Methodology and tool to detect and attribute the cause of tree decline and mortality

Project Description

Identification of individual tree mortality and the reason for it can be highly important (e.g. species of interest growing under sparse conditions, or in as part of a mixture of species). Identification of individual declining trees together with the patterns of crown mortality can help narrow down the cause. For example, insects and pathogens generally first kill branches at the top of a tree and affected trees are clustered, whereas drought affects the lower branches first and affected trees have a dispersed distribution. Because of its coarse scale, satellite imagery cannot detect within tree mortality patterns, nor even identify individual trees. High-resolution imagery collected via small aircraft can detect patterns of mortality within individual trees. This approach helps identify imminent individual tree mortality, it also predicts whether the mortality is likely drought induced or caused by insects and/or pathogen. Forestry professionals can use this methodology to help target at-risk trees for removal during forest restoration activities.

Purpose and Scope

To develop a methodology applicable at the landscape level to identify trees in decline and at risk of mortality.

Methods

Multispectral imagery on fixed wing aircraft.

Key Findings

Physiological tree drought stress can be statistically identified from non-stressed trees.

Project Deliverables

A landscape-level tool to detect and attribute source of tree decline and potential for mortality.