This presentation discusses an effort to use select MODIS phenological products for forest disturbance monitoring at the regional and CONUS scales. Forests occur on ~1/3 of the U.S. land base and include regionally prevalent forest disturbances that can threaten forest sustainability. Regional and CONUS forest disturbance monitoring is needed for a national forest threat early warning system being developed by the USDA Forest Service with help from NASA, ORNL, and USGS. MODIS NDVI phenology products are being used to develop forest disturbance monitoring capabilities of this EWS

Gasser, Jerry

Hargrove, William W.

Ross, Kenton

Smoot, James

Spruce, Joseph

NASA Technical Reports Server

Stennis Space Center
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data 
Products to Detect and Monitor Forest 
Disturbances at Regional and National Scales
2010 US-IALE Presentation by:
Joseph Spruce, SSAI
William Hargrove, USDA Forest Service
Gerald Gasser, Lockheed Martin
James Smoot, SSAI
Kenton Ross SSAI ,  
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110008214 2019-08-30T15:02:34+00:00Z
Stennis Space Center
Project Background
• This presentation discusses an effort to use select MODIS 
phenological products for forest disturbance monitoring at 
the regional and CONUS scales 
• Forests occur on ~1/3 of the U.S. land base and include 
regionally prevalent forest disturbances that can threaten       
forest sustainability
• Regional and CONUS forest disturbance monitoring is 
needed for a national forest threat early warning system 
being developed by the USDA Forest Service with help from 
NASA ORNL and USGS, ,  
• MODIS NDVI phenology products are being used to develop 
forest disturbance monitoring capabilities of this EWS
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 2National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Which Phenology Products?
• The project employs several MODIS phenology products
– Phenological state products that record NDVI magnitude and Day of Year 
(DOY) for multiple phenological states
– Cumulative integral NDVI products (22 per year)
– Other NDVI integral products for the growing season
• With phenological state products, baselines can be 
normalized for a given phenological parameter, instead of 
fixed sampling time frame (e.g., June 10 – July 27)        
• MODIS phenology products can be used to compute 
multiple disturbance monitoring products
– Current NDVI or DOY versus baseline RGB visualization products
– % Change in NDVI or DOY for given phenological state
– Classification products based on unsupervised clustering
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 3National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Goal and Objectives
• Goal - Assess use of multi-year MODIS MOD13 
NDVI-based phenology products for detecting 
forest disturbances evident at regional and CONUS 
scales
• Objective 1 Assess phenological state products  –     
(e.g., NDVI magnitude and Day of Year) for 
developing useful forest disturbance detection 
Focus of this 
presentation
products
• Objective 2 – Assess cumulative NDVI integral 
products for developing useful forest disturbance      
detection products
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 4National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Phenological Product
Development Background
• Project employs MODIS phenological parameter products 
from C5 MOD13 NDVI 16-day 250 m time series data
– 2003–2008 NDVI time series products were computed using 
Time Series Product Tool software in conjunction with MODIS 
Aqua and Terra products   
– Phenological state and cumulative integral NDVI products 
were computed using the Phenological Parameter Estimation 
T l ftoo  so ware
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 5National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Method for Computing
Baseline Products
• NDVI magnitude products
– A maximum NDVI baseline was computed for each phenological state for 
the 2003–2008 period
• DOY products
– A median DOY baseline was computed for each phenological state for the 
2003–2008 period
• Cumulative integral NDVI products
– A maximum cumulative integral NDVI baseline was computed for each          
cumulative integral across the calendar year
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 6National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Evaluation Methods
• Assess phenological state products with respect to 
reference data on known disturbances
• Assess quality of products in terms of completeness and 
noise artifacts
A d t d t hi h l ti t llit d• ssess pro uc s compare  o g er reso u on sa e e an  
aerial data
• Assess products for potential in near real time applications        
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 7National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Example Multi-Year NDVI Magnitude 
Products
for Select Phenological States
Application: Ephemeral Forest Defoliation 2005–2008 
8National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2005 Forest Defoliation from MODIS 
Peak Growing Season NDVI 
RGB = Baseline Peak NDVI in Red; 2005 Peak NDVI in Blue and Green              
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 9National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2006 Forest Defoliation from MODIS 
Peak Growing Season NDVI
RGB = Baseline Peak NDVI in Red; 2006 Peak NDVI in Blue and Green              
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 10National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2007 Forest Defoliation from MODIS 
Peak Growing Season NDVI
RGB = Baseline Peak NDVI in Red; 2007 Peak NDVI in Blue and Green              
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 11National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2008 Forest Defoliation from MODIS 
Peak Growing Season NDVI
RGB = Baseline Peak NDVI in Red; 2008 Peak NDVI in Blue and Green              
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 12National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2008 USDA Forest Service Defoliation 
Sketch Maps versus MODIS Product
RGB = Baseline Peak NDVI in Red; 2008 Peak NDVI in Blue and Green              
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Sketch maps 
missed some   
defoliation
Sketch Map Legend
Dark Green – Gypsy Moth
Purple – Forest Tent Caterpillar
Cyan Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 13National Aeronautics and Space Administration
 –   
Magenta – Beech Bark Disease
Blue – Misc. Hardwood Defoliators
Stennis Space Center
Example Intra-Seasonal NDVI 
Magnitude Products 
for Select Phenological States
Application: 2008 Ephemeral Forest Defoliation 
14National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2008 Forest Defoliation
from MODIS 80% Left NDVI
RGB = Baseline 80% Left NDVI in Red; 2008 80% Left NDVI in Blue and Green                
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 15National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2008 Forest Defoliation from MODIS 
Peak Growing Season NDVI
RGB = Baseline Peak NDVI in Red; 2008 Peak NDVI in Blue and Green              
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 16National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2008 Forest Defoliation
from MODIS 80% Right NDVI
RGB = Baseline 80% Right NDVI in Red; 2008 80% Right NDVI in Blue and Green                
Red tones – Decreases in NDVI (e.g., Forest Defoliation)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 17National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Example Day of Year Products
for Select Phenological States   
Application: Views of Forest Phenology Change Associated 
with 2008 Hurricane Landfalls
18National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
2008 Forest Phenology Change
Based on 80% Right DOY Data
RGB = Baseline 80% Right DOY in Red; 2008 80% Right DOY in Blue and Green                
Red tones – Decreases in DOY (e.g., 80% Reached Earlier Due to Storm)
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 19National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Hurricane Ike
Landfall – 9/13/2008
Hurricane Gustav
Landfall – 9/1/2008
Stennis Space Center
2007 Forest Phenology Change
Based on 80% Right DOY Data
RGB = Baseline 80% Right DOY in Red; 2007 80% Right DOY in Blue and Green                
Red tones – Decreases in DOY for the 80% Right DOY
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales 20National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Hurricane Ike
Landfall – 9/13/2008
Hurricane Gustav
Landfall – 9/1/2008
Stennis Space Center
Initial Findings
• Phenology NDVI magnitude products
– 80% Left, Peak, and 80% Right NDVI products all depict 
regional patterns of insect defoliation
– All products capture large fire and clearcut disturbances
Phenology DOY products•   
– DOY products noisier than NDVI magnitude products
– DOY products appear to show drought-impacted forest
• General
– Forest mask useful for focusing assessments of forest
P d t ld b i d t li i t d t id– ro uc s cou  e mprove  o e m na e a a vo s
– Product line could benefit from expanded baseline from 2000 
to present
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales
– Products can show intra-annual defoliation persistence trends
21National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Stennis Space Center
Final Remarks
• The assessed phenological state products showed promise 
for detecting and tracking regional forest disturbances
• It’s possible that NDVI magnitude and DOY products could 
be used together for NRT disturbance detection
F i h l i l t t NRT t ld b• or a g ven p eno og ca  s a e, an  sys em cou  e 
established as follows: 
– A median DOY baseline product could be applied to determine 
when to collect relevant NDVI imagery for the current season
– The current NDVI magnitude product could then be compared 
to the historical max NDVI baseline product to compute         
percent change in NDVI for that phenological state
• Cumulative integral NDVI also has good potential for aiding 
NRT di t b d t ti (di d i t t ti )
Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales
 s ur ance e ec on scusse  n nex  presen a on
22National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Participation in this work by Science Systems and Applications, Inc., was supported by NASA at the John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, under 
contracts NNS04AB54T and NNS10AA14T.


Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales

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