Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative

Vermont Statewide Aerial Sketchmapping of Tree Defoliation, Mortality and other Damages: Standardized and Combined Aerial Insect and Disease Surveys, 1985 to present

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Metadata Provider

  • Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative

    • Address:
      705 Spear Street
      South Burlington, Vermont 05403
      United States of America

      Phone: (802) 391-4135
      Email: femc@uvm.edu
      Website: www.uvm.edu/femc

Abstract

    Aerial sketch mapping of defoliation, mortality, or other symptoms is a statewide survey conducted to detect tree damage, to determine its cause, and to maintain maps showing the location and extent of damage.

People

  • Barbara Schultz: Principal Investigator

  • Dan Dillner: Principal Investigator

  • Bill Frament: Content Provider

  • Ryan Hanavan: Content Provider

Keywords

  • aerial survey, defoliation, forest health, spatial properties,

Organizations

  • Vermont Forest Parks and Recreation : lead

Geographic Coverage

  • Coordinates
    • -73.4379015767698, 42.72696000804695
    • -71.46528103507033, 42.72696000804695
    • -71.46528103507033, 45.01666491562359
    • -73.4379015767698, 45.01666491562359
    • -73.4379015767698, 42.72696000804695

Data Table

  • Title: Standardized and Combined Aerial Insect and Disease Surveys, 1985 to present
  • Start Date: 1985-01-01
  • Description: Spatial data (shapefile) of all aerial defoliation surveys in Vermont from 1985 to the latest data available merged together into one dataset with a subset of fields. Data prior to 1995 were not always digitized, and may be incomplete before that year.

  • Purpose: Yearly aerial surveys of Vermont to determine the extent of forest pest insect, disease or physical damage of forested areas.

  • Condensed Title: 20190909154912_CombinedAerialSurveys_VT_1985_2018.zip

  • Object Name: VMC.66.316

  • Data Type: mySQL
  • Citation: Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. 2016. Insect and Disease Surveys. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative. Available online at: https://www.uvm.edu/femc/data/archive/project/statewide-aerial-sketchmapping-tree-defoliation-mortality/dataset/combined-master-dataset-aerial-defoliation-surveys

  • Online Distribution: https://vmc.w3.uvm.edu/vmcdevel/data/archive/project/statewide-aerial-sketchmapping-tree-defoliation-mortality/dataset/combined-master-dataset-aerial-defoliation-surveys

Attribute List

Methods

  • Current Methods
    • Mapping tree symptoms
      • Method Description: Defoliation, mortality, or other tree symptoms are mapped from north-south flight lines 3-4 miles apart, generally flying at 120-130 mph, 1000-2000’ above the terrain. 2001-current, polygons were generally sketched onto a digital system with variable scale maps (generally 1:100,000).

    • Unnamed Method
      • Method Description: Prior to 2001, sketching was done on hardcopy maps (7-1/2’ USGS maps from the early 1990’s until 2001; 15’ USGS maps prior to 1990.)

    • Understanding cause of damage
      • Method Description: If an “unknown” damage was widespread, representative polygons were usually visited on the ground to determine the cause of damage. Otherwise, ground checking of survey results was sporadic. Most years, the entire state was surveyed at least once in August – September. During defoliator outbreak years or years of weather events, survey timing was targeted for those damages (the annual data from these years may lack chronic damages, as mappers focused on the target damage).

    • Unnamed Method
      • Started: 2013-12-01
      • Method Description: To merge surveys from different years: Certain fields present in the federal data scheme were missing in older Vermont surveys (1985 to 1994). These fields were added to the older surveys by converting codes from the state system to the Federal system. In some cases, two fields were needed from the Vermont codes to determine the correct federal code, and in others, codes were added manually. Finally, all yearly datasets were merged into a single dataset with a reduced number of fields.


Sampling Equipment

  • Current Equipment
    • Fixed-wing airplane
      • Sampling Description: Fixed-wing airplane. Mapping onto USGS topographic or other maps

Site Characteristics

  • Site Description: Sketchmapping surveys can cover the entire state of Vermont