The STA logger is a revolutionary product simplifying the collection of high resolution data for weed control. It is equipped to weed spraying equipment and records its activity, including the location of where herbicide was applied.
In a forestry setting, trees and time are money. If either one get away from the forester, production losses occur. So if trees do not survive, there is a loss of income on the part of the forestry company. Sure, they can replace that lost tree, but it may take a long time before that missing tree is detected.
Tree losses can be detected by performing counts (also called ‘cruising’) or by remote sensing, where trees are detective from satellite or drone imagery. Both of these methods often occur many seasons after the trees are planted meaning if there are missing trees, they have lost a few years of tree growth before any chance of replacement occurs. Early detection is key.
Relief spraying
In many forests, a ‘relief’ spray is conducted whereby herbicide is applied around the base of the tree to minimise the growth of weeds that may be encroaching on the stem. In some landscapes, without the relief spray, the tree will succumb to the rapid growth of the weeds as they swamp the sapling. If a STA logger is used during this relief spray, each stem that is still present will have associated weed spraying data with it. And where there are missing or dead trees, there will be a distinct absence of spray data meaning the spray data could be a useful proxy for tree density in forestry settings.
Estimating tree density from spray data
We took tree count (cruising) data collected from the forests of North America and compared it to STA logger data collected in the same stand, during relief spraying. Across the four sites assessed, we found that STA logger data was a very good proxy for tree density data. See below.
The comparison of ground-based tree count data and STA logger spray data used to estimate tree stand density across four sites.
Furthermore, the spray data could be used to geolocate where the tree density was not satisfactory.
A forestry coup where STA logger data was used to identify where tree density was not satisfactory.
STA logger data is powerful, but first it needs to be collected. Including precision equipment like the STA logger in your field workflows will put this data at your fingertips and ensure you can answer the questions that are important to your business.
