Aerial Overview Surveys

The provincial aerial overview survey is the cornerstone of forest health monitoring in B.C. Like most forested jurisdictions across North America, B.C.’s annual aerial sketch mapping is done to efficiently record the location and severity of forest disturbances that can be seen from the air.

Combined with records from the Canadian Forest Service dating back to 1914, B.C.’s aerial overview survey data provides invaluable historical information on the patterns of disturbance across the provincial forested land base.

Information from aerial overview surveys can be used to help understand the impacts of forest pests or other disturbances, and can help predict how climate change might change the impact of these disturbances in the future.