INTRODUCTION
Information on forest disturbance and regrowth is essential for understanding North American carbon dynamics, and the future of the current “carbon sink”.
Moderate‐resolution (Landsat‐type) satellite data provide the only means of constructing spatially‐explicit, temporally‐detailed disturbance records. The primary science goal of the North American Forest Dynamics (NAFD) research is to develop a sound understanding of North American forest disturbance and regrowth to improve knowledge of the contemporary North American Carbon cycle. To this aim, NAFD researchers exploit the potentail for integrating observations form the historical records of Landsat (1972 - present) and the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to characterize recent trends in North American forest disturbance and regrowth.
Initial projects by this team have shown that the basic patterns of disturbance can be evaluated using change detection methods and that regrowth can be evaluated from inferences of forest structural change noted by spectral reflectance changes. Collaboration with the US Forest Service has provided important access to Forest Inventory and Analysis FIA data that permit direct comparison of the satellite-based spectral reflectance patterns with ground-based forest structural attributes. The work relies on the use of dense (annual or biennial) time series of Landsat time series stacks (LTSS), which may be analyzed at fine spatial scales (~60m‐100m), using time series methodologies and validation. A collaborative project, NAFD, depends on the work of many individuals, , institutions, and international partnerships and integrates with other NACP scientists .
This project is being funded by NASA's North American Carbon Program and the USDA Forest Service.