The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration is helping Maine get a better
handle on the health of its forests.
The University of Maine says NASA is providing
nearly $750,000 for a three-year project that will
focus on assessing and monitoring “the quality,
health and value” of Maine’s forested land. Maine
is the most forested state in the U.S.
UMaine School of Forest Resources assistant
professor Parinaz Rahimzadeh is leading the
effort. The university says a team of researchers
will use remote sensing technology to develop
models with “near-real-time data on forest tree
species identification, and forest tree decline
detection and damage assessment.”
The work is expected to ultimately provide
information on the composition of Maine’s forest
and on damage caused by recent outbreaks of
pests and pathogens.