There is a large number of Earth imaging satellites with high to very-high resolution cameras.
The cell-size of their images generally ranges between 30 cm and 1 m . This is sufficient to map the smallest features in a cutblock.
Figure 1. Forest cover mapping based on a satellite image of a cutblock in the Nechako-Bulkley region of British Columbia, Canada
Combining all the different satellites, an area is often imaged multiple times per year. This is specially important for post-harvest forest cover mapping.
Across resellers, the pricing of archive imagery is generally around USD 14-20 per square km. There is a minimum order: 25 sq. km.
Satellite imagery is cost-effective relative to Drone mapping. The latter requires field work. This is time consuming:
It takes time to get to the cutblocks; and,
Drones may need more than one day to cover large blocks due to flight height restrictions.
Additionally, once in the office, the Drone photos need to be processed into a seamless mosaic. This may need ancillary information for satisfactory positional accuracy.
XY-intelligence Spatial Services is an approved reseller for same satellites and has also specialized in post-harvest mapping and RESULTS reporting.