This version of the map uses the Google Earth plug-in. If you don't have the plug-in installed it will show up as a 2D map.
This map shows features I found while looking for traces of old farms in the Waynesboro Watershed.
View Nov16.kml in a larger map
View Nov16.kml in a larger map
This hike took about an hour and a half. It's great on a sunny afternoon as the hill has a westerly aspect.
View Bricker Clearing Trail Hike in a larger map
View Bricker Clearing Trail Hike in a larger map
This presentation has notes on map coordinate systems.
To view an html version of this presentation click here. (It is best to view it in MS Internet Explorer.
To view an html version of this presentation click here. (It is best to view it in MS Internet Explorer.
In remote sensing images taken during the summer in the visible spectrum it's hard to distinguish between hardwood and softwood trees and even harder to identify individual species. During leaf-out in the spring it is much easier to determine species composition as the different hardwood species get their leaves at different time and have different colors. Softwoods stand out even more!
The same thing happens in the fall as trees lose their leaves. You don't even need an airplane to see the difference. Just drive by a steep slope when the sunlight is right. It's just like an oblique aerial photo.
Here, looking across Penn National, the pine stand in Meeting of the Pines stands out strongly against the surrounding hillside. This has been the peak week for foliage in southern PA. This picture was taken in the afternoon of 10/22.
The same thing happens in the fall as trees lose their leaves. You don't even need an airplane to see the difference. Just drive by a steep slope when the sunlight is right. It's just like an oblique aerial photo.
Here, looking across Penn National, the pine stand in Meeting of the Pines stands out strongly against the surrounding hillside. This has been the peak week for foliage in southern PA. This picture was taken in the afternoon of 10/22.
One of my favorite trees in Africa is the Néré (Parkia biglobosa). This species is so useful that it has been preserved and cultivated around the villages and throughout the landscapes of west African countries. Below is a superb specimen outside the Environmental Education Center in Kinkon, Guinea in the Fouta Jalon Highlands, where I was visiting in December, 2006.
Another name is the African locust bean tree. The néré is a legume, and can therefore fix nitrogen. A more important use is to ferment the seeds to make a cooking condiment called soumbala, that is prized in local cooking around the region.
This pictures shows the flower pods, which are bright red when mature.
This photo found on Flickr shows soumbala being processed and presented in the market.
Another name is the African locust bean tree. The néré is a legume, and can therefore fix nitrogen. A more important use is to ferment the seeds to make a cooking condiment called soumbala, that is prized in local cooking around the region.This pictures shows the flower pods, which are bright red when mature.
This photo found on Flickr shows soumbala being processed and presented in the market.
Family at the market
Originally uploaded by v3ronique.
Originally uploaded by v3ronique.
The caption says: "Little girl stays very close to her mother while she is making 'soumbala' or "Maggi" at the market. They are made of fermented seeds
rolled into a ball and fried. "
This USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network article has botanical information.
This article, in pdf format, has general information about nere and its nursery requirements.
This USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network article has botanical information.
This article, in pdf format, has general information about nere and its nursery requirements.
This afternoon I will be speaking to the Intro to Forestry class on international forestry in what has become an annual event. I will concentrate on problems of deforestation and desertification in the Sahel region of western Africa. Here is a map of places I have worked over the years:
View My African Places. in a larger map
Summarizing up some of the main reasons for deforestation:
There has been a lot of upheaval lately in Guinea, the last country I visited. Last year the president died after a long illness. Within a few hours his corrupt regime was replaced by a group of young army officers. They promised to end corruption and restore democracy. The leader of the group, Captain Camara, promised he wouldn't run for president. Now he has changed his mind. Recently his soldiers slaughtered and raped protesters at the national stadium. Here are articles from the New York Times and the BBC. Guinea should be a prosperous and happy country with all the resources at its disposal. I hope this situation can be resolved soon.
Here are pictures from my visit to Guinea at the end of 2006. I volunteered at an environmental education technical school near Pita. It was great to work in French again!
Finally, I was at the Soc. of American Foresters Convention last week. The Peace Corps said that they had many more openings in forestry and natural resources than they do volunteers. This is an excellent way to jumpstart your career. I highly recommend it.
- Overgrazing is caused by the farmers' strategy of letting livestock roam freely as a sort of bank on the hoof.
- Poor agricultural practices that result in soil erosion and loss.
- The emphasis on cash crops, like cotton and peanuts, that require expensive fertilizer input.
- Periodic droughts. These are a normal part of the environment, but with larger populations there is less flexibility in dealing with the problems.
There has been a lot of upheaval lately in Guinea, the last country I visited. Last year the president died after a long illness. Within a few hours his corrupt regime was replaced by a group of young army officers. They promised to end corruption and restore democracy. The leader of the group, Captain Camara, promised he wouldn't run for president. Now he has changed his mind. Recently his soldiers slaughtered and raped protesters at the national stadium. Here are articles from the New York Times and the BBC. Guinea should be a prosperous and happy country with all the resources at its disposal. I hope this situation can be resolved soon.
Here are pictures from my visit to Guinea at the end of 2006. I volunteered at an environmental education technical school near Pita. It was great to work in French again!
Finally, I was at the Soc. of American Foresters Convention last week. The Peace Corps said that they had many more openings in forestry and natural resources than they do volunteers. This is an excellent way to jumpstart your career. I highly recommend it.
The researchers use doughnuts to entice the bears to traps. (They didn't say which flavor.) The bears are then anaesthetized and fitted with tags and a collar. Hair samples are also taken for genetic testing.
The results of the work should show how much land needs to be conserved so that the bears have room to migrate and maintain healthy breeding populations.
The article doesn't make clear that the GPS data has to be transmitted somehow from the collar so that it can be analyzed. In the captions of the photo galleries it says a text messaging system is used to relay the data. That's an important link since a plain GPS receiver doesn't transmit data.
Photo from the Flickr Digital Commons. American Black Bear. Lincoln Park Zoo mammal. 1900.
View Aerial Photos Reconnaissance 2009 in a larger map
- Waynesboro Dam Using the dam and reservoir it is easy to orient the photo. The clearcut to the northeast stands out.
- Buffer Strip / Harvest Border The pole-sized stand that has grown from the clearcut is clearly visible today. The straight logging trail is still visible today. The buffer strip has continued growing. Today gaps have developed in the stand as trees have died.
- Pipeline Climbing east from Old Forge Rd on the pipeline the harvest block on the west side of the road is clearly still visible today.
- Golf Course The golf course and the adjacent Ralph Brock Seed Orchard combine to make unique landmarks. The golf course has been maintained in the same condition for many years.
- Mont Alto State Park The pavilion in the Mont Alto State Park stands out on the ground, but is harder to see from an aerial photo. Parts of it are overtopped by nearby trees. The dark green color of the roof make it harder to see on a black and white photo.
Click here to see the sites on Microsoft Bing Maps. Bing Maps has different imagery and very detailed birds' eye views for this area.
This picture from the Terrace Mountain Fire near Kelowna, British Columbia shows the how oblique aerial photos can help determine the extent of and amount of damage from a forest fire. An oblique photo is taken at an angle towards the ground instead of vertically. They are good for rapid estimations and are easy to interpret. They can't be used for photographic measurements.
Here is the original caption of the photo:
The charred forest stretches all the way up to near the summit of Terrace Mountain in this view looking up the eastern face of the peak. (Photo Chris Stanford)
Click here for more images.
Click here for a Google Map showing the area.
