Forest Monitoring and Remote Sensing
A Survey of Accomplishments and Opportunities for the Future
There is a widespread perception that existing efforts and capabilities for monitoring the management of America's forest resources are failing to meet increasingly complex and large-scale forest management needs. Although new technologies are available, how well have they been exploited by decisionmakers? The report finds that the United States lacks a national and timely forest database; that non-vegetation monitoring remains limited; that the nation's forest management structure impedes efforts to produce more comprehensive and uniform information; and that satellite imagery has not been widely used. Despite these shortcomings, U.S. monitoring practices are equivalent to--or more advanced than--those of other countries with significant forest resources. The authors recommend that U.S. policymakers (1) set clear national forest management priorities; (2) implement mandatory forest monitoring standards across all Forest Service divisions; (3) augment federal funding dedicated to in situ forest monitoring on a national scale; (4) explore nationwide utilization of Thematic Mapper imagery to speed up the forest inventory stratification process; and (5) develop a strategic vision for remote sensing in forestry.
- Format:
- Paperback, 107 Pages
- Year:
- 1999
- List Price:
- $10.00
- Price:
- $8.00 Special 20% Web Discount
- Full Document (pdf format)
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 107
- List Price: $10.00
- Price: $8.00
- Document Number: MR-1111.0-OSTP
- Year: 1999
- Series: Monograph Reports
Contents
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
The Forest Monitoring Policy Environment
Chapter Three
Current Monitoring Programs and Practice
Chapter Four
Use of Remote Sensing in Forest Monitoring
Chapter Five
Opportunities for Integration
Appendix A
Specifications of Remote Sensing Satellites and Sensors
Appendix B
Forest Monitoring and Remote Sensing in Brazil
Appendix C
Forest Monitoring in Canada
This is a final report of a project. It has been formally reviewed but has not been formally edited.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation monograph report series. The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2012 RAND Corporation.