Remote sensing aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella chamb) infestations near Ester Dome in Fairbanks, Alaska

Douglas D. Smart
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:52:21 PDT

"Mapping trembling aspen stands (Populous tremuloides Michx.) versus Alaskan birch (Betula neoalaskana Sarg.) in interior Alaska is possible as a byproduct of remote sensing aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella Chamb.) damage. P. populiella is a defoliator of trembling aspen that has been observed in epidemic proportions in Alaska since 2001. Where it is observed it is ubiquitous. Unlike most remote sensing studies of insect damage, I found no significant change in the near-infrared related to leaf miner damage. The feeding morphology of P. populiella is different from most other leaf defoliating insects. P. populiella feeds only in the epidermal tissue of aspen leaves whereas most other leaf mining insect pests consume mesophyll tissue. This means that P. populiella causes no significant change in near-infrared reflectance whereas most other defoliators do. This lack of change in near-infrared range coupled with the timing of leaf miner foraging can be used to discriminate P. populiella damage from that of other leaf defoliators. The ability to remotely sense damage in aspen stands provides an opportunity to identify P. tremuloides in locations where damage is epidemic. If new image acquisition and historic image purchases are timed to correspond with P. populiella outbreak conditions, it will be possible to identify areas that are P. tremuloides stands and not other species"--Leaf iii