Document Type

Project

Publication Date

2003

Abstract

The overall goal of the project was to test a methodology to accurately quantify the forest resources of East Texas based on the premise that the quantification and qualification of forest resources is crucial to: (1) managing the resources wisely by providing timely and accurate information; and (2) proper forest resource assessment is crucial to the economic development and sustainability of East Texas communities. Prior quantification and qualification of forest resources in East Texas have relied on measurements taken at field plots recorded either by the Texas Forest Service (TFS) or the United States Forest Service (USFS) via the Southern Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (SFIA). However, for field plot measurements to be effective with respect to time and cost, plots must be physically located with data collected and analyzed in a timely manner. Inaccessible or remote areas, required to validate sampling procedures, may prove difficult to measure. Satellite based remote sensing, which has the ability to acquire information about earth’s resources from a distance, can provide accurate information concerning forested resources in a more timely manner due to high temporal resolution and synoptic perspective. Satellite based remotely sensed data for natural resources, available since 1972, can provide a historical perspective of resources, as well as forest composition maps, forest age class assessments and biometric measurements in a timely and repetitive manner. Hence, this study was initiated to assess value of remote sensed (satellite) data for rapid assessment of important forest resource attributes.

Comments

Project Report, Arthur Temple College of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University

Additional Documents Included

Additional linked data:

http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/uploadedFiles/Sustainable/fia/Publications/Reports/East%20Texas%20Inventory-2012.pdf

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