Current Research

I provide national leadership to comprehensive scientific programs in the national office of the US Forest Service, Research & Development, Inventory, Monitoring, and Assessment Research staff. This includes the Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) program, other inventory and monitoring research; inventory and monitoring of issues including carbon accounting of the nation’s forests and grasslands, assessment of biodiversity, monitoring and assessment of ecosystems for health and sustainability or for management of old growth; national assessments such as the Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment, the National Report on Sustainable Forests and related assessments, and FS contributions to the National Climate Assessment; and coordinating these programs with other Federal, State, and local research programs and with forest resource management activities. 

Research Interests

I am interested in mobilizing research and technology to develop credible and easy to understand and use knowledge systems or platforms that could help researchers conduct broad-scale forest research, but that mainly provide knowledge to help people make decisions on forest policy and forest-related management across landscapes, to enhance investments in forests and communities.

Past Research

My past research assignments were to conduct research on ways to provide estimates and projections of multiple environmental benefits, at local to landscape to national to global scales, especially on greenhouse gas inventories and their uncertainties associated with forest and land management in the United States, and exploring management impacts.

Why This Research is Important

Information on multiple forest benefits such as carbon based on credible and science-based inventory and monitoring systems and on assessments is important for attracting and sustaining investments for forests and communities, to sustain the productivity, diversity, and health of forests and grasslands for present and future generations.

Education

• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, B.S. Forestry
• University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Ph.D. Quantitative Resources Management
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, M.S. Forest Management

Professional Organizations

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Ecological Society of America
• Society of American Foresters (SAF)

Awards & Recognition

Featured Publications & Products

• Heath, Linda S.; Anderson, Sarah M.; Emery, Marla R.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Littell, Jeremy; Lucier, Alan; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Peterson, David L.; Pouyat, Richard; Potter, Kevin M.; Robertson, Guy; Sperry, Jinelle; Bytnerowicz, Andrzej; Jovan, Sarah; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Musselman, Robert; Schulz, Bethany K.; Smith, Robert J.; Stewart, Susan I. 2015. Indicators of climate impacts for forests: recommendations for the US National Climate Assessment indicators system.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E.; Woodall, Christopher W.; Azuma, David L.; Waddell, Karen L. 2011. Carbon stocks on forestland of the United States, with emphasis on USDA Forest Service ownership.
• Heath, Linda S. 2013. Using FIA data to inform United States forest carbon national-level accounting needs: 1990-2010.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J. 2013. Carbon benefits from protected areas in the conterminous United States.

Publications

• Anderson, Sarah M.; Heath, Linda S.; Emery, Marla R.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Littell, Jeremy S.; Lucier, Alan ; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Peterson, David L.; Pouyat, Richard ; Potter, Kevin M.; Robertson, Guy ; Sperry, Jinelle . 2021. Developing a set of indicators to identify, monitor, and track impacts and change in forests of the United States.
• Liu, Jinxun ; Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Zhu, Zhiliang ; Loveland, Thomas R.; Sohl, Terry ; Howard, Stephen M.; Key, Carl H.; Hawbaker, Todd ; Liu, Shuguang ; Reed, Bradley ; Cochrane, Mark A.; Heath, Linda S.; Jiang, Hong ; Price, David T.; Chen, Jing M.; Zhou, Decheng ; Bliss, Norman B.; Wilson, Tamara ; Sherba, Jason ; Zhu, Qiuan ; Luo, Yiqi ; Poulter, Benjamin . 2020. Critical land change information enhances the understanding of carbon balance in the United States.
• Lister, Andrew J.; Andersen, Hans ; Frescino, Tracey ; Gatziolis, Demetrios ; Healey, Sean ; Heath, Linda S.; Liknes, Greg C.; McRoberts, Ronald ; Moisen, Gretchen G.; Nelson, Mark ; Riemann, Rachel ; Schleeweis, Karen ; Schroeder, Todd A.; Westfall, James ; Wilson, B. Tyler. 2020. Use of Remote Sensing Data to Improve the Efficiency of National Forest Inventories: A Case Study from the United States National Forest Inventory.
• Ogle, Stephen M; Davis, Kenneth; Lauvaux, Thomas; Schuh, Andrew; Cooley, Dan; West, Tristram O; Heath, Linda S; Miles, Natasha L; Richardson, Scott; Breidt, F Jay; Smith, James E; McCarty, Jessica L; Gurney, Kevin R; Tans, Pieter; Denning, A Scott. 2015. An approach for verifying biogenic greenhouse gas emissions inventories with atmospheric CO2 concentration data.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2015. Measuring and modeling carbon stock change estimates for US forests and uncertainties from apparent inter-annual variability.
• Hoover, Coeli M.; Heath, Linda S. 2014. A commentary on 'mineral soil carbon fluxes in forests and implications for carbon balance assessments': a deeper look at the data.
• Chojnacky, David C.; Heath, Linda S.; Jenkins, Jennifer C. 2014. Updated generalized biomass equations for North American tree species.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J.; Quayle, Brad. 2013. Assessing double counting of carbon emissions between forest land cover change and forest wildfires: a case study in the United States, 1992-2006.
• Zheng, Daolan; Ducey, Mark J.; Heath, Linda S. 2013. Assessing net carbon sequestration on urban and community forests of northern New England, USA.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S.; Hoover, Coeli M. 2013. Carbon factors and models for forest carbon estimates for the 2005-2011 National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the United States.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J.; Smith, James E. 2013. Forest carbon dynamics associated with growth and disturbances in Oklahoma and Texas, 1992-2006.
• Burke, Marianne K.; Chouksey, Karan; Heath, Linda. 2013. Land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) activities.
• Muzika, Rose-Marie ; Heath, Linda S. 2012. Fire effects.
• Colombo, Stephen J.; Chen, Jiaxin ; Ter-Mikaelian, Michael T.; McKechnie, Jon ; Elkie, Philip C.; MacLean, Heather L.; Heath, Linda S. 2012. Forest protection and forest harvest as strategies for ecological sustainability and climate change mitigation.
• Hayes, Daniel J.; Turner, David P.; Stinson, Graham; Mcguire, A. David; Wei, Yaxing; West, Tristram O.; Heath, Linda S.; Dejong, Bernardus; McConkey, Brian G.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Kurz, Werner A.; Jacobson, Andrew R.; Huntzinger, Deborah N.; Pan, Yude; Post, W. Mac; Cook, Robert B. 2012. Reconciling estimates of the contemporary North American carbon balance among terrestrial biosphere models, atmospheric inversions, and a new approach for estimating net ecosystem exchange from inventory-based data.
• McKinley, Duncan C.; Ryan, Michael G.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Giardina, Christian P.; Harmon, Mark E.; Heath, Linda S.; Houghton, Richard A.; Jackson, Robert B.; Morrison, James F.; Murray, Brian C.; Pataki, Diane E.; Skog, Kenneth E. 2011. A synthesis of current knowledge on forests and carbon storage in the United States.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J.; Smith, James E. 2011. Carbon changes in conterminous US forests associated with growth and major disturbances: 1992-2001.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E.; Woodall, Christopher W.; Azuma, Dave; Waddell, Karen L. 2011. Carbon stocks on forestland of the United States, with emphaisis on USDA Forest Service ownership.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J.; Smith, James E. 2011. Effects of land use/cover change and harvests on forest carbon dynamics in northern states of the United States from remote sensing and inventory data: 1992-2001.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E.; Skog, Kenneth E.; Nowak, David J.; Woodall, Christopher W. 2011. Managed forest carbon estimates for the US greenhouse gas inventory, 1990-2008.
• Woodall, Christopher W.; Heath, Linda S.; Domke, Grant M.; Nichols, Michael C. 2011. Methods and equations for estimating aboveground volume, biomass, and carbon for trees in the U.S. forest inventory, 2010.
• Hoover, Coeli, M..; Heath, Linda S. 2011. Potential gains in storage on productive forestlands in the northeastern United Sates through stocking management.
• Ryan, Michael G.; Harmon, Mark E.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Giardina, Christian P.; Heath, Linda S.; Houghton, Richard A.; Jackson, Robert B.; McKinley, Duncan C.; Morrison, James F.; Murray, Brian C.; Pataki, Diane E.; Skog, Kenneth E. 2010. A synthesis of the science on forests and carbon for U.S. Forests.
• Hines, Sarah J.; Heath, Linda S.; Birdsey, Richard A. 2010. An annotated bibliography of scientific literature on managing forests for carbon benefits.
• Chen, Jiaxin; Colombo, Stephen J.; Ter-Mikaelian, Michael T.; Heath, Linda S. 2010. Carbon budget of Ontario's managed forests and harvested wood products, 2001 2100.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2010. Exploring the assumed invariance of implied emission factors for forest biomass in greenhouse gas inventories.
• Heath, Linda S.; Nichols, Michael C.; Smith, James E.; Mills, John R. 2010. FORCARB2: An updated version of the U.S. Forest Carbon Budget Model.
• Heath, Linda S.; Maltby, Van; Miner, Reid; Skog, Kenneth E.; Smith, James E.; Unwin, Jay; Upton, Brad. 2010. Greenhouse gas and carbon profile of the U.S. forest products industry value chain.
• Yu, Yifan; Saatch, Sassan; Heath, Linda S.; LaPoint, Elizabeth; Myneni, Ranga; Knyazikhin, Yuri. 2010. Regional distribution of forest height and biomass from multisensor data fusion.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J.; Butler, Brett. 2010. Relationships between major ownerships, forest aboveground biomass distributions, and landscape dynamics in the New England Region of USA.
• Ryan, Michael G.; Harmon, Mark E.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Giardina, Christian P.; Heath, Linda S.; Houghton, Richard A.; Jackson, Robert B.; McKinley, Duncan C.; Morrison, James F.; Murray, Brian C.; Pataki, Diane E.; Skog, Kenneth E. 2010. S ntesis del estado del conocimiento del ciclo de carbono en ecosistemas boscosos de los Estados Unidos.
• Van Deusen, Paul C.; Heath, Linda S. 2010. Weighted analysis methods for mapped plot forest inventory data: Tables, regressions, maps and graphs.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J.; Smith, James E. 2009. A preliminary investigation of forest carbon changes associated with land-use change in northern New England.
• Birdsey, Richard; Bates, Nick; Behrenfeld, MIke; Davis, Kenneth; Doney, Scott C.; Feely, Richard; Hansell, Dennis; Heath, Linda; et al., . 2009. Carbon cycle observations: gaps threaten climate mitigation policies.
• Ducey, M.J.; Zheng, D.; Heath, L.S. 2009. Creating compatible maps from remotely sensed and forest inventory data using radial basis functions.
• Heath, Linda S.; Hansen, Mark; Smith, James E.; Miles, Patrick D. 2009. Investigation into calculating tree biomass and carbon in the FIADB using a biomass expansion factor approach.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, L.S.; Ducey, M.J.; Smith, J.E. 2009. Quantifying scaling effects on satellite-derived forest area estimates for the conterminous USA.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2008. Carbon stocks and stock changes in U.S. forests.
• Chen, Jiaxin; Colombo, Stephen J.; Ter-Mikaelian, Michael T.; Heath, Linda S. 2008. Future carbon storage in harvested wood products from Ontario's Crown forests.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J. 2008. Identifying grain-size dependent errors on global forest area estimates and carbon studies.
• Ryan, M.G.; Archer, S.R.; Birdsey, R.A.; Dahm, C.N.; Heath, L.S.; Hicke, J.A.; Hollinger, D.Y.; Huxman, T.E.; Okin, G.S.; Oren, R.; Randerson, J.T.; Schlesinger, W.H. 2008. Land resources: forests and arid lands.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J. 2008. Modeling grain-size dependent bias in estimating forest area: a regional application.
• Woodall, C.W.; Heath, L.S.; Smith, J.E. 2008. National inventories of down and dead woody material forest carbon stocks in the United States: Challenges and opportunities.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J. 2008. Satellite detection of land-use change and effects on regional forest aboveground biomass estimates.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J. 2008. Spatial distribution of forest aboveground biomass estimated from remote sensing and forest inventory data in New England, USA.
• Upton, Brad; Miner, Reid; Spinney, Mike; Heath, Linda S. 2008. The greenhouse gas and energy impacts of using wood instead of alternatives in residential construction in the United States.
• Woodbury, Peter B.; Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2007. Carbon sequestration in the U.S. forest sector from 1990 to 2010.
• Woodbury, Peter B.; Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2007. Effects of land use change on soil carbon cycling in the conterminous United States from 1900 to 2050.
• Zheng, Daolan; Heath, Linda S.; Ducey, Mark J. 2007. Forest biomass estimated from MODIS and FIA data in the Lake States: MN, WI and MI, USA.
• Birdsey, Richard A.; Jenkins, Jennifer C.; Johnston, Mark; Huber-Sannwald, Elisabeth; Amiro, Brian; de Jong, Ben; Etchevers Barra, Jorge D.; French, Nancy; Garcia-Oliva, Felipe; Harmon, Mark; Heath, Linda S.; Jaramillo, Victor J.; Johnsen, Kurt; Law, Beverly E.; Marin-Spiotta, Erika; Masera, Omar; Neilson, Ronald; Pan, Yude; Pregitzer, Kurt S. 2007. North American forests.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S.; Nichols, Michael C. 2007. US forest carbon calculation tool: forest-land carbon stocks and net annual stock change.
• Woodbury, Peter B.; Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2006. Land use change effects on forest carbon cycling throughout the southern United States.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S.; Skog, Kenneth E.; Birdsey, Richard A. 2006. Methods for calculating forest ecosystem and harvested carbon with standard estimates for forest types of the United States.
• Zhang, Lianjun; Bi, Huiquan; Gove, Jeffrey H.; Heath, Linda S. 2005. A comparison of alternative methods for estimating the self-thinning boundary line.
• Proctor, Patrick; Heath, Linda S.; Van Deusen, Paul C.; Gove, Jeffery H.; Smith, James E. 2005. COLE: A Web-based Tool for Interfacing with Forest Inventory Data.
• Spinney, Michael P.; Van Deusen, Paul C.; Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2005. COLE: Carbon On-line Estimator, Version 2.
• Garber, Sean M.; Brown, John P.; Wilson, Duncan S.; Maguire, Douglas A.; Heath, Linda S.; Heath, Linda S. 2005. Snag longevity under alternative silvicultural regimes in mixed-species forests of central Maine.
• Zhang, Lianjun; Gove, Jeffrey H.; Heath, Linda S.; Heath, Linda S. 2005. Spatial residual analysis of six modeling techniques.
• Proctor, Patrick; Van Deusen, Paul C.; Heath, Linda S.; Gove, Jeffrey H. 2005. The open-source movement: an introduction for forestry professionals.
• Heath, Linda S. 2005. What Landowners and Forest Managers Need to Know about Forest Carbon: a Background from Global to Local.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2004. Carbon Stocks and Projections on Public Forestlands in the United States, 1952-2040.
• Jenkins, Jennifer C.; Chojnacky, David C.; Heath, Linda S.; Birdsey, Richard A. 2004. Comprehensive database of diameter-based biomass regressions for North American tree species.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2004. Criterion 5, Indicator 26: total forest ecosystem biomass and carbon pool, and if appropriate, by forest type, age class and successional change.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2004. Criterion 5, Indicator 27: contribution of forest ecosystems of the total global carbon budget, including absorption and release of carbon.
• Heath, Linda S.; Skog, Kenneth E. 2004. Criterion 5, Indicator 28: contribution of forest products to the global carbon budget.
• Chojnacky, David C.; Mickler, Robert A.; Heath, Linda S.; Woodall, Christopher W. 2004. Estimates of Down Woody Materials in Eastern US Forests.
• Mickler, Robert A.; Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2004. Forest carbon trends in the Southern United States.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S.; Woodbury, Peter B. 2004. How to estimate forest carbon for large areas from inventory data.
• Chojnacky, David C.; Mickler, Robert A.; Heath, Linda S. 2003. Carbon in down woody materials of eastern U.S. forests.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E.; Birdsey, Richard A. 2003. Carbon trends in U.S. forestlands: a context for the role of soils in forest carbon sequestration.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S.; Jenkins, Jennifer C. 2003. Forest volume-to-biomass models and estimates of mass for live and standing dead trees of U.S. forests..
• Jenkins, Jennifer C.; Chojnacky, David C.; Heath, Linda S.; Birdsey, Richard A. 2003. National scale biomass estimators for United States tree species.
• Birdsey, R.; Hollinger, D.; Heath, L.; Hoover, C.; Kolka, R.; Smith, M. L.; Ryan, M. 2003. Pilot Studies for Enhanced Forest Land Measurement.
• Heath, Linda S.; Kimble, John M.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Lal, Rattan. 2003. The potential of U.S. forest soils to sequester carbon.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2002. A model of forest floor carbon mass for United States forest types.
• Chojnacky, David C.; Heath, Linda S. 2002. Estimating down dead wood from FIA forest inventory variables in Maine.
• Chojnacky, David C.; Heath, Linda S. 2002. Estimating down deadwood from FIA forest inventory variables in Maine.
• Goodale, Christine L.; Apps, Michael J.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Field , Christopher B.; Heath, Linda S.; Houghton, Richard A.; Jenkins, Jennifer C.; Kohlmaier, Gundolf H.; Kurz, Werner; Liu, Shirong; Nabuurs, Gert-Jan; Nilsson, Sten; Shvidenko, Anatoly Z. 2002. Forest carbon sinks in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Heath, L. S.; Birdsey, R. A.; Williams, D. W. 2002. Methodology for estimating soil carbon for the forest carbon budget model of the United States, 2001.
• Heath, Linda S.; Chojnacky, David C.; Chojnacky, David C. 2001. Down dead wood statistics for Maine timberlands, 1995.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2001. Identifying influences on model uncertainty: an application using a forest carbon budget model.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2000. An assessment of uncertainty in forest carbon budget projections.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 2000. Considerations for interpreting probabilistic estimates of uncertainty of forest carbon.
• McWilliams, William H.; Heath, Linda S.; Reese, Gordon C.; Schmidt, Thomas L. 2000. Forest resources and conditions.
• Hoover, Coeli M.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Heath, Linda S.; Stout, Susan L. 2000. How to estimate carbon sequestration on small forest tracts estimate carbon sequestration on small forest tracts.
• Heath, Linda S.; Smith, James E. 2000. Soil carbon accounting and assumptions for forestry and forest-related land use change.
• Birdsey, Richard A.; Mickler, Robert A.; Hom, John; Heath, Linda S. 2000. Summary of prospective global change impacts on northern U.S. forest ecosystems.
• Eav, Bov B.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Heath, Linda S. 2000. The Kyoto Protocol and forestry practices in the United States.
• Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S. 1998. Multidisciplinary views in modeling response to climate change: A workshop summary.
• Heath, Linda S.; Joyce, Linda A. 1997. Carbon sequestration in forests as a national policy issue.
• Heath, Linda S.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Row, Clark; Plantinga, Andrew J. 1996. Carbon pools and flux in U.S. forest products.
• Birdsey, R.A.; Heath, L.S. 1995. 4. Carbon Changes in U.S. Forests.
• Fahey, Thomas D.; Cahill, James M.; Snellgrove, Thomas A.; Heath, Linda S. 1991. Lumber and veneer recovery from intensively managed young-growth Douglas-fir..
• Peterson, Charles E.; Heath, Linda S. 1991. The influence of weather variation on regional growth of Douglas-fir stands in the U.S. Pacific Northwest..

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
NRS-2012-20	Forest Carbon Estimates for Climate Benefits Projects Around the World Science on forest carbon benefits developed by the Forest Service contributes to a reduction in deforestation and degradation in forests through ...	2012
NRS-2013-062	Improving Forest Inventory and Monitoring Capacity in Countries of the World Efficient national and subnational level inventory and monitoring systems are needed to characterize carbon and other attributes of forests so t ...	2013