Using LiDAR to Guide Forest Restoration in the Crater Lake Panhandle

Project ID: P14AC01708

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: University of Washington

Fiscal Year: 2014

Initial Funding: $30,000

Total Funding: $30,000

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Biological

National Park: Crater Lake National Park

Principal Investigator: Franklin, Jerry

Agreement Technical Representative: Brock, William "Mac"

Abstract: This is a collaborative project between the National Park Service (NPS) and the University of Washington (UW) to merge field-based methods with remotely sensed LiDAR data of the Panhandle area of Crater Lake National Park (CRLA) to prioritize areas for forest restoration and to plan individual restoration projects. The mixed conifer forests in the CRLA Panhandle represent one of the largest contiguous tracts of intact old-growth of this forest type in the area. The cultural and ecological significance of Panhandle old-growth to CRLA is reflected in park planning efforts that have identified restoration of those forests as a high priority. In this project, the UW will use LiDAR data to examine current forest structure and refine existing methods for analyzing tree clumps and openings across the CRLA Panhandle. Methods to identify legacy trees among the individual trees and tree clumps will be validated to produce a map of candidate legacy trees and clumps across the study area. The UW will work with NPS ecologists and silviculturalists to use the LiDAR data products to identify potential locations for various silvicultural treatments and forest restoration practices.