NRS2024-0014 - Systematic Aerial Sketch Mapping Surveys of Manitoba Forests

Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources requires systematic aerial sketch mapping surveys of Manitoba Forests to assess the extent and severity of forest health impacts caused by insects, diseases and/or environmental conditions on forests in Manitoba. Building polygons of damaged forest, as well as identifying the disturbance type, severity, and the dispersion of that disturbance within the polygon drawn is required.

The service provider must provide an aircraft with pilot and team members capable of completing aerial sketch mapping of Manitoba forests in a systematic province-wide grid. This includes:
1. An initial potential Extensive Survey, as outlined in Figure 1, and potential Intensive Survey(s) in selected areas.
2. Recording the location and extent of a forest disturbance.
3. Recording the severity of a forest disturbance and other characteristics (eg. distribution).
4. Identifying the damaging agent and the tree species affected.
  a) The potential damaging agents occurring in Manitoba forests include, but are not limited to:

• Eastern spruce budworm
• Jack pine budworm
• Forest tent caterpillar
• Eastern larch beetle
• Dwarf mistletoe
• Armillaria root rot
• Flood
• Weather (blow down, etc.)
• Bark beetle(s)
• Foliar diseases