Seeing the Trees (for the Forest)

This map is the result of a six year project by the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), the US Forest Service and the US Geological Survey, led by Josef Kellndorfer and Wayne Walker. Together they have made the most comprehensive map of the trees - and by extension forests - in the United States. It is based on the National Biomass and Carbon Dataset (NBCD) and it was made with data from many sources, such as satellite imaging systems like Landsat and through actual "on the ground" research. The project is intended to help to get a better idea of where carbon is stored in the biomass of trees. As much as 45 percent of the stored carbon in the world is thought to be in forests, which cover 30 percent of the Earth's surface. Additionally, land use change is one of the biggest contributors to releases of carbon. A detailed image of where the storage areas are is important in understanding future risks, quantifying the amount of stored carbon and in suggesting possible management systems for the future.