Imaging Science Seminar: Remote Sensing of Forests in the Southeastern US
Remote Sensing of Forests in the Southeastern U.S.
Dr. Val Thomas
Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech
Co-Director, Center of Environmental Analytics and Remote Sensing
Abstract:
Forests in the Southeast are considered to be the 'wood basket' of the United States and are a key component of our sustainable future. The region is very dynamic because of land management practices, with a unique anthropogenic disturbance regime that is readily visible with remote sensing. Assessment of the state of forest resources in the region and change over time requires synergistic analysis of multiple sources of remote sensing, new computational approaches, and a long rich history of field data collection and research. This talk will focus on remote sensing approaches to assess productivity, management intensity, and other indicators of the condition of our southeastern forests.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Val Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. Her research interests include the use of remote sensing (from satellites to crewed aircraft to UAVs with multiple sensor types) to assess forest structure, function and change. Her graduate students focus on questions at the nexus of forest ecosystem science and remote sensing. Her work has been funded by federal and state agencies, and by industry. Dr. Thomas obtained her undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada), a post-graduate diploma in Remote Sensing from the College of Geographic Sciences (Nova Scotia, Canada) and her MS and PhD in Geography (Earth System Science) at Queen's University in Kingston (Ontario, Canada).
Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic.
To request an interpreter, please visit https://myaccess.rit.edu
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
No