A multi-sensor assessment of forest structure change following mountain pine beetle and fire
Abstract
Forest disturbances have significant impacts on forest structure and function but assessing structural changes over large spatial scales is challenging. Multi-temporal Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) datasets acquired before and after a disturbance, such as wildfire or insect outbreak, provide an avenue to quantify three-dimensional disturbance-induced changes in forest structure at the landscape spatial scale. In addition to LiDAR, fire radiative power (FRP) observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard NASA Terra and Aqua satellites have been used at landscape-to-global scales to quantitatively characterize fire activity and estimate biomass consumption via the temporal integration of FRP, fire radiative energy (FRE). In this study, airborne LiDAR acquired before and after the 2012 Pole Creek fire in Oregon, USA, was used to quantify forest structure changes. This fire provided a rare opportunity to assess the effects and interaction of multiple disturbances on forest structure as substantial mountain pine beetle (MPB)-induced tree mortality occurred during an outbreak several years prior to the fire. Changes in canopy height, density, and volume were assessed across fire and MPB-affected areas. These changes were compared with MODIS-derived FRE to explore the potential of using multi-sensor methodology for quantifying three-dimensional consumption patterns in forest canopies. Results highlight the potential for future space-borne assessments of forest structure change and canopy consumption to improve understanding of the magnitude and variability of forest disturbances.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.B11E2383S
- Keywords:
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- 0439 Ecosystems;
- structure and dynamics;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 0480 Remote sensing;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 1294 Instruments and techniques;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY