Using LiDAR for Forest Inventory and Analysis
Dr. Doug Morton, Physical Scientist, NASA

 Thursday, August 30 th

Report

On Thursday, August 30th, Dr. Doug Morton, from NASA’s Biospheric Sciences Laboratory was the featured speaker at NCSAF’s august meeting. After a short business meeting, Doug discussed NASA’s efforts to expand the use of LiDAR, which is now being used around the world to relatively inexpensively provide initial information regarding forest composition.

The commercially available attachments that NASA is using on its small airplanes record tree heights, topography, species information, crown widths and structure and the sublayers within the canopy. This technology has been recently pi-loted in Interior Alaska, and provides a cost-effective alternative for sampling the last re-maining portion of the US for which we have no vegetation data. Doug also talked briefly about his work using this technology in protected areas

in Brazil and Africa. In particular, he discussed one park's use of routine fly-overs to detect illegal logging, as skid trails are detectable by LiDAR. Most of the discussion centered on FS' ability to adopt this technology to reduce costs and expand its Forest Inventory & Analysis program.

Announcement

On Thursday, August 30 th, NCSAF will host a luncheon with Dr. Doug Morton, from NASA’s Biospheric Sciences Laboratory. Doug will be discussing NASA’s efforts to expand the use of LiDAR data for forest inventories world-wide.  Doug will discuss the new results of his joint project with the Forest Service using LiDAR to accomplish forest inventories in interior Alaska, and similarities with other projects in Brazil and flights over the continental US and Mexico.

Location: American Forest Foundation , Suite 780 (7 th Fl.),1111 19 th St. NW, DC (near the Farragut North and Farragut West Metro Stations)

Time: Come start eating at 11:30, and NCSAF business starts at 11:45.

Doug’s presentation will be from 12:00-1:00 pm.

Why: Light refreshments provided. Lunch is free, and no RSVPs are required.

If you have any questions, please contact Bryan Petit, Program Chair, at 202.720.7252.