Detecting beetle infestations in pine forest using MODIS NDVI time-series data

The availability of large amounts of remotely sensed data of the Earth makes it possible to monitor biomass on a global scale. Change in biomass is associated with land cover change, and may be due to many different possible phenomena, some natural and others due to human activity. In this paper, we are concerned with detecting change in the biomass of North American forests due to insect infestation, specifically beetle infestations in pine forests. These beetles have already caused significant damage to forests, and so the detection of new infestations is an important issue to address. Pine beetle infestation and activity will eventually lead to tree mortality, and consequently contribute to deforestation, which has environmental as well as economic consequences.