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Professional Interests:
I am primarily interested in relating canopy structure and phenology, as measured with optical and lidar sensors, to ecosystem composition, structure and function. Current areas of application include lidar remote sensing of forest stand structure and productivity, mapping of land use history, and monitoring regeneration following forest fires.

Education:
B.A., Environmental Studies, Bard College, 1989
Ph.D., Environmental Science, University of Virginia, 1997

Selected Publications:

• Lefsky, M.A., D. Harding, W.B. Cohen and G.G. Parker. 1999. Surface lidar remote sensing of basal area and biomass in deciduous forests of eastern Maryland, USA. Remote Sensing of the Environment. 67:83-98
• Means, J. E., S. A. Acker, D. A. Harding, B. J. Blair, M. A. Lefsky, W. B. Cohen, M. Harmon, and W. A. McKee. 1999. Use of large-footprint scanning airborne lidar to estimate forest stand characteristics in the western Cascades of Oregon. Remote Sensing of the Environment 67: 298-308.
• Lefsky, M.A., W.B. Cohen, S.A. Acker, T.A. Spies, G.G. Parker, D. Harding. 1999. Lidar remote sensing of biophysical properties and canopy structure of forest of Douglas-fir and western hemlock. Remote Sensing of Environment 70:339-361.
• Lefsky, M.A., W.B. Cohen, T.A. Spies. 2001. An evaluation of alternate remote sensing products for forest inventory, monitoring, and mapping in Douglas-fir forests of western Oregon. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31:78-87.
• Harding, D. J., M. A. Lefsky, and G. G. Parker. 2001 Lidar altimeter measurements of canopy structure: methods and validation for closed-canopy broadleaf forest. Remote Sensing of the Environment 76:283-297.
• Parker, G.G., M.A. Lefsky, and D.J. Harding. 2001. PAR transmittance in forest canopies determined from airborne lidar altimetry and from in-canopy quantum measurements. Remote Sensing of the Environment. 76:298-309.
• Lefsky, M.A., W.B. Cohen, G.G. Parker and D.J. Harding. 2002. Lidar remote sensing for ecosystem studies. Bioscience 52(1) 19-30.
• Lefsky, M.A., W.B. Cohen, D.J. Harding, G.G. Parker, S.A. Acker, S.T. Gower. 2002. Lidar remote sensing of aboveground biomass in three biomes. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 11(5) pp 393-400.
• Hudak, A.T., M.A. Lefsky, W.B. Cohen and M. Berterretche. 2002 Integration of lidar and Landsat ETM+ data for estimating and mapping forest canopy height. Remote Sensing of Environment 82(2-3) pp 397-416.
• Turner, D.P., M. Guzy, M.A. Lefsky, S. VanTuyl, O. Sun, C. Daly, and B.E. Law. 2003. Effects of Land Use and Fine Scale Environmental Heterogeneity on Net Ecosystem Production over a Temperate Coniferous Forest Landscape. Tellus 55B:657-668.

Courses Taught: Refer to CSU catalog ("Courses of Instruction") for course descriptions & prerequisites
NR323 - Remote Sensing of Natural Resources (F)
NR503 - Remote Sensing of Natural Resources (F, Graduate Level)
NR504 - Computer Analysis of Remote Sensing Data (S)
NR592 - Lidar Remote Sensing