Brown bears abound on this Alaskan island, parts of which have seen both widespread clear-cutting and forest regrowth in recent decades.
Published Apr 24, 2020Researchers have turned to citizen scientists to help detect previously unknown or recently disrupted kelp forests in satellite imagery.
Published Jan 13, 2015In June 2008, scientists published the country’s first detailed assessment of the type, extent, and health of Papua New Guinea’s forests, documenting the wide-spread deforestation and degradation of lowland rainforest on the islands east of the mainland, including the island of New Ireland.
Published Jun 19, 2008Kelp forests change frequently, and often out of sight from scientists. Infrared imagery changes that.
Published Jan 6, 2015Forests in drylands are much more extensive than previously reported.
Published Aug 10, 2017Free, open-access imagery helps scientists monitor remote areas and protect tropical forests.
Published Nov 19, 2013Researchers analyzed 25 years of Landsat data to establish where forests had burned or been cut.
Published Jun 27, 2017By changing a percentage, institutions can take some forested lands off the map.
Published Dec 18, 2015The opening of the Landsat data archive and a partnership with Google has allowed researchers to track the fine details of forest change around the world.
Published May 7, 2015Forests are being turned into rubber plantations, farmland, and timber at a rapid rate.
Published Jan 10, 2017Open-access data from the NASA-USGS Landsat mission and cloud computing make for a highly detailed view of gains and losses in global and regional tree cover since 2000.
Published Nov 16, 2013Potent storms and pesky predators—as well as climate change—are altering the dynamics of these underwater forests.
Published Jan 20, 2015In June 2008, an international team of researchers released a report on the state of Papua New Guinea’s forests. The study summarized the findings from a five-year project in which the scientists compared high-resolution satellite imagery from the early 1970s and the early 2000s. The researchers found evidence of rapid deforestation and degradation, driven primarily by logging, subsistence agriculture, fires, and the development of mines and plantations.
Published Jun 8, 2008The deep green forest that covers the northern mountains of Madeira Island is one of the last remnants of an ancient forest that once covered much of Europe and North Africa.
Published May 15, 2010Political change in Eastern Europe and Russia has left its mark on forests in the region.
Published Jul 16, 2015A twenty-year effort to plant millions of trees in Minas Gerais is visible to Landsat.
Published Jul 23, 2019Since the mid-1200s, the state has controlled Niepołomice Forest, which contains some of the last pockets of old-growth forest in Poland.
Published Nov 29, 2013Mangroves are among the most biologically important ecosystems on the planet and a common feature of tropical and sub-tropical coastlines. Scientists have used satellite imaging to compile the most detailed map of the extent of mangroves worldwide.
Published Nov 30, 2010A small plane flying low over remote forests is sending back eye-popping aerial photography—as well as scientific measurements that will improve understanding of how Alaska’s forests are responding to global warming.
Published Jul 25, 2014Landsat observed the loss of 3.7 million hectares (14,000 square miles) of tropical forest.
Published Sep 26, 2012As the size of British Columbia’s pine beetle infestation has grown, forest managers have begun to need a technique to identify damage over large areas. Relying on a variety of data sources, including satellite data, scientists from Goddard Space Flight Center conducted a survey of insect-damaged forests in British Columbia. This image shows their assessment of insect damage overlain on a topography map.
Published Dec 19, 2008Differences in how international and national institutions classify forests can lead to large discrepancies in measurements of land cover.
Published Nov 17, 2015Ranching and farming operations have left a distinctive grid on the landscape.
Published Feb 27, 2016