Monitoring tree-level insect population dynamics with multi-scale and multi-source remote sensing

Long term monitoring of the rate-of-change of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) populations requires detailed tree-level information over large areas. This information is used to assess the status of an infestation (e.g., increasing, stable or decreasing), and to select and evaluate mitigation approaches. In this research project, we develop and demonstrate a prototype monitoring system, which enables the extrapolation of tree level estimates of beetle damage from field data to a larger study area using a double sampling approach, and multi-scale, multi-source, high spatial resolution remotely sensed data.