Forest Health Monitoring
Presented By
Allison Kanoti
Notice
Much of the information from the following
was gleaned from fact sheets produced
by the forest service…More credits are
due than are given on individual slides
USDA FOREST SERVICE
Several Branches
–National Forest System
–State and Private Forestry
• Forest Health Protection
–Forest Health Monitoring
–Research and Development
• Forest Inventory and Analysis
FHP: Forest Health Monitoring
USDA Forest Service: State and Private Forestry:
FHP: FHM
• Detection Monitoring
• Evaluation Monitoring
• Intensive Site Monitoring
Detection Monitoring
Components
• Determine Baseline
• Detect Change
• Invasive Species Detection
Methods
• Remote Sensing
• Aerial Survey
• Ground Plots (FIA, Phase 3
Plots)
Evaluation Monitoring
Undesirable changes detected in Detection Monitoring:
EM Investigates:
Extent
Severity
Causes
Project Proposals (often from FHP state Cooperators)
Competition for funding in two categories (Base EM and
Fire EM)
e.g. State funding to investigate the impact of balsam
woolly adelgid on balsam fir stands in New England
Intensive Site Monitoring
• detailed research
– better understand complex ecosystem processes
• selected watershed study sites
– represent major forest ecosystems
• E.G. Delaware River Basin Study
– began in 1999
– Model for regional collaborative monitoring networks
– Cooperative
•
•
•
•
Forest Inventory and Analysis,
Forest Health Monitoring,
Global Change
U.S. Geological Survey (Water Resources Division).
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
Why is FIA important?
“Determining the ecological and biological significance of
our forest resources in an accurate and timely manner is
one of the most important pursuits in modern forestry. That
is the mission of the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory
and Analysis (FIA) Program. FIA is the most complete forest
census in America, providing the only continuous national
inventory that quantifies the status of forest ecosystems
across all private and most public forestland.
Because of its fundamental importance in measuring
sustainability, FIA is universally popular among professional
foresters, environmentalists, industry, private landowners,
and virtually any other group that has an interest in forest
management. . .” --Bob Goodlatte and James Garner, Journal of Forestry 12/99
Components of FIA
From: Forest inventory and Analysis
Sampling and Plot Design
Bill Burkman, 2005
Components of FIA
• 3 Components (Phases)
– Phase 1: Remote Sensing
• Classify land into Forest and Non-Forest
• Quantify fragmentation, urbanization and distance variables
– Phase 2: Forest Inventory Ground Plots
• 1 plot per 6,000 acres
• Forest (ecosystem variables) and non-forest (land use changes)
– Phase 3: Forest Health Ground Plots
• 1 per 16 Phase 2 plots (co-located with Phase 2 plots)
• 1 plot per 96,000 acres
• Forest health indicators (vegetation cover, crown, soil, lichen
diversity, down woody material, ozone damage)
Plot Design: Phase 2
• 4 subplots
– 24 foot radius (~1/6 acre area)
• Condition Data
– Site index
– Stand: Age, Size, Forest Type,
Disturbance, Stocking
– Land Use
–All trees >5” diameter
–Species
–History (what is condition now (live, natural mortality,
removal) in comparison to past condition)
–Diameter
–Heights
–Quality (cull, grading, merchantability)
–Crown: position, condition, ratio
Plot Design: Phase 2
• 1 microplot/subplot (6.8’ radius)
– All saplings 1”<DBH<5”
• Diameter, Height, Crown (position, ratio)
– Count of seedlings (tree species<1”)
• ME 3.7’ radius plot w/in microplot
– Count of shrub species
– Presence of dwarf shrubs and woody vines
– Used by IF&W
Plot Design: Phase 3
In addition to Phase 2
Variables:
– Tree
• Damages
• Additional Crown
Variables
–
–
–
–
Lichen Diversity
Vegetation Plot
Soil Sampling
Down Woody Debris
Summary of Forest Health in Maine:
1996-1999
The following data
are from:
Forest Health
Monitoring in Maine:
1996-1999. USDA
Forest Service. NENF-145-02
Crown Estimates
• Uncompacted live crown ratio:
– % of tree height supporting live
foliage
• Crown light exposure:
– % of foliage receiving full
sunlight
• Crown position:
– Crown position in relation to
overstory level of stand
• Crown density:
– amount of light blocked by
branches, reproductive
structures, and foliage
• Crown dieback:
– recent branch mortality
• Foliage transparency:
– amount of skylight visible
through the live, normally
foliated portion of the crown.
Mary Ann Fajvan, West Virginia
University, www.forestryimages.org
Maine 1996-1999
Crown density:
– amount of light blocked by branches, reproductive
structures, and foliage
• 91 percent of trees had high density ratings
(>30%)
• 9 % low
– 12% 241
– 15% 129
Crown dieback: recent branch mortality
• 81 % low, 3 % high (>20 %),16% moderate
(6-20%)
– 5 % of red maple high, 24% moderate
Some results from phase 3 plots:
Transparency
Maine 1996-1999
Foliage transparency: amount of skylight visible through the
live, normally foliated portion of the crown.
99 percent of trees had normal transparency
Summary Crown Conditions: Maine 19961999
Damages
• Location
– Roots and Stump
– Bole
• Lower
• Upper
–
–
–
–
Crownstem
Branches
Buds and Shoots
Foliage
• Thresholds and Severity
Ratings
• Types
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Canker, gall
Advanced Decay
Open wounds
Resinosis, gummosis
Cracks and seams
Broken bole or roots
Broken or dead top
Broken or dead branches
Vines
Brooms on roots, bole, crown
Damaged buds, foliage or shoots
Foliage discoloration
Other
Some results from phase 3 plots: Damage
81 percent of trees no damage
15 percent one damage
4 percent 2 or more damages
Other
9%
Open Wound
8%
Red Spruce
Broken
6 % damaged
Branch
21% seams/cracks
10%
Northern White Cedar
33% damaged (>75% decay)
Broken Top
Eastern White Pine
22%
14 percent damaged
44 percent dead or broken top
29 percent dead or broken branch
All Species
Damage
Percentages
Decay
51%
Summary: Maine 1996-1999
• Most trees are healthy:
– Full crowns
– Little dieback
– Little damage
Credit Where Due
The following slide images are pirated from:
Steinman, J. 2004. Forest Health
Monitoring in the Northeastern United
States: Disturbances and Conditions
during 1993-2002. USDA Forest
Service. NA-TP-01-04
Health of All Trees Combined
• Growth rates low in N. Me, S. teir PA, Central
MN (yellow thru red)
• Mortality a concern in many counties (yellow
thru red)
• Why low
growth/high
mortality?
• Unhealthy
Crowns:
– >25%
dieback
– >30%
transparency
– <35% density
• NY and NE
crowns less
healthy than
the region in
general
Health of Balsam Fir
• Low net growth reflects high mortality
Balsam Fir
Damages
Health of American Beech
American
Beech
Damages
Conclusion
Data collected by FIA and FHP are
important resources for assessing the
state of the nation’s forests and the
threats to forest health and analyzing long
term forest trends