Problem 1. Forest Health Monitoring Research

Tracking the health of forest ecosystems is a legal mandate essential to effective management. Distinguishing symptomatic changes in forest structure, composition, and productivity from natural variation is a challenge at scales ranging from individual stands to regional landscapes. The Forest Health Monitoring Program is a national collaborative effort involving State and Federal agencies to monitor long-term trends in forest conditions and productivity. Continued improvement is needed to overcome key scientific obstacles and to demonstrate technical advances for implementation. 

Problem 1a.  Key elements are needed to improve existing monitoring systems and to develop new sampling and survey designs, measurement techniques, and estimation procedures for forest survey and inventory. 

Problem 1b.  Protocols are needed to integrate data, models, and interpretation techniques to assess forest health and conduct risk assessments and analyses at multiple scales. 

Problem 1c.  Protocols are needed to utilize spatial analyses and principles of landscape ecology in forest health monitoring and assessment, including interactions between nature and society.

Problem 1d.  Protocols are needed to utilize data from long-term comprehensive monitoring of key ecosystem processes and components in forest health assessments. 

Problem 1e.  An automated system is needed for processing satellite imagery that detects disturbances in forested systems.