The GIS and Spatial Analysis program's core mission is to support Forest Health Protection (FHP) field units and the Washington Office in the use and application of geographic information systems (GIS) and other spatial analysis technologies for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating spatial information related to the health of the nation's forests. The program supports and maintains national spatial databases for annual insect and disease aerial detection surveys and risk maps related to forest health all of which provide data for upward reporting of forest health conditions to our cooperators and stakeholders. FHTET maintains a GIS laboratory that provides training and technical assistance to field personnel, develops new technology and applications for the collection and dissemination of spatial data, and produces spatial data products.

The GIS and Spatial Analysis program provides leadership in the development and implementation of spatial data standards for Forest Health Protection. This is accomplished by working with FHP Regions/Area and Field Office personnel, and through participation on the Geospatial Advisory Committee (GAC), to ensure that forest health data is compatible with national standards and is available for upward reporting to regional and national levels. In addition, FHTET acts as the Deputy Area Data Administrator for State and Private Forestry.

• Insect and Disease Detection Survey Maps
• National Insect & Disease Risk Maps
• Southern Pine Beetle Hazard Maps

In collaboration with the FHTET Information Systems program and the USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) activities related to aerial detection surveys are coordinated. Conducting such surveys is an efficient method of collecting and reporting data on forest insects, disease, and other disturbances. Aerial sketch mapping is the primary data collection method, although data may also be collected by ground crews and other means. Data are generally collected by aerial observers from the Forest Service and other cooperating State and Federal agencies. Areas of damage are captured as polygons using hardcopy 1:100,000 scale maps or a Digital Aerial Sketchmapping System (D-ASM). The D-ASM uses a moving map display software (GeoLink), GPS, and touch screen technology to create a digital version of the data on-the-fly in the aircraft. Regardless of the method, it is important to note that sketchmapping is a valuable but subjective endeavor with inherent spatial and attribute inaccuracies.

Data collected during aerial surveys is standardized and assembled into a national spatial database that is housed at FHTET.  These data and other resources may be accessed here:

• Insect and Disease Detection Survey Map (Product)
• FHTET Geoportal
• Insect and Disease Detection Survey Maps
  • 2004 (3.68 MB PDF)
  • 2005 (2.33 MB PDF)
  • 2006 (1.74 MB PDF)
• ADS Standards and Guidelines
• Technology Development to Support Aerial Survey
• Aviation Safety (Website)
  
• D-ASM Tutorial (Website)
• Forest Insect and Disease Conditions in the United States
  • 1999 (827 KB PDF)
  • 2000 (869 KB PDF)
  • 2001 (908 KB PDF)
  • 2002 (2.5 MB PDF)
  • 2003 (1.5 MB PDF)
  • 2004 (2 MB PDF)
  • 2005 (2.25 MB PDF)
  • 2006 (1.7 MB PDF)

In addition to maintaining a national ADS spatial database, the GIS and Spatial Analysis program frequently develops or sponsors the construction of datasets that aid FHP Regions and Field Office personnel in conducting assessments of forest health.  Examples of these data include the production of GIS layers depicting forest attributes, such as basal area (BA) (done in collaboration with FHTET’s Remote Sensing and Image Analysis program), and the development of a national soil drainage index for determining the relative amount of water available to plants. Some of these data may be accessed here:

• Access the National Soil Drainage Index Map (2.88 MB PDF)
• Drainage Index Calculation (Website)
• Poster Presented at Advances in Threat Assessment and Their Application to Forest and Rangeland Management July 18-20, 2006, Boulder Colorado: A National Soil Drainage Index Map as a Tool for Forest Insect and Disease Risk Assessments (560 KB PDF)

The GIS and Spatial Analysis program at FHTET provides support for both tactical and strategic forest health risk assessments. In addition, this program coordinates, in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Monitoring program (FHM), the development of a National Insect and Disease Risk Map (NIDRM) and database.

The Primary of NIDRM is to provide Congress, USDA officials, and federal and state land managers with a periodic strategic assessment of risk of tree mortality due to major insects and diseases. NIDRM is more than “just a map”, it represents a compendium of about 190 individual risk models, all constructed within a common GIS-based multi-criteria framework that can account for regional variations in forest health concerns.

The multi-criteria framework, used by FHTET for the development of NIDRM and other risk assessments, provides a consistent, repeatable, transparent process.  This process enables interactive spatial and temporal risk assessments to be conducted at various levels to aid in decision making thus enhancing the utilization and maintenance of forest health risk maps within and outside the National Forest System.

In addition to NIDRM FHTET is currently engaged in several risk mapping efforts ranging in scope from the local to global level:

• Eight state high-resolution Southern Pine Beetle risk assessment done in collaboration with FHTET’s Insect and Pathogen Models, Remote Sensing and Image Analysis, and Quantitative Analysis programs.
• Deschutes National Forest mountain pine beetle risk assessment; proof of concept for local level risk assessments done in collaboration with local FHP staff.
• Estimating damage potential of exotic forest pests done in collaboration with, and led by, FHTET’s Invasive Species Information program.

Information about NIDRM and other risk mapping efforts may be obtained here:

• National Insect and Disease (NIDRM) Risk Maps (Products)
• NIDRM Placemat
  • 2006 (332 KB PDF)
• Mapping Risk From Forest Insects and Diseases
  • 2002 (14.6 MB PDF)

With the growing need to conduct complex spatial analysis and manage large datasets, the GIS and Spatial Analysis program has begun to develop applications to aid in data management and analysis. Examples of applications developed by FHTET include:

• Digital Aerial Sketchmapping System: Customized version of GeoLink software that enables the collection of data during aerial detection surveys.
• GeoLink is developed by the Michael Baker Corporation.
• Aerial Detection Tools
• Risk Map Tools

• Forest Health Protection (FHP)
• Forest Health Monitoring (FHM)
• FSGeodata Clearinghouse
• Geospatial Service and Technology Center (GSTC)
• Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC)
• USDA Data Gateway
• USGS Seemless Data Download
• National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD)

Frank Krist

USDA Forest Service - FHTET
2150 Centre Ave., Bldg. A, Suite 331
Fort Collins, CO 80526-1891
Phone: (970) 295-5844
Fax: (970) 295-5815
Email: fkrist@fs.fed.us