Objectives & Approach

The overall objective of this project is to integrate satellite remote sensing into forest inventory and management in Minnesota at all levels - local, state, federal, corporate, private . The specific objectives are to:

1. Improve the categorical resolution and accuracy of forest cover type and condition mapping and change detection.
2. Extend field data to landscapes and estimate forest variables using satellite data.
3. Develop targeted imagery product solutions for field forestry applications.

Objectives 1 and 2 are largely directed at supporting and improving forest inventory, while objective 3 is focused on forest management applications by county, state, and federal agencies (click on links for description of each problem area and justification, the data and methodology, and the performance metrics for each objective).

The above objectives span the range of strategic inventory to field level management tasks. To accomplish them we will work closely with the Minnesota DNR, USDA Forest Service North Central Research Station and Rocky Mountain Research Station, Cass and St. Louis County Land Departments, Boise Cascade Corp., Potlatch Corp., and Pro-West, Inc. Letters of support from each are included in Appendix A. The Forest Service and DNR are responsible for forest inventory in the state, while Boise Cascade and Potlatch are the two largest forest products companies in Minnesota. Cass and St. Louis Counties manage 1.1 million acres of county-owned forest lands. Pro-West, Inc. supplies remote sensing and GIS data and services to local governments and private land managers.