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Mapping Mortality Caused by Emerald Ash Borer in Forests of New York State With Time-Series Landsat Imagery
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Mapping Mortality Caused by Emerald Ash Borer in Forests of New York State With Time-Series Landsat Imagery

Elizabeth Ann Clippard
Master of Science (MS), College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Spring 2025

Abstract

emerald ash borer disturbance detection Landsat LandTrendr Google Earth Engine remote sensing invasive species
Since detection in 2002, emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, has caused widespread mortality of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) trees across the eastern and midwestern United States. In this study, I attempted to map EAB-driven ash mortality in New York State based on analysis of time-series Landsat imagery. Decreasing trends in spectral indices of canopy greenness were weaker and less consistent than expected in stands with known ash mortality. I found that time-series NBR and TCG indices, segmented and smoothed with the Landtrendr algorithm, provided a limited basis for broad-scale ash mortality detection. The highest producer’s accuracy among map outputs was 58%, although these maps likely exhibited a tradeoff with user’s accuracy.
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