Registration Map of the Forest Ecosystem Dynamics Project Spatial Data Archive

Forest Ecosystem Dynamics (FED) Project Spatial Data Archive:
Registration Map of the Northern Experimental Forest

The Biospheric Sciences Branch (formerly Earth Resources Branch)
within the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics at NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center and associated University investigators are involved in
a research program entitled Forest Ecosystem Dynamics (FED) which is
fundamentally concerned with vegetation change of forest ecosystems at
local to regional spatial scales (100 to 10,000 meters) and temporal
scales ranging from monthly to decadal periods (10 to 100 years). The
nature and extent of the impacts of these changes, as well as the
feedbacks to global climate, may be addressed through modeling the
interactions of the vegetation, soil, and energy components of the
boreal ecosystem.

The Howland Forest research site lies within the Northern Experimental
Forest of International Paper. The natural stands in this
boreal-northern hardwood transitional forest consist of
spruce-hemlock-fir, aspen-birch, and hemlock-hardwood mixtures. The
topography of the region varies from flat to gently rolling, with a
maximum elevation change of less than 68 m within 10 km. Due to the
region's glacial history, soil drainage classes within a small area
may vary widely, from well drained to poorly drained. Consequently,
an elaborate patchwork of forest communities has developed, supporting
exceptional local species diversity.

The Registration Map is the combination of several data layers and was
used to perform geometric and georeferencing corrections to the imagery
acquired for the Forest Ecosystem Dynamics study area. The map
contains two sets of Global Positioning System (GPS) points for
differing dates, the study area roads from both the United States
Geological Survey and the International Paper Company, and streams and
open water bodies from the International Paper Company.