Established in 1918, the Petawawa Research Forest (PRF) is the oldest, continuously operated research forest in Canada. The PRF was established to generate and transfer knowledge that could be used to improve the quality, productivity, and health of Canada’s forests. Over time, numerous sample plots and research trials have been established at the PRF. For example, the PRF is known to host approximately 500 growth and yield permanent sample plots (PSPs), 100 silvicultural field studies, 125 research plantations, 1100 intensive forest management plots, 300 genetic trials, 100 forest fire experimental sites, 13 ecological reserves, and 300 remote sensing sites (D’Eon, 2006).

The PRF is 100 km² and is situated in Ontario, approximately two-hours northwest of Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. Located in the mixedwood forests of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Forest region, common tree species include white pine (Pinus strobus L.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), red oak (Quercus rubra L.), red pine (P. resinosa Ait.), white birch (Betula papyrifera), maple (Acer spp.), and white spruce (Picea glauca), among others (Wetzel et al. 2011). This forest region is considered a transition between the boreal forests to the north, which are dominated by coniferous species, and the deciduous-dominated forests to the south.

The 100-year history of research at the PRF make it a unique location for the development, testing, and validation of algorithms, approaches, and applications of remotely sensed data for forest management. Over time, the PRF has been the site of numerous operational and experimental remotely sensed data acquisitions (Leckie, 1990). More recently, airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data have been acquired, and used in conjunction with ground plot data to develop an Enhanced Forest Inventory (EFI) (White et al. 2013, 2017). As a remote sensing supersite, open access to PRF data holdings is intended to stimulate innovation and enable further research and development. Many of the data sets available for the PRF, including LiDAR, airborne and satellite optical imagery, radar, and ground plot data, have been compiled here and are summarized in the tables below. Additional data may be added to this site as time and resources permit. To locate all of the data holdings associated with the PRF supersite, users can search for “PRF” using NFIS Catalogue Portal. Links or search terms for specific datasets are identified in the tables below.

For more information about the supersite and the Petawawa Research Forest:
White, J. C., Chen, H., Woods, M. E., Low, B., and Nasonova, S. 2019. The Petawawa Research Forest: Establishment of a remote sensing supersite. The Forestry Chronicle, 95(3): 149–156. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2019-024