The Office of the Vice President for Research recognizes Valerie Thomas, assistant professor of forestry, for innovative research in applications of lidar imagery to analysis of forest canopy structure and function.

Her work contributes to the improvement of national and global carbon exhange and climate models through a better understanding of forest ecosystem physiology across the landscape. By constructing the three dimensional shape of trees and their spatial arrangement using lidar data, Valerie can model light penetration through the canopy and its influence on photosynthesis.

Ejournals with these articles are available in University Libraries (additional articles are listed on the faculty member’s home page):

Thomas, V., Treitz, P., McCaughey, J.H., Noland, T., and Rich, L., 2007. Canopy chlorophyll concentration estimation using hyperspectral and lidar data for a boreal mixedwood forest in northern Ontario, Canada. Accepted by the International Journal of Remote Sensing on February 3, 2007.

Thomas, V., D.A. Finch, J.H. McCaughey, T. Noland, L. Rich, and P. Treitz, 2006. Spatial modelling of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by a boreal mixed wood forest using a lidar-hyperspectral approach. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 140, 287-307.

Thomas, V., P. Treitz, J.H. McCaughey, and I. Morrison, 2006. Mapping stand-level forest biophysical variables for a mixed wood boreal forest using lidar: an examination of scanning density. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 36, 34-47.

 

Dr. Thomas may be reached at:
Dr. Valerie Thomas
Assistant Professor
Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; 242 Cheatham Hall
Email: thomasv@vt.ed, Phone: 231-0958
Webpage: http://www.forestry.vt.edu/Faculty/ValerieThomas.html