Forest Health Monitoring Research Team

1. Forest Health Monitoring Research Team

2. 1991: FHM Program established national HQ at RTP • 1991-1999: RTP staff evolved from administrative to research • 2000: FHM national HQ moved to DC • 2002: RTP staff converted to SRS Research Work Unit • 2007: RTP staff integrated with EFETAC as part of SRS realignment FHM Research Team History

3. FHM Team Funding Sources (Annual Funding ≈ $1.2 million) FIA (28%) FHP (24%) EFETAC (48%)

4. FHM Research Team Staffing • 4 SRS Scientists • Bill Bechtold (Research Forester) • Kurt Riitters (Landscape Ecologist) • Bill Smith (Research Forester) • Ken Stolte (Research Ecologist) • Valerie Cooper (Administrative Support) • 4 NCSU Scientists • Kevin Potter (Genetics) • Frank Koch (Risk Assessment) • Barbara Conkling (Forest Soils) • Mark Ambrose (Growth / Mortality)

5. FHM Research Team Problem Area 1 • Improve existing monitoring systems and develop new sampling and survey designs, measurement techniques, and estimation procedures • Integrate data, models, and interpretation techniques to assess forest health and conduct risk assessments and analyses at multiple scales • Utilize spatial analyses and principles of landscape ecology in forest health monitoring and assessment • Utilize data from long-term comprehensive monitoring of key ecosystem processes and components in forest health assessments • Develop automated systems needed for processing satellite imagery to detect disturbances in forested systems

6. RESEARCH ON • MONITORING • TECHNIQUES • INTENSIVE • SITE • MONITORING • Process-Level Research • EVALUATION MONITORING • Problem Investigation 3 Tiers of Forest Health Monitoring • DETECTION MONITORING • Ground Surveys • Aerial Surveys • Satellite Surveillance

7. FHM Research Team Current Activities—FHM National Technical Reports: • 2006, 2007, 2008 in press • 2009 out for internal review

8. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Indicator Development and Implementation: • Crown Indicator Advisor (Bechtold, Randolph) • National FHM Working Group Crown Posters: • Statistical Power Analysis of the Crown Indicator • Elevated Northern White Cedar Dieback in ME and MI • Effects of Hurricane Isabel on Forests in VA • VEG GTR (Schulz, Bechtold, Zarnoch). • Densiometer Measurements of Canopy Cover (Stolte)

9. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Collaboration with FIA: • FIA Field Guides (Conkling) • FIA Data Base User Manuals (Conkling) • FIA Task Teams (Bechtold) • RPA Landscape Pattern Analysis (Riitters) • Oregon Range Pilot (Riitters)

10. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Collaboration with FHTET: • Risk maps for Mediterranean Pine Engraver and Asian Gypsy Moth (Koch, Smith) • Instruction manual describing risk-map production techniques (Koch, Smith) • Journal article on special detection surveys for introduced pests (Koch, Smith) • Land cover and fragmentation tools for state-level reporting (Riitters)

11. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Risk Analysis (Koch and Smith): • Incorporation of probabilistic uncertainty analyses into risk mapping • Incorporation of non-probabilistic uncertainty analyses into risk mapping (info-gap decision theory) • Comprehensive approach to combine all stages of invasion into a single risk-map product (entry, spread, and establishment) • Cross-border analysis of sirex wood wasp (US / Canada) • Analysis of human-mediated pathways for invasives on APHIS top-50 list • Use of categorical and ordinal data for risk analysis • Software to model spread of invasives using Bayesian network approach

12. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Fragmentation (Riitters): • 2010 Montreal Process 5-year report • Change Analysis: new vs. previous NLCD maps • Fragmentation overlays for Google Earth

13. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Genetics (Potter): • Genetic diversity and gene exchange in Oocarpa Pine relative to pitch canker resistance • Regional patterns of phylogenetic community structure in North American forest trees • Evolutionary history and genetic diversity of Fraser and Intermediate Fir • Comparison of phylogenetic diversity to other measures of tree species diversity • Eastern Hemlock genetic variation and evolutionary history • Evaluation of Carolina Hemlock gene conservation efforts

14. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Evaluation Monitoring: • Assessing Risk of Tree Extinction and Genetic Degradation from Climate Change (Hargrove, Potter, Koch) • Forecast location and quality of tree species habitats under climate change scenarios • Predict portions of species ranges at risk due to distance from projected habitat • Yellow Birch Mortality in the Southern Appalachians as an Indicator of Acidified Soils (Stolte) • Study birch and other calcium-sensitive species as indicators of soil acidification • Evaluate potential for acidification to increase susceptibility to regional stressors • EM Selection Panel (Bechtold) • EM Synthesis Project (Bohne, Friedman, Bechtold, Tkacz) • Effort originated with 2006 FHM Program review • Summarizes results of 194 projects funded between 1998-2007

15. A SYNTHESIS OF EVALUATION-MONITORING PROJECTSSPONSORED BY THE FOREST HEALTH MONITORING PROGRAM(1998-2007) Forest Insects Interior West Forest Insects North Central Forest Insects Northeast Forest Insects Interior West Forest Insects Southern Forest Insects Forest Diseases Interior West Forest Diseases North Central Forest Diseases Northeast Forest Diseases Interior West Forest Diseases Southern Forest Diseases Other Biotic Stressors and Indicators Invasives Lichens Tree Crown Condition (Bechtold) Tree Mortality (Ambrose) Abiotic Stressors and Indicators Down Woody Material Drought and Climate (Koch) Fire Ozone Soil Conditions

16. FHM Research Team Current Activities—Miscellaneous: • FHM Monthly Update (Conkling) • FHM National Working Group Meeting Arrangements (Cooper) • Analyze urban tree data from MA, MD, and NJ (Ambrose, Smith) • Citizen Scientist reference manual (Stolte) • Appalachian Trail monitoring and information system (Stolte) • Develop data layers consistent with the AT “Vital Sign” indicators • Establish ground monitoring system to complement NASA’s satellite system • Analyze past, present and projected ecosystem conditions on the AT • Launch web-based system for data visualization, sharing, and management

17. FHM Research Team Current Activities—International: • FHM Pilot Project in Mexico (Bechtold) • Montreal Process Fragmentation Indicator Lead (Riitters) • European Commission Joint Research Center (Riitters) • Canadian risk-mapping and pest invasion models (Koch)