Land Area Classification (Forest Area) - Cape Breton Highlands

What? Boreal Forest area is currently being monitored for deviations from historical land class types in Cape Breton Highlands National Park using remote sensing. The dataset for this measure is spatial and was created using Geographic Information System Technology. A parameter summary table has been included for reference. When? Monitoring cycle for this measure is on a 10 year cycle. How? Most recent time based analysis is based on Landsat satellite imagery (1984, 1997, 2007 and 2015-17) with LiDAR data (2015) as our training data set. In addition, SPOT5 satellite imagery (2013) and Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources forest inventory aerial imagery (2009) where used as ancillary data to identify the location and associated area of different land classes and vegetation sub types. Why? As part of a forest health measure, monitoring of the changes to boreal forests at a landscape level serves as a useful indicator of forest health.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 20:32 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 20:32 (UTC)
contact_email robert.howey@pc.gc.ca
contact_person {}
criticality_level ["educators", "nongovernmental_organizations", "scientists", "students"]
data_dictionary []
geographic_scope ["12"]
open_canada_collection primary
open_canada_date_published 2017-10-01 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"fr": ["Parc national des Hautes-Terres-du-Cap-Breton", "Santé des forêts", "Couverture forestière", "Classification des terres", "Surface de la zone"], "en": ["Cape Breton Highlands", "Forest Health", "Forest Cover", "Land Classification", "Surface Area"]}
open_canada_subject ["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Classification des zones terrestres/Superficie des zones forestières – Hautes-Terres-du-Cap-Breton
update_frequency as_needed