Written by Erica Simek Sloniker (GIS & Visual Communications) & Ryan Haugo (Senior Forest Ecologist)
Data showing global forest change is providing a glimpse into local stories about Pacific Northwest forests. The University of Maryland, Google and other partners are using satellite data to analyze all types of forest loss, including harvest, fire and tree deaths due to insect outbreaks, in addition to also tracking forest gain. The Landsat satellite system that captures this data is capable of delivering global coverage every 8 days, giving incredible insight into how forest change is monitored globally and locally. Data was collected between 2000 and 2013. Scroll below to see four local case studies.
Data Sources: InciWeb, FAMWEB, βOkanogan Complex Wildfire now Biggest in State Historyβ Seattle Times β August 25, 2015