Project Description: The goals of this project are to map the locations tree species and the condition of tree health in Acadia National Park (ACAD) and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (KAWW) so that the parks can understand the threat of invasive insect pests, like Emerald Ash Borer and Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, and protect threatened tree species traditionally used by the Wabanaki tribes, such as ash. This project will map select species of trees and tree health for all forested lands in ACAD and KAWW using existing ground, airborne, and satellite imagery because the parks currently lack maps accurately representing tree species occurrence and tree health at fine spatial resolution. These maps will provide a valuable resource for a number of management and resource applications including: 1) management of invasive insect pests and diseases, such as Emerald Ash Borer, Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, and red pine scale, and 2) anticipating and managing changes in forest species or mass mortality events that may occur with climate change and drought, and possibly in combination with insect pests.
The outcomes of this project are a peer-reviewed report and a map of tree species composition and tree health in ACAD and KAWW that describes the condition of a range of forest types across both parks. In addition, two in-person workshops, one each in ACAD and KAWW, will be held to communicate findings to park staff and other stakeholders (e.g., researchers, friends’ groups, land trusts, municipalities) and to get input to improve and revise the maps. A communication product (e.g., resource brief, web article, or story map) will also be completed to share the findings more widely.
Lead Principal Investigator: Nick Fisichelli, Schoodic Institute
Partner Institution: Schoodic Institute
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Federal Agency Technical Contact: Dr. Jim Comiskey
Project Type: Research
Project Discipline: Natural Resources
Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E)
Start Year: 2022
End Year: 2024
Initial Funding Amount: $29,786.00
Federal Grant Number: P22AC00405
Amendments
- Amendment Number: 1, Year: 2023, Amount: $32,144.00
Location: Acadia and Katahdin Woods and Waters
National Parks or Protected Areas:
- Acadia (NPS)
- Katahdin Woods and Waters (NPS)
State(s): Maine
Products Associated with this Project:
- No products found.