GEOCORPS GIS INTERNSHIPS WITH THE NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE IN ALABAMA

I will be presenting my experience as a Geospatial Support Assistant during my GeoCorps internship with the USDA Forest Service’s National Forests in Alabama from May to August 2017. The USDA Forest Service uses ArcGIS as a tool to enhance the data it collects as part of its mission to manage and restore our Nation’s National Grasslands and Forests. As a Geospatial intern, I mapped the extent of and the remaining restoration opportunities across the National Forests in Alabama. I created map products which were used in decision making within the Forest Service and for public use. Additionally, I prepared geospatial data which was incorporated into the National Resource Manager’s dataset by my supervisor, Stanley Glover. The National Resource Manager is a Forest Service organization responsible for coordinating FS data. A focus of the National Forests in Alabama is the restoration of the Long Leaf Pine and its ecosystem. The goals and science of active management which the National Forests of Alabama adhere to will be presented along with the ways in which data stewardship of geospatial data is used to reach those goals. Mentioned in this presentation will be some of the opportunities I had to learn more about the National Forests in Alabama which included visits and experiences in examining invasive plant species, participating in an event for the release of 27 Indigo Snakes, coring trees, and collecting soil measurements using soil penetrometers.