Interpret the Images A Logging in Oregon, USA story
Forests
A more up-close look in the Landsat images helps you to see the progression of clearcutting and regrowth. The colors in most of these images are a patchwork of tan, white, and various shades of green. First, notice that the landscape changes a lot during this time. How can you ensure that this series of close-up images is the same exact area? Identify features that do not change throughout the series, such as a river, as you click through the time series.
Next, notice the difference between the shades of light green and dark green. How would these two areas look if you were standing on the ground? Dark green indicates taller trees and an older forest. Light green areas are only beginning to recover from past logging, so the young trees in these areas are not very tall yet.
The tan areas are fresh clearcuts. Using the infrared wavelengths of light that Landsat can detect helps to more clearly see those cleared areas. Compare the amount of tan seen in these images throughout the time series. Can you tell how long it takes for these cleared areas to look as they did before the clearing took place?
Location
July 19, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 30, 1988, Landsat 5 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 31, 1994, Landsat 5 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 5, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 29, 2005, Landsat 5 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 24, 2009, Landsat 5 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 3, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
June 7, 2015, Landsat 8 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
June 26, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 14, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 1, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
July 25, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 46/30) — logging patterns, OR, USA
Logging in Oregon, USA Additional Imagery & Stories
Checkerboard Pattern
The close-up Landsat images that accompany this section show an obvious checkerboard pattern in the forest. These lands are known as “O&C” lands, ...
Clearcutting
A logging strategy that’s easy to spot in the Landsat imagery is clearcutting. All the trees in an area are harvested, and then replanting begins imme...
Colorful Composites
On Earthshots we typically show “multispectral composites”—single-date images that combine three different wavelengths into one image. The example use...