Using LiDAR to evaluate forest landscapes and health factors and their relationship to habitat of the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel on the Coronado National Forest, Pinaleno Mountains, Arizona [Chap. 12]

The Pinaleno Mountains in southeastern Arizona represent a Madrean sky island ecosystem that contains the southernmost expanse of spruce-fir forest type in North America. This ecosystem is also the last remaining habitat for the Mt. Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamenis), a federally listed endangered species. Due to a general shift in species composition and forest structure of spruce-fir type forests across the Southwest, the ecosystem is being threatened by large high-severity fires, insect infestation, and a general loss of biodiversity. These risk factors have led the Coronado National Forest to begin a forest restoration effort using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) as a tool for identifying habitat and cataloging forest inventory variables at a landscape level. LiDAR was identified as an efficient tool for filling the data collection needs because field data collection is restricted due to rugged terrain and safety concerns.