relationships between size of canopy gap and change in understory species dynamics can be measured and assessed.

With today’s tight budgets and increasing time demands, consider using technology to your advantage. GPS technology integrated with digital aerial imaging, desktop mapping software, and pre-existing data sets can assist in resource management and decision making.

The knowledgeable technical staff at GPS Innovations is ready to introduce you to the technology, advise you on an application program, and show you how to collect data in new and economical ways.

Think of the Possibilities

What if you could have digital image data affordably and when it was needed - not in 3 to 4 months?

What if the image was geo-referenced so field staff could find a critical location quickly and accurately?

What if field locations could be transferred quickly and accurately to aerial images that were less than a week old?

Imagine the results that might be produced for those time critical decisions.

Applications

There are many ways to use digital aerial imaging in forest management. A few ideas are listed below.

Forest Ecology and Management

• Monitor wildlife populations and habitats
• Map cover types and ecological patterns
• Monitor ecosystem change
• Perform tree species inventories
• Make canopy coverage measurements
• Model successional patterns
• Perform natural resource inventories and monitoring
• Perform land suitability analyses and create land management guides
• Assist in community-based planning and stewardship
• Use in forest protection and policy development

Timber Harvesting, Production, and Research

• Optimize harvest site access road placement
• Monitor and model growth and yield of stands
• Plan and schedule harvesting
• Examine alternative mitigation strategies
• Compare different harvesting systems
• Monitor insect infestations and tree stress
• Create stand value estimates
• Model forest stand structure
• Estimate forest stand volume

Recreation Planning

• Optimize road and trail placement
• Monitor visitor use and impact to describe patterns and user characteristics
• Examine spatial association links between campsites and distribution of problem species (e.g., spotted knapweed)

Disturbance Impacts

• Assess wind, fire, and storm damage
• Map insect, exotic species, and disease spread
• Determine areas of water stress (e.g., using the NDVI index)
• Determine changes due to urban impacts (such as pollution, construction activities, the release of wastewater)
• Monitor rates of regeneration
• Compare species composition and structure of areas with different disturbance histories