DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13932138
title: Moderate-resolution mapping of aboveground biomass stocks, forest structure, and composition in coastal Alaska and British Columbia

description: The forests of coastal Alaska and British Columbia are globally significant for their high carbon storage capacity and complex forest structure, hosting some of the densest values of aboveground biomass in the world. These ecosystems support biodiversity, provide critical habitat, and serve as long-term carbon sinks, offering resilience to climate change. However, comprehensive, spatially continuous estimates of forest structure across this region have been limited, particularly across political boundaries. In this study, we used a Gradient Nearest Neighbor (GNN) modeling approach to integrate extensive forest inventory plot data with satellite-derived environmental variables. This approach enabled us to produce high-resolution (30-meter) maps of aboveground biomass, species-specific biomass, forest age, basal area, and additional structural attributes. Our results indicate that climate and topography accounted for the majority of the explainable variation across all modeling regions. Predictions of aboveground live biomass were higher than previous estimates, particularly in Southeast Alaska, where estimates were 30-53% greater than previous studies. Forest structure varied across the region, with older forests found in Southeast Alaska and higher tree densities in British Columbia. Collectively, the coastal forests of Alaska and British Columbia store approximately 3.58 petagrams of carbon. These spatially explicit maps offer critical insights for forest management, carbon monitoring, and biodiversity conservation across this ecologically diverse and politically fragmented landscape.

Citations for Forest Inventory and Analysis:

Burrill, Elizabeth A.; DiTommaso, Andrea M.; Turner, Jeffery A.; Pugh, Scott A.; Christensen, Glenn; Perry, Carol J.; Lepine, Lucie C.; Walker, David M.; Conkling, Barbara L. 2024. The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database, FIADB user guides, volume database description (version 9.2), nationwide forest inventory (NFI). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1042 p. [Online]. Available at web address: https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/products/dataandtools/datasets/fia-datamart

Citation for Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch:







Bourgeois, William; Brinley, Clark; LeMay, Valerie; Moss, Ian; Reynolds, Nick. 2018. “British Columbia Forest Inventory Review Panel Technical Background Report.” Office of the Chief Forester Division, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, December 2018. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/stewardship/forest-analysis-inventory/brp_technical_document_final.pdf.




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