NASA has produced an interesting map that shows in shades of green the height of forest canopy. From their web site:
Using NASA satellite data, scientists have produced a first-of-its kind map that details the height of the world’s forests. Although there are other local- and regional-scale forest canopy maps, the new map is the first that spans the entire globe based on one uniform method. [The] map shows forest canopy height in shades of green from 0 to 70 meters (230 feet). For any patch of forest, the height shown means that 90 percent or more of the trees in the patch are that tall or taller.
NASA’s threshold for showing forest canopy in an area must be pretty high, because some areas that have forests consisting of thousands of acres do not show up at all, such as the southern California mountains and northwest Indiana.
Much larger high-res versions of the photos which make it easier to see the shades of green: United States, Global. After you open the map, click on it to zoom in.
