Kurtis Nelson
Kurtis Nelson is a Scientist with the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
Science and Products
Southwest Fire Innovation Landscape Network: Advanced tools for fuel monitoring and assessment of wildfire risk
The USGS Southwest Biological Science Center is coordinating the Southwest Fire Innovation Landscape Network to prepare fire and natural resource managers for rapidly changing fire landscapes by conducting research and building science-management partnerships. The network develops advanced tools and technologies to assess fuel loads and the effectiveness of fuel treatments, understand wildfire...
Expanded Access to Real-Time Burn Severity Mapping
Near real-time burn severity maps are created by request to support Burned Area Emergency Response Teams managed by the US Forest Service and Department of the Interior agencies. This project expands the availability of these data for additional post-fire landscapes to support post-fire stabilization and rehabilitation activities of local, state, tribal, and non-land management federal agencies.
Improving forest structure mapping and regeneration prediction with multi-scale lidar observations
To make informed decisions, land managers require knowledge about the state of the ecosystems present. Vegetation structure is a key indicator of the state of forested systems; it influences habitat suitability, water quality and runoff, microclimate, and informs wildfire-related characteristics such as fuel loads, burn severity, and post-fire regeneration. Field data used to derive...
Fire Atlas
EROS work on fire activity in the United States includes the creation of an atlas of fire perimeters for fires occurring on U.S. National Wildlife Refuges from 1984 through 2013. Fire Atlas perimeter data provide information to refuge managers as they plan land management activities for their units. EROS analysts use data provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which include a name...
Fire Danger Forecast
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), in conjunction with the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest (PSW) Region, has developed several new products for understanding and forecasting the probability of large wildland fires on all land in the conterminous U.S.
Evaluation and testing of standardized forest vegetation metrics derived from lidar data
The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managing the acquisition of lidar data across the Nation for high resolution mapping of the land surface, useful for multiple applications. Lidar data is initially collected as 3-dimensional “point clouds” that map the interaction of the airborne laser with earth surface features, including vegetation, buildings, and ground features. Generally the...
Science and Products
Southwest Fire Innovation Landscape Network: Advanced tools for fuel monitoring and assessment of wildfire risk
The USGS Southwest Biological Science Center is coordinating the Southwest Fire Innovation Landscape Network to prepare fire and natural resource managers for rapidly changing fire landscapes by conducting research and building science-management partnerships. The network develops advanced tools and technologies to assess fuel loads and the effectiveness of fuel treatments, understand wildfire...
Expanded Access to Real-Time Burn Severity Mapping
Near real-time burn severity maps are created by request to support Burned Area Emergency Response Teams managed by the US Forest Service and Department of the Interior agencies. This project expands the availability of these data for additional post-fire landscapes to support post-fire stabilization and rehabilitation activities of local, state, tribal, and non-land management federal agencies.
Improving forest structure mapping and regeneration prediction with multi-scale lidar observations
To make informed decisions, land managers require knowledge about the state of the ecosystems present. Vegetation structure is a key indicator of the state of forested systems; it influences habitat suitability, water quality and runoff, microclimate, and informs wildfire-related characteristics such as fuel loads, burn severity, and post-fire regeneration. Field data used to derive...
Fire Atlas
EROS work on fire activity in the United States includes the creation of an atlas of fire perimeters for fires occurring on U.S. National Wildlife Refuges from 1984 through 2013. Fire Atlas perimeter data provide information to refuge managers as they plan land management activities for their units. EROS analysts use data provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which include a name...
Fire Danger Forecast
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), in conjunction with the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest (PSW) Region, has developed several new products for understanding and forecasting the probability of large wildland fires on all land in the conterminous U.S.
Evaluation and testing of standardized forest vegetation metrics derived from lidar data
The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managing the acquisition of lidar data across the Nation for high resolution mapping of the land surface, useful for multiple applications. Lidar data is initially collected as 3-dimensional “point clouds” that map the interaction of the airborne laser with earth surface features, including vegetation, buildings, and ground features. Generally the...