Want to See Every Tree in America? (Updated)
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| The dark swaths of green represent parts of the country with the greatest concentration of biomass. Download High Resolution Image Below. |
Updated: Ok. We just corrected this. The data is actually based on the measurements of 5 million trees.
NASA's Earth Observatory just released a map illustrating where all the trees are in America.
The map was created over a period of six years by Josef Kellndorfer and Wayne Walker of the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey.
The high resolution map below shows the total amount of woody biomass in the USA. Presenting the entire nation at a 30 meter resolution, with 4 pixels representing an acre land, and every ten represents a hectare, it's one amazing map.
Click here to download large image of map (4 MB, JPEG, 4457x2809).
You can see dense tree cover in the Pacific Northwest as well New England, which has been reforested after intensive logging in the 18th and 19th centuries.
There are many areas all over the world where Bigfoots have been seen, but surveys like this are invaluable tools when used in conjunction with BFRO reports of creature sightings in the US. While data of reported tracks, audible encounters and sighting reports are already sufficient enough, this map can help illustrate how Bigfoot's are possibly being shoved back into more forested areas. As humans pave over more of the planet our forest cousins are forced to retreat.
[via earthobservatory.nasa.gov]
Keep in mind that only half of the human population lives on LESS that 10 percent of the total Earths Land and three quarters on only 20 percent according to the statement by American Association for the Advancement of Science.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a article about this that your readers might find interesting and goes along with this great post.
Heres a link
http://www.thecryptocrew.com/2011/11/how-can-bigfoot-hide.html
Thanks Shawn! Great post once again.
Tom
Thanks Tom, yes, I read your article a few days ago and it's a good read if anyone hasn't read it yet.
DeleteWith as much forest as we have in the US I can see how something could hide for a long time.
ReplyDeleteYou remember that story about the kid ..who done a crime and then lived in the forest for a long time..maybe 2 years..no once could find him...he'd come into town at night and steal food from stores..they found a foot track once...then one day it just gave up..you remember that story?
5 million trees sounds like a conservative estimate to me...how many trees in your city? If you look outside your house how many trees do you see? how many people do you see? Can there really be that many more people in the US than trees (several hundred million people in the US)?
ReplyDeleteWhoever came up with million trees in USA is crazy we harvest plant 2.5 billion trees annually and there is estimate of 400 billion trees in USA ! Now put that in your pipe and smoke it...lol
ReplyDeleteI like Anon at 02:59 figure. We wil go with yours.
DeleteNeat Map. It coincides with majority of sightings. It is interesting to see how green Florida is for such a high population state.
Chuck in Ohio
LOL. This is from the NASA website:
ReplyDeleteForests in the U.S. were mapped down to a scale of 30 meters, or roughly 10 computer display pixels for every hectare of land (4 pixels per acre). They divided the country into 66 mapping zones and ended up mapping 265 million segments of the American land surface. Kellndorfer estimates that their mapping database includes measurements of about five million trees.
5 million absolutely was a typo. According to NASA, 320 million "large" trees were killed or damaged by hurricane Katrina and the recent drought in Texas killed 500 million trees according to the Texas Forest Service. That means that there is way more than just 5 million trees in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...NASA conspiracy to get more global warming study funds? j/k :oP
I'm still confused? There's no way there is only 5 million trees, I think I am reading it wrong or something, is that per certain amount of area?
ReplyDeleteFive million seems extremely low.
ReplyDeleteOk. I just corrected this. The data is actually based on the measurements of 5 million trees:
ReplyDeleteKellndorfer estimates that their mapping database includes measurements of about five million trees.
Shawn great post! Forest Forever is a nice site to peruse. Deforestation comparison would be even better! That big empty Sacramento Valley Oaks? - 98% deforested in less than 150 years. Ancient Forests? Less than 1-2% remaining per-European stands....something like that. Plant a tree! And next time someone "tree hugger" wants to save an Ancient Forest..let them!
ReplyDeleteI think they missed some, the amount of under growth and dense briar and mid level tree forest are not shown in this image it is misleading.
ReplyDeleteYes Ed, as is use of term biomass here in reference only to woody trees? The SW supports tremendous biomass, in flora and fauna beyond coniferous/oak/pinyon forests. But, another great resource is looking at number of mountains in the US and their effective diameter above 5000ft for instance. Wikipedia has nice links for a look at that. It is remarkable data and puts the possibility of BF over 10000 in UW seem entirely possible. But, I do like the approach for BF study here on Shawn's site, getting tired of BS Ring masters! More thinking about what we know and less fantasy.
ReplyDeleteor US!
ReplyDeleteAll Virginia and no west is the most Woods. See you there cowboys.
ReplyDeleteCowboys? Those are European decendants. What about those of us whose ancestors here first? We aren't cowboys.
ReplyDeleteOk this is just carp the last statement. The truth of the matter is that we are actually beginning to reclaim alot of our forest cover..aleit at best second growth timber they say now statistically with every tree that is cut down it is replaced by 5 - 7 new trees and in many areas of the midwest Illinois/Indiana old abandoned farmsteads are also being overrun again with forest cover. Ky and TN too states I know well...that have actually seen about a 2 or 3% increase in forest cover in the last 8 years or so...right at about 50% total land coverage of forests in those states. Better conservation practices and zoning laws and ordinances regarding building and development have alot to do with this.
ReplyDelete