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Northern Research Station
11 Campus Blvd., Suite 200
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610) 557-4017
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Scientists & Staff

Mark D. Nelson

Title: Research Forester
Unit: Forest Inventory & Analysis
Previous Unit: Forest Inventory & Analysis
Address: Northern Research Station
1992 Folwell Ave
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 651-649-5104
E-mail: Contact Mark D. Nelson

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Education

University of Minnesota, Ph.D. Natural Resources Science and Management, 2005
University of Minnesota, M.S. Wildlife Conservation, 1992
Winona State University, B.A., Biology, 1982

Civic & Professional Affiliations

Memberships:

The Wildlife Society
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Journal referee:

Remote Sensing of Environment
International Journal of Remote Sensing
Landscape Ecology
Forest Science

Current Research

I conduct research to support the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. FIA is responsible for the inventory of United States forest land across all ownership categories. Within the Northern Research Station, FIA conducts inventories for 24 states of the Northeast, Midwest, and Upper Great Plains. I develop and assess geospatial approaches for making FIA estimates more precise, more efficient, more spatially explicit, and more relevant to a wider range of natural resources. My current research involves the use of forest inventory data, geospatial data, and satellite imagery for assessing and mapping forest cover/use, type, biomass, disturbance, and wildlife habitat. I serve as the lead analyst for Iowa's FIA reports.

Why is This Important

People increasingly are asking not only what forest resources are present, but where are they located and how are they arranged within the forest landscape. By integrating field inventory data with satellite remote sensing imagery and other geospatial datasets, we can improve our understanding of the spatial distribution and variability of forest resources. Geospatial information derived from this data integration provides for improved assessments of wildlife habitat for species that are dependent upon both vegetation structure and spatial pattern of forest patches.

Future Research

Improving our spatial understanding of forest resources.
Assessing forest wildlife habitat.
Mapping and analyzing forest disturbance.

Featured Publications

Ruefenacht, B.; Finco, M.V.; Nelson, M.D.; Czaplewski, R.; Helmer, E.H.; Blackard, J. A.; Holden, G.R.; Lister, A.J.; Salajanu, D.; Weyermann, D.; Winterberger, K. 2008. Conterminous U.S. and Alaska Forest Type Mapping Using Forest Inventory and Analysis Data. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing Vol. 74, No. 11, November 2008, pp. 1379-1388.
Nelson, Mark D.; Liknes, Greg C. 2007. Forest Land Ownership in the Conterminous United States [map]. In: Law, M., ed. 2007. ESRI Map Book. Vol. 22. ESRI Press: Redlands, CA.
Nelson, Mark; Moisen, Gretchen; Finco, Mark; Brewer, Ken. 2007. Forest inventory and analysis in the United States: remote sensing and geospatial activities. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing. July: 729-732.

Additional Online Publications

Woodall, C.W.; Oswalt, C.M.; Westfall, J.A.; Perry, C.H.; Nelson, M.D.; Finley, A.O. 2009. An indicator of tree migration in forests of the eastern United States
Moser, W. Keith; Hansen, Mark H.; Nelson, Mark D.; McWilliams, William H. 2009. Relationship of invasive groundcover plant presence to evidence of disturbance in the forests of the upper midwest of the United States. Chapter 3.
Moser, W. Keith; Hansen, Mark H.; Atchison, Robert L.; Brand, Gary J.; Butler, Brett J.; Crocker, Susan J.; Meneguzzo, Dacia M.; Nelson, Mark D.; Perry, Charles H.; Reading, William H. IV; Wilson, Barry T.; Woodall, Christopher W. 2008. Kansas forests 2005
Blackard, J. A.; Finco, M.V.; Helmer, E.H.; Holden, G.R.; Hoppus, M.L.; Jacobs, D.M.; Lister, A.J.; Moisen, G.G.; Nelson, M.D.; Riemann, R.; Ruefenacht, B.; Salajanu, D.; Weyermann, D.L.; Winterberger, K.C.; Brandeis, T.J.; Czaplewski, R.L.; McRoberts, R.E.; Patterson, P.L.; Tymcio, R.P. 2008. Mapping U.S. forest biomass using nationwide forest inventory data and moderate resolution information
Moser, W. Keith; Hansen, Mark H.; Nelson, Mark D. 2008. The extent of selected non-native invasive plants on Missouri forestland
Robles, Marcos D.; Flather, Curtis H.; Stein, Susan M.; Nelson, Mark D.; Cutko, Andrew. 2008. The geography of private forests that support at-risk species in the conterminous United States
Perry, Charles H. (Hobie); Everson, Vern A.; Brown, Ian K.; Cummings-Carlson, Jane; Dahir, Sally E.; Jepsen, Edward A.; Kovach, Joe; Labissoniere, Michael D.; Mace, Terry R.; Padley, Eunice A.; Rideout, Richard B.; Butler, Brett J.; Crocker, Susan J.; Liknes, Greg C.; Morin, Randall S.; Nelson, Mark D.; Wilson, Barry T. (Ty); Woodall, Christopher W. 2008. Wisconsin's forests, 2004
Moser, W. Keith; Hansen, Mark H.; Nelson, Mark D.; Crocker, Susan J.; Perry, Charles H.; Schulz, Bethany; Woodall, Christopher W. 2007. After the blowdown: a resource assessment of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, 1999-2003
Nelson, Mark D.; Moser, W. Keith. 2007. Integrating remote sensing and forest inventory data for assessing forest blowdown in the boundary waters canoe area wilderness
McRoberts, Ronald E.; Barbour, R. James; Gebert, Krista M.; Liknes, Greg C.; Nelson, Mark D.; Meneguzzo, Dacia M.; et al. 2006. Using basic geographic information systems functionality to support sustainable forest management decision making and post-decision assessments
McRoberts, Ronald E.; Holden, Geoffrey R.; Nelson, Mark D.; Liknes, Greg C.; Gormanson, Dale D. 2006. Using satellite imagery as ancillary data for increasing the precision of estimates for the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the USDA Forest Service
Holden, Geoffrey R.; Nelson, Mark D.; McRoberts, Ronald E. 2005. Accuracy Assessment of FIA's Nationwide Biomass Mapping Products: Results From the North Central FIA Region
McRoberts, Ronald E.; Liknes, Greg C.; Nelson, Mark D.; Gebert, Krista M.; Barbour, R. James; Odell, Susan L.; Yaddof, Steven C. 2005. Allocating Fire Mitigation Funds on the Basis of the Predicted Probabilities of Forest Wildfire
Nelson, Mark D.; McRoberts, Ronald E.; Liknes, Greg C.; Holden, Geoffrey R. 2005. Comparing Forest/Nonforest Classifications of Landsat TM Imagery for Stratifying FIA Estimates of Forest Land Area
Nelson, Mark D.; McRoberts, Ronald E.; Lessard, Veronica C. 2005. Comparison of U.S. Forest Land AreaEstimates From Forest Inventory and Analysis, National Resources Inventory, and Four Satellite Image-Derived Land Cover Data Sets
McRoberts, Ronald E.; Holden, Geoffrey R.; Nelson, Mark D.; Liknes, Greg C.; Moser, Warren K.; Lister, Andrew J.; King, Susan L.; LaPoint, Elizabeth B.; et al. 2005. Estimating and circumventing the effects of perturbing and swapping inventory plot locations
Liknes, Greg C.; Holden, Geoffrey R.; Nelson, Mark D.; McRoberts, Ronald E. 2005. Spatially Locating FIA Plots from Pixel Values
Nelson, Mark D.; McRoberts, Ronald E.; Hansen, Matthew C. 2004. Forest land area estimates from vegetation continuous fields
Lessard, Veronica C.; Hansen, Mark H.; Nelson, Mark D. 2002. Comparing Minnesota land cover/use area estimates using NRI and FIA data
McRoberts, Ronald E.; Nelson, Mark D.; Wendt, Daniel. 2002. Stratified estimates of forest area using the k-nearest neighbors technique and satellite imagery
McRoberts, Ronald E.; Nelson, Mark D.; Wendt, Daniel G. 2002. Stratified estimation of forest area using satellite imagery, inventory data, and the k-nearest neighbors technique
Brand, Gary J.; Nelson, Mark D.; Wendt, Daniel G.; Nimerfro, Kevin K. 2000. The hexagon/panel system for selecting FIA plots under an annual inventory
Nelson, Mark D.; Buech, Richard R. 1996. A test of 3 models of Kirtland's warbler habitat suitability
Nelson, Mark D.; Benyus, Janine M.; Buech, Richard R. 1992. NORTHWOODS Wildlife Habitat Data Base
Benyus, Janine M.; Buech, Richard R.; Nelson, Mark D. 1992. Wildlife in the Upper Great Lakes Region: a community profile.

Last Modified: 11/19/2008