With over 70 per cent of forest coverage, Bhutan is well known for its rich forest. But not all is well inside its lush green environment. Trees are dying because of pest and diseases. To monitor the health of the forests, conservationists at the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment Research (UWICER) started using drones to assess damages in the forests.
The first time a team of conservationists from the UWICER used a drone to monitor forest damages was in 2018. It was used to detect the extent of damage due to a bark beetle outbreak in a blue pine forest at Lounchu in Haa.
And it was captured that the white trees were dead because of the bark beetle outbreak. A bark beetle is an insect that breeds and feed between the bark and wood of certain tree species. The drone covered an area of close to 65 acres of the blue pine forest.
“In the case of Lounchu’s bark beetle outbreak, the field officers went to the field and it was very difficult for them to make an assessment of what area has been damaged as it was a huge area. So for that reason, if you fly the drone and have a bird’s-eye view of what is happening, it is much easier. What can be done in weeks will be done in a few minutes,” said Kaka Tshering (PhD), the Principal Forestry Officer of UWICER.
The team intends to re-visit the forest at Lounchu. A drone will be used to measure how far the infection has spread and how the area is recovering after the department of forest and park services carried out a felling operation, which refers to cutting a standing tree.
The conservationists say technology such as drone will not only be instrumental in detecting the outbreak of diseases especially in the forests along the country’s rugged terrain which are inaccessible for them but also in other environmental and conservation efforts.
“For now, we are just talking about the potential of using drones in terms of monitoring a species or a habitat. But if you really look beyond that, it has the potential to even apply in terms of law enforcement in forestry and also in combating poaching activities. And elsewhere across the world, they are using the drones for seeding and reforestation,” added the Principal Forestry Officer.
This is just the beginning of the use of technology in environmental projects. As part of forest health surveillance and research activities, the UWICER plans to set up a system that would remotely monitor forests dynamics using satellite and drone technology. Such a system will allow them to detect and predict pest and diseases outbreak in the forests and take measures to reduce the loss of the environment.
Phub Gyem / Kipchu
