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Vegetation Disturbance Database

Published by National Park Service | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: June 25, 2025 | Last Modified: 2016-05-16
This dataset is a compilation of forest damage mapped by surveys on forested areas in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At this time, the National Aerial Survey Data Standards require only mortality and defoliation data be collected and reported. However, park staff collect data on other types of damage and therefore, this has been designed to accommodate these data. Due to the nature of GIS surveying, there may be areas within the delineated polygons that are unaffected. For example, an area with a patchy mosaic of forest insect activity may be recorded as one larger polygon by the observer. During surveys, only fading trees (those with yellow, brown, or red foliage) or those with some defoliation are mapped. Older dead trees which have lost their foliage or have dull colored foliage are not typically mapped for two primary reasons: 1) it is harder to see older dead trees that may have lost their needles and 2) it prevents recording trees that were mapped in a prior year's survey. Overview surveys are a 'snap shot' in time and therefore may not be timed to accurately capture the true extent or severity of a particular disturbance activity. Specially designed surveys with modified flight patterns and timing may be conducted to more accurately delineate the extent and severity of a particular disturbance agent. Special surveys are conducted when resources are available to address situations of sufficient economic, political or environmental importance.

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