Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Scientists from the University of Antwerp use drones to study climate subjects within the De Inslag forest located in Brasschaat. The drone flies across the forest daily while functioning under automatic control through sensors that collect data.
Researchers at the University of Antwerp began their revolutionary climate research through autonomous drone flights in De Inslag forest using sensors they specifically built for this project.
An aerial drone executes regular flights above the forest canopy to gather precise information about both tree well-being and environmental modifications. The goal of this study involves two main objectives, which are to examine climate change reactions among different tree species and to deliver practical recommendations for forest management practices.
The university established a new record through its deployment of this specially engineered drone system used for ecological observation, thereby boosting precision forestry and climate research methods.
“This didn’t exist yet; we are the first to develop this,”
says Professor Ivan Janssens proudly.
“It was really a feat to build that drone, because it is a unique combination of sensors.”
“For example, the drone has sensors that allow us to see which tree has too little water after just one flight. The stomata of the leaf then close, and the tree then becomes much warmer than the rest. There are also cameras on the drone that can distinguish the shades of green very precisely, so that we can see whether a tree is healthy or sick.”
This way, scientists can also advise forest managers on future plantings, because they study different tree species.
“Then we can say which species they should no longer plant, or which ones they should remove because they will die in the future,”
says Janssens.
Rector Herwig Leirs is also very happy with the drone.
“As a rector and biologist, I am proud to be here. When I studied biology, we already came to the forests of Brasschaat, and I am happy that this work has been continued. Continuous research is essential in ecology, because processes take place continuously and their effects often only become visible in the long term.”
What is the significance of this research within the field of climate and Forest Monitoring?
The University of Antwerp’s project is one of the many projects related to the use of UAVS and advanced sensor technology in the field of environmental science. The De Inslag forest is part of the Flanders Forest Living Lab, which meets the objective of being a semi-automated observatory system for analysing multi-scale forest ecological functioning.
This infrastructure facilitates realistic simulation and measurement of water, energy and carbon in ways that are comparable with satellite values on a spatial scale, hence increasing the chances of developing automated precision forestry systems, aiding for fire prevention as well as global assessment of carbon budget.
Gaining high-resolution aerial data with unmanned aircraft daily is a leading methodological improvement. The Swiss and Swedish projects have already proven how drones effectively perform greenhouse gas flux mapping and biodiversity monitoring, together with sensitive area protection. The Antwerp system stands apart from others because it unites various sensors within one unit to record multiple vital indicators that monitor forest health and carbon activities.
This technological addition improves the thirty-year research program at De Inslag. The gathered information will join the European ICOS network to aid worldwide studies about forest ecosystem responses to climate change. Results from this project will contribute information for scientific insights and applied forest management regarding climate change impacts.
