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AI Tree Health Monitor Technology

AI Tree Health Monitor Technology

ePlant Tree Tag is an AI tree health monitor technology that monitors the health and productivity of trees. It is a small, lightweight device that is attached to the trunk of a tree.

The device collects data on a tree’s environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. It also collects data on the tree’s health, such as its growth rate and leaf water potential.

It is a new application of AI to monitor and protect the health of our ever-diminishing wild places. In the case of forests, not only do they store huge amounts of carbon, but they also provide a habitat for a diverse range of plants and animals. They also regulate the temperature of the planet and change the soil structure below the canopy, increasing water availability.

Simple Technology, New Application

Beyond the commercialized product being sold by ePlant Tree Tag, other types of AI tree health monitors will soon be available. Using common technology that is already available, more advanced versions of AI tree health monitors are being developed. Some of the technologies that will be used are simple, and some more complex, but the key is to have them be durable and long-lasting to allow longevity in the field with little maintenance.

For example, temperature sensors will use a thermistor, a type of resistor that changes its resistance depending on its temperature. The thermistor is placed in the tree’s environment, and its resistance is measured. The resistance is then converted to a temperature reading.

The humidity sensor would be a capacitive sensor, which is a type of sensor that changes its capacitance depending on the humidity of its environment. The sensor is placed in the tree’s environment, and its capacitance is measured. The capacitance is then converted to a humidity reading.

The soil moisture sensor is also a capacitance sensor but is instead placed in the soil around the tree. The sensor’s capacitance changes depending on the moisture content of the soil. This change in capacitance is then converted to a soil moisture reading.

The leaf water potential sensor is a pressure sensor that is placed in the leaves of the tree. The sensor measures the pressure of the water inside the leaves. This pressure is then converted to a leaf water potential reading.

The growth sensor is a laser sensor that measures the distance between the sensor and the tree’s trunk. The sensor is placed on the tree’s trunk, and its distance from the trunk is measured over time. This change in distance is then converted to a growth rate reading.

The data collected by an AI tree health monitor is transmitted to the cloud, where it can be accessed by users such as scientists, foresters or other parties interested in the long-term health of the forest. They can use this data to track the health and productivity of the forest. They can also use the data to identify potential problems with their trees and to take corrective action.

When deployed on a large scale in forests that may be suffering from the effects of climate change, an AI tree health monitor system would be able to provide scientists with big data that could then be used in an ai model to help plan mitigation strategies to cope with drought, increased local temperatures or other conditions that may affect the health of the forest such as forest fires.

Fire Risk

An AI tree health monitor would detect changes in the environment that could indicate a fire risk. For example, the monitor can detect changes in temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. This information can be used to predict the likelihood of a fire and to take preventive measures.

Because the tag can detect changes in the temperature and humidity of the air around the tree, in case of a fire, the unit would show a sudden increase in local temperature and then cease to function, indicating the precise location of a fire and early detection. This information can be used to track the progress of the fire and to identify areas where it has spread, but most importantly, provide early detection of a fire allowing firefighters to move in and extinguish it before it grows.

It can be used to recommend fire suppression strategies because it can detect changes in the environment that could indicate the effectiveness of different fire suppression strategies. This information can be used to choose the most effective strategy for suppressing a fire in a specific location or weather conditions.

The ePlant Tree Tag could be used to reduce the risk of fire in the first place. In a forest with a history of wildfires, an AI tree health monitor could be used to monitor the health of trees in high-risk areas. If the tags detect changes in the tree’s environment that suggest that a fire is imminent, firefighters could be dispatched to the area to take preventive measures.

In a forest that is prone to lightning strikes, for example, AI tree health monitors could be used to monitor the weather in specific locations and to alert authorities if there is a risk of a lightning strike. This information could be used to evacuate people and clear the area of flammable materials.

In a forest located near a residential area, AI tree health monitors could be used to monitor the movement of people and vehicles. If the tags detect an increase in activity in a high-risk area, this could be a sign that a fire is starting. This information could alert authorities and evacuate people from the area.

The ePlant Tree Tag and other AI tree health monitors like it are valuable tools for scientists, arborists, farmers, and other individuals who are responsible for the care of trees. It can help them to ensure that their trees are healthy, productive and safe.

 

 


 

 

Source Happy Eco News

Biodegradable ‘flat-pack’ homes deployed to help wildlife survive after bushfires

Biodegradable ‘flat-pack’ homes deployed to help wildlife survive after bushfires

It’s the latest flat-pack innovation – a biodegradable shelter that can be rapidly installed to provide refuge for native animals left exposed and vulnerable after a bushfire. Newly designed ‘habitat pods’, developed by Dr Alex Carthey of Macquarie University, are this week being deployed as part of a world-first Australian Wildlife Conservancy research project at North Head Sanctuary.

Intense bushfires can be deadly for wildlife, both during the blaze and in the aftermath. The artificial shelters have been designed to address the high mortality of wild animals that occurs in the weeks and months after a bushfire. Indirect impacts, such as the removal of food and shelter, make this a dangerous period for animals, and the threat is compounded by intense pressure from hungry predators. An estimated three billion vertebrate animals were impacted in the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires which burnt across an area of more than 12 million hectares in eastern Australia.

The pods are now part of a PhD project by ecologist and former Australian Wildlife Conservancy intern, Angela Raña, co-supervised by Sydney University. In 2020, Raña set out to study the role of small native mammals as pollinators of North Head Sanctuary’s diverse banksia scrub. However, a hazard reduction burn that jumped containment lines in October 2020 destroyed her experiments and prompted a rethink.

“I’d been studying and monitoring the plants and animals here for two years, but after the fire we mostly found charred skeletons in the ash. It was heartbreaking.” said Raña of the burn.

“With the thick undergrowth almost completely removed, any surviving animals could just be picked off by birds, foxes and cats.”

Raña’s project will now investigate the effectiveness of the habitat pods. Two hundred of the cardboard shelters are being deployed across parts of the headland that were impacted by the fire, for an experiment that will run for up to 12 months. It is hoped they will offer small animals short-term refuge from the elements and a place to hide from predators like feral cats, which have been shown to take advantage of easier hunting conditions post-fire.

The habitat pods themselves take the shape of a sturdy, six-sided pyramid made from folded cardboard, perforated with multiple small holes where animals can scamper in and out. Unlike the wire and shadecloth structures that have been used as post-fire shelters previously, the pods are light, easy to transport and set up, and entirely biodegradable.

Dr Carthey’s design was informed by her career researching predator-prey relationships and the key realisation that availability of habitat is a critical factor after a burn.

“The Black Summer fires acted as a wake-up call, and that got me thinking about what we could do to help wildlife survive,” Dr Carthey said. “I had some conversations with the team behind the Living Seawalls project (finalists of the inaugural Earthshot Prize), who are also at Macquarie University, and their designer Alex Goad of Reef Design Lab … we even experimented with 3D-printing some moulds for prototypes from recycled paper pulp, but in the end the folded design held up better in testing.”

North Head Sanctuary was chosen for the first ever real-world trial of the habitat pods. The headland is the site of an ambitious mammal reintroduction program run by Australian Wildlife Conservancy, working in partnership with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Three small mammal species which were locally extinct on North Head have been restored since 2017: the Eastern Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus nanus), Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), and Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes). All three species have been recorded since last year’s blaze, and are likely contenders to use and benefit from the installed habitat pods.

The ecologist leading the reintroduction program, Dr Viyanna Leo, had input into the design of the habitat pods, established the research at North Head and co-supervises Raña’s research project.

“I think this work has huge potential,” Dr Leo said. “Large-scale bushfires are an ongoing concern for conservationists, especially as the climate heats up. The habitat pods could be an effective new tool for bushfire response that makes the difference between life and death for thousands of native animals.”

Australian Wildlife Conservancy is contracted by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to deliver research and monitoring projects at North Head, with a particular focus on restoring small mammals. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service provided funding for the bushfire recovery research project.

For more information or to support Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s work restoring small native mammals to North Head, visit: www.australianwildlife.org.

 


 

Source Eco-Voice