HiForm is an advanced technology developed by the U.S. Forest Service's Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center that uses satellite image data to detect forest disturbance. Leveraging Google Earth Engine and a custom user interface, HiForm uses pre and post-storm satellite observations to calculate Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) departure from a storm. In other words, it can calculate a loss of green vegetation very rapidly and with incredible accuracy following a storm.
These images show tornado damage in Kemper County from the most recent line of storms that came through our state.
Since trees haven't leafed out for Spring, this only highlights pine damage. We will wait until leaf-out to see if deciduous forest cover was also affected.
Original source can be found here.
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