AH
Forest Integrity Project
Published on by Andrew Hansen
Remotely sensed maps of global forest extent are widely used for conservation assessment and
planning. Yet, there is increasing recognition that these efforts must now include elements of forest
quality for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Such data are not yet available globally. Here we
introduce two data products, the Forest Structural Condition Index (SCI) and the Forest Structural
Integrity Index (FSII), to meet this need for the humid tropics. The SCI integrates canopy height, tree
cover, and time since disturbance to distinguish short, open-canopy, or recently deforested stands from
tall, closed-canopy, older stands typical of primary forest. The SCI was validated against estimates of
foliage height diversity derived from airborne lidar. The FSII overlays a global index of human pressure
on SCI to identify structurally complex forests with low human pressure, likely the most valuable
for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. These products represent an important step in
maturation from conservation focus on forest extent to forest stands that should be considered “best of
the last” in international policy settings.
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Funding
NASA Ecological Forecasting Program