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Remote Sensing Forester

A Remote Sensing Forester uses aerial imagery, geospatial tools and LiDAR technologies to examine, monitor and manage working forests. By analyzing data, they gain a better understanding of what’s needed to support thriving pine trees, protect waterways, and enhance diverse plant and animal species on active forestlands.

As a key member of the forest research team, the Remote Sensing Forester helps turn data into useful tools, such as maps and models, to support sustainable forest planning and management. These tools are then used to make important decisions, like where to plant trees, where to control vegetation for wildfire mitigation, tracking forest productivity under different treatment regimes, assessment of forest loss due to storm or insect damage, and how to protect wildlife habitats and water quality. Their work combines science with modern technologies to ensure working forests remain productive and sustainable.

This position may also be referred to as a GIS Forester, Forest GIS Analyst, Forest Resource Analyst, and Remote Sensing Scientist, Remote Sensing Analyst.

Aaron Evans

Remote Sensing Forester

Remote sensing plays a critical role in the forestry industry by providing accurate, timely data that enhances decision-making and operational efficiency. I find it especially rewarding to see how these technologies are integrated into daily forestry practices to support goal achievement.

Education

A Remote Sensing Forester should have a Bachelor's Degree in geospatial science (GIS), environmental science, remote sensing or a related field with an emphasis on forestry.

Helpful courses to take in high school include biology and environmental science, geography, mathematics, computer science and physics.

Tools of the Trade

Remote Sensing Foresters use modern research and technologies to perform their job. These include:

Federal programs - They rely heavily on federal programs to access remote sensing data. A few to note include the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, NASA Earth Science Programs, European Space Agency information, and the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program.
In-house operations and technologies including LiDAR, radar, multispectral cameras, and aerial aircraft like drones. Most noteworthy is LiDAR, a light detection and ranging technology that provides the forester with 3D imagery of tree canopy height, forest structures, topography, streams, ground elevation and more. This technology gathers valuable information used in forest research and management.
Field collection ground-truth measurements and GPS location data for validation and accuracy assessment.
To process data, the Remote Sensing Forester uses tools like ESRI ArcGIS and remote sensing software like LAStools, R, ERDAS Imagine, ENVI, QGIS or Google Earth Engine.

Important Skills

To be successful in this role, the Remote Sensing Forester must be knowledgeable about remote sensing, advanced image processing, analysis, programming and machine learning (AI). Proficiency in remote sensing software such as ERDAS Imagine, ENVI, QGIS or ESRI ArcGIS is also essential.

The Remote Sensing Forester must also be competent in the use of statistical tools and have a thorough understanding of geostatistics.

Collaboration and communication skills are also important, because Remote Sensing Foresters will work with other forestry professionals across the organization.

Job Responsibilities

Remote Sensing Foresters use satellite imagery, LiDAR, aerial imagery and drones to monitor, analyze and manage active forestland.

The data that they collect and analyze is then processed with GIS and remote sensing software to help the forestry organization assess forest health; detect storm damage, wildfires or insect issues; and support forest planning and management.

Primary job responsibilities include:

Collecting and processing remote sensing data from multiple sources such as in-house operations (ie. LiDAR) and federal programs.
Performing data quality assessments and quantifying model uncertainty.
Using collected data to monitor forest health and changes.
Supporting forest inventory and management by estimating tree height, volume and species.
Research and model ecological patterns such as habitats, biodiversity and climate change.
Communicating and teaching forestry team members, especially research teams, on findings with the use of models, maps, reports and presentations.

From their work, Remote Sensing Foresters provide employers such as forestry organizations with data-driven insights that are used to support research, conservation and resource planning.

For further reading, take a look at the article, How Modern Remote Sensing Is Transforming The Future of Forestry.

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