Eagle Summit above-treeline study plots by Chris Fastie

Canon Powershot A590 IS

A half-spherical panorama stitched from 36 photos taken by a camera lofted by a kite. Below the camera were five study plots established in 1998 above the limit of tree growth at an elevation of 3200 feet in the White Mountains of Alaska. Plot 4 is outlined by a tape along its perimeter, and the others have their boundaries sketched in or the corners marked (pink flagging is visible at the corners of each plot).

The half-spherical perspective is evident when viewed in Google Earth, where the corners of plot EA-3 are neatly restored to their square configuration. It might be easier to view in the Photosynth version (photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=a9a04a6a-ae0d-4dea-85f8-9800700c00ca ) although the plot corners are not marked.

A wildfire burned up this slope in 2004 scorching parts of the plots. Thousands of seedlings of quaking aspen, which was absent before the fire (these plots are above treeline), have established in the burned areas of the plots. If aspen persists here, it will signal a dramatic turning point in climatic control of vegetation type.

This is the same panorama as gigapan.org/gigapans/82997/ with the horizon straightened.