A new forest monitoring system in the United States uses satellite imagery, climate, soil, and weather data will help identify abnormal vegetation patterns and seasonal changes, and alert authorities of any potential threats from insects, disease, or fire.

Known as Forest Incidence Recognition and State Tracking (FIRST), the multi-agency project is led by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and developed, in part, by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“We can develop signatures of disturbance dynamics and teach the system to tell us not only where potential threats are, but even suggest what might be going on,” said ORNL computational scientist Forrest Hoffmann.

The system will proactively help forest management efforts by pinpointing the areas most in need of rehabilitation or those most likely to face future calamity.