Monitoring the state of Rhode Island's forests
Remote sensing technologies provide an increasingly efficient way to monitor large tracts of forest canopy conditions in near-real-time and seasonally. Observational systems, such as ForWarn's MODIS-based product line, provide a continuous weekly stream of observational data that can be readily processed in ways that are useful for summary reports on changing forest conditions. Remote sensing approaches to regional monitoring are particularly powerful when they use consistent measures, sophisticated baselines for defining "normal", and cross jurisdictional boundaries.