Rapidly evolving technologies are revolutionizing the way we monitor forests. These changes include the ability to monitor impacts from forest disturbances with higher spatial detail and frequency than ever before thanks to the availability of new satellites and cloud computing. Progress also depends on our ability to transfer this technology in ways that make sense to those who need it. With these applied needs in mind, this Forest Service Research and Development initiative is designed to demonstrate the forest monitoring that is now possible, to refine ways that these capabilities can be best adapted for managers, and to improve insights about eastern US forest dynamics more fundamentally.

HiForm utilizes 10 meter Sentinel-2 and 30 meter Landsat 5, 8 and 9 to produce NDVI change products. We also research landscape applications of lidar and new approaches to track forest dynamics at this level of detail for longer term planning and monitoring. Our emphasis is monitoring change in eastern US forests that result from severe weather, wildland fire, harvesting, and insects and disease. The image at left shows tornado damage through a recently harvested landscape.