In late June of 2021 much of Oregon and Washington experienced a three-day heatwave where daytime air temperatures exceeded 100 oF. This heatwave, caused by a high pressure “heat dome” phenomenon, was highly unusual in its severity and occurrence early in the summer dry season. Starting a few days after the event, scientists from state and federal agencies began reporting widespread scorching of foliage on Douglas-fir, Western hemlock, Western redcedar, vine maple, and other tree species in the coastal mountains and western Cascades. Spatial patterns that have emerged from analyzing these reports show that regions which normally experience relatively mild summertime temperatures (example: Oregon coast range) were affected more severely than regions that normally see higher maximum summertime temperatures (example: mid-Willamette valley). These patterns suggest that trees growing in milder temperatures may be more vulnerable to future heatwaves, though to assess this more thoroughly a spatially explicit analysis of scorch severity is needed. Under the supervision of Dr. Adam Sibley and Dr. Christopher Still, the MEP would play an important role in building a map of scorch severity using high resolution satellite imagery. The student will use an existing, wall-to-wall map of probable scorch patterns available through Google Earth Engine to identify a set of validation sites, where they will then download newly available 2m resolution imagery to more precisely quantify the degree of damage to tree foliage. Through this process, the MEP will be part of an important effort to monitor forest health and inform management decision in the Pacific Northwest, while learning valuable spatial data analysis skills.