Remote Sensing in Forest Health Protection
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United States Department Remote Sensing in Of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Health Protection Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Remote Sensing Applications Center FHTET Report No. 00-03 August 2000 August 2000 REMOTE SENSING IN FOREST HEALTH PROTECTION by William M. Ciesla Forest Protection Specialist Prepared for: USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center Salt Lake City, UT and Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Fort Collins, CO ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many colleagues, friends and associates contributed to this manual by providing information, photographs, ideas, and support. They include the following persons associated with USDA Forest Service: Andy Mason, Jim Ellenwood, Richard J. Myhre (retired), William B. White (retired), and Sally Scrivner of the Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team (FHTET), Fort Collins, Colorado; Tom Bobbe, Paul Greenfield and Jule Caylor, Remote Sensing Applications Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Tim McConnell, Northern Region, Missoula, Montana; Dave Johnson, Rocky Mountain Region, Denver, Colorado; K. Andrew Knapp, Intermountain Region, Boise, Idaho; and William R. Frament, Northeastern Area, Durham, New Hampshire. In addition, Ronald J. Billings, Texas Forest Service, Lufkin, Texas, Peter J. Murtha, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Paul Maus and Paul Ishikawa, Red Castle Resources, Inc, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Ray D. Spencer, Bureau of Resource Sciences, Kingston ACT, Australia, provided information and support to the preparation of this manual. Review comments from USDA Forest Service personnel were provided by Melvin J. Weiss, Forest Health Protection, Washington, D.C.; Charles W. Dull, National Remote Sensing Program Manager, Washington D.C.; Jim Ellenwood, FHTET, Fort Collins, Colorado, K. Andrew Knapp, Intermountain Region, Boise, Idaho, and W. R. Frament, Northeastern Area, Durham, New Hampshire. External reviews were provided by Roger Hoffer, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Peter J. Murtha, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada. Final editing and formatting were done by Mark Riffe, INTECS International, final proofreading by Sally Scrivner, USDA Forest Service, FHTET, and production assistance by Debbie Dickey, INTECS International. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 1.1 REMOTE SENSING DEFINED .............................................................................2 1.2 WHY IS REMOTE SENSING OF INTEREST IN FOREST HEALTH PROTECTION? ......................................................................2 1.3. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF THIS PUBLICATION .......................................3 2. SOME BASICS OF REMOTE SENSING ......................................................................5 2.1. THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM............................................................5 2.2. COLOR....................................................................................................................6 2.3. SPECTRAL SIGNATURES....................................................................................7 2.4. ANALOG VERSUS DIGITAL DATA ...................................................................8 2.5. PASSIVE AND ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS..................................8 2.6. RESOLUTION ........................................................................................................8 2.6.1. Spatial Resolution........................................................................................9 2.6.2. Temporal Resolution....................................................................................9 2.6.3. Spectral Range and Resolution....................................................................9 2.6.4. Radiometric Resolution...............................................................................9 2.6.5. Is There an Ideal Sensor?...........................................................................10 2.7. RELATED OR SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGIES..............................................10 2.7.1. Navigation Aids.........................................................................................10 2.7.2. Geographic Information Systems ..............................................................11 3. SIGNATURES..................................................................................................................13 3.1. WHAT IS A SIGNATURE?..................................................................................13 3.2. VEGETATION TYPES AND TREE SPECIES....................................................15 3.2.1. Crown Characteristics................................................................................15 3.2.2. Ancillary Information ................................................................................16 3.2.3. Sources of Error .........................................................................................16 3.2.4. Stand Characteristics..................................................................................20 3.3. FOREST DAMAGE..............................................................................................21 3.3.1. The Nature of Forest Damage....................................................................21 3.3.2. Tree Mortality............................................................................................22 3.3.3. Foliar Injury...............................................................................................32 3.3.4. Diebacks and Declines...............................................................................36 3.3.5. Climatic Events..........................................................................................37 3.3.6. Parasitic Plants...........................................................................................39 3.4. NOXIOUS WEEDS...............................................................................................41 iii Signatures __________________________________________ Remote Sensing for Forest Health Protection 4. MISSION PLANNING, DATA COLLECTION AND ACCURACY ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................................45 4.1. MISSION PLANNING..........................................................................................45 4.1.1. Objectives and Data Requirements............................................................45 4.1.2. Biowindows ...............................................................................................47 4.1.3. Weather Considerations.............................................................................47 4.1.4. Classification Standards.............................................................................48 4.1.5. Area Coverage...........................................................................................50 4.2. DATA COLLECTION..........................................................................................54 4.2.1. Observation or Image Interpretation..........................................................54 4.2.2. Image Processing.......................................................................................54 4.2.3. Change Detection.......................................................................................57 4.2.4. Image Analysis Software ...........................................................................58 4.3. ACCURACY ASSESSMENT...............................................................................59 4.3.1. Types of Errors in Remote Sensing ...........................................................59 4.3.2. The Error Matrix........................................................................................59 4.3.3. The Kappa Statistic....................................................................................62 4.3.4. The Kappa Analysis...................................................................................63 5. AERIAL SKETCHMAPPING .......................................................................................65 5.1. OVERVIEW ..........................................................................................................65 5.2. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.............................................................................65 5.3. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ...................................................................66 5.4. USES OF AERIAL SKETCHMAP DATA...........................................................67 5.4.1. Current Status of Major Pests ....................................................................67 5.4.2. Historical Records of Pest Occurrence ......................................................67 5.4.3. Planning and Evaluation of Suppression Projects .....................................67 5.5. SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS OF AERIAL OBSERVERS ........................68 5.6. EQUIPMENT ........................................................................................................69 5.6.1. Aircraft.......................................................................................................69 5.6.2. Maps...........................................................................................................72 5.6.3. Other Equipment........................................................................................72 5.7. PLANNING AND EXECUTING AERIAL SKETCHMAP SURVEYS..............75 5.7.1. Observation Limits