Under contract to the Maine Forest Service (MFS), James W. Sewall Company has completed a second project to assess 1998 ice storm damage in Maine. For the initial study, conducted in the spring of 1998 and 1999, Sewall acquired 15,500 high-resolution, true-color aerial photographs of 4.3 million acres of forest land. Interpreting the photography, Sewall analysts identified the percentage and distribution of tree crown damage in affected areas 25 acres or more, delineated these areas, and compiled geographic information system (GIS) map files for each town.
Utilizing these data as a basis of comparison, Sewall acquired 6,861 true-color aerial photographs of 1.83 million acres this spring and interpreted and mapped the intensity/pattern of tree crown damage and harvest response for approximately half of this acreage.
