Aerospace company working to protect tree canopy using drone technology
Drones and trees may not seem like the perfect combination, but one company is hoping to use the flying remote-controlled aircraft to protect tree's health.
Volatus Aerospace is working on using drones to help identify Dutch elm disease in trees.
"The objective of this project…is to identify trees within the urban canopy – not just in Winnipeg but around southern Manitoba and across anywhere that elm trees are present and affected with Dutch elm disease – and we are trying to basically be able to identify the disease earlier than it is typically able to be identified," said Matthew Johnson, the vice president of education and agriculture programming with Volatus.
Johnson said Dutch elm disease was first found in the province in the 1970s and the signs of the disease are usually noticeable in the late summer, early fall.
According to Trees Winnipeg, since 2016, the city has lost 33,000 elm trees to the disease.
Johnson said when crews usually inspect for the disease, they have to drive around communities, mark trees that they suspect have the disease and then come back and take samples to determine if they are right.
He said the process is costly and time consuming.
"We're trying to do it late spring and we're basically trying to identify the disease two months before it has been traditionally been able to be identified. And if we are able to do that then we should be able to come up with plans to get ahead of the disease."
He added in Kildonan Park alone there are roughly 4,400 trees and around 700 are elm trees.
In 2021, he said 39 trees were identified to have Dutch elm disease in the park and noted it would have taken crews a few days to identify each tree and do sampling. With the drones, he said they were able to fly through the entire park in an hour and a half.
"So if we can fly it in an hour and a half and use our machine learning algorithm that we're developing to be able to identify those trees that are diseased or at least potentially to have the disease, then we cut down on that whole time that it takes to go do the ground-based assessment."
Johnson said the key to eradicating the disease it to get ahead of it and he hopes the drone project will help with that.
He added he is hopeful that municipalities across Canada and North America join forces with Volatus to help protect tree canopies from the disease in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.