Mapping and tracking California forests

Webinar recording.

The Center for Ecosystem Climate Solutions (CECS), with support from California’s Strategic Growth Council (SGC), built a data cube of California forest conditions for 1985 to 2023. These data include state-wide, 30-m information on ecosystem disturbance, carbon, water, and fire hazard. These data are being tested against field observations with support from CALFIRE, and an updated 2024 dataset is nearing release. This presentation will introduce the data cube and use it to quantify recent changes in California’s wildlands.

Mike Goulden is a Professor of Earth System Science (ESS) at UC Irvine. Goulden’s research focuses on Ecosystem ecology, and the Biological, physical, and chemical controls on terrestrial carbon and water cycling. Goulden has conducted extensive fieldwork on carbon exchange in tropical, boreal and temperate ecosystems. Goulden’s more recent work emphasizes satellite-based mapping of ecosystem conditions and function.

The Forest Health Research Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.