Developing and Validating a Method for Monitoring and Tracking Changes in Southern Pine Beetle Hazard at the Landscape Level

Ronald F. Billings, L. Allen Smith, Jin Zhu, Shailu Verma, Nick Kouchoukos, and Joon Heo

Texas Forest Service (1-3) and Forest One, Inc. (4-6)

The objective of this research project was to develop and validate a method for using satellite images and digital geospatial data to map the distribution of southern pine beetle (SPB) habitats across the pinelands of East Texas. Our approach builds on the widely accepted work of Billings & Bryant, who used discriminant analysis of color infrared aerial photographs to identify and rank environmental conditions suitable for SPB infestation. Because current implementations of Billings & Bryant’s method by the Texas Forest Service (TFS) use manual photo interpretation, they are relatively costly, labor intensive, and require sampling. Satellite imagery and GIS technology present possible means to reduce operational costs and improve accuracy. Here we report the principal results of our work in a pilot area of East Texas, specifically: 1) development and integration of satellite and digital inputs into the Billings & Bryant model, 2) accuracy assessment of model inputs, 3) validation of the model adaptation through comparison of satellite-derived SPB hazard maps to operational maps produced by TFS, and 4) Re-validation of the model through comparison of satellite-derived SPB hazard maps to known locations of SPB infestations.

Native Pests Session - Wednesday Afternoon

corresponding author:

Nick Kouchoukos
Forest One, Inc.
300 Park Boulevard, Suite 425
Itasca, IL 60143
630-250-1428
nkouchoukos@lanworth.com