Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/L008068/1
Remote sensing methods for the identification of trees affected by invasive phytopathogens
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor H Balzter, University of Leicester, Sch of Geog, Geol & the Environment
- Grant held at:
- University of Leicester, Sch of Geog, Geol & the Environment
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- International trade, increased transportation and climate change are leading to a growing threat from invasive pathogens to Britain's landscapes. Invasive tree pathogens such as Sudden Oak Death , Dutch Elm Disease, and more recently Dothistroma Needle Blight (DNB) are of great concern to the Forestry Commission. Phytosanitary notices are issued if such an infection is detected and all woodlands in a 3 km radius must be surveyed. Since the late Nineties, DNB is spreading fast in Britain, affecting many forests with Corsican pine, Lodgepole pine and Scots pine. The disease causes colour changes in the needles, premature needle defoliation, resulting in loss of timber yield and sometimes mortality. The student will study how diseases change forests using airborne images and laser measurements of the forest structure specifically acquired for this project. They will develop airborne remote sensing methods for rapid, large-area mapping to support interventions by forest managers, assess their accuracy using field data on infected forest stands and contribute to the development of a prototype information service. Methodology and experimental approach Remote sensing offers new approaches for rapid large-area mapping of tree disease outbreaks, but methods are not fully operational yet. The research will be conducted over a fully instrumented Forestry Commission test site in Scotland, where research on plant pathogens is being carried out, either Trossacs-Ben Lomond National Park or Glen Affric. This area is very important because it is the last remnant of Caledonian pine forests. Laser data (LiDAR) were taken in 2007 and are available as a historic baseline. The Bluesky aircraft will collect data of forest stands infected by DNB and on healthy sites nearby. A field campaign will be carried out to measure tree locations, species, gap fraction, tree height and spectral reflectance and transmittance of diseased/healthy needles from a FieldSpec spectroradiometer. Trees will also be inspected for signs of disease. Individual tree crowns will be mapped using advanced geographical analysis tools. Changes in of the needle colour and orientation of diseased trees will be measured. Diseased and healthy trees will be measured from the laser point data to understand how vertical height information can improve the detection of infected trees. The outcomes of the research will contribute to the development of a rapid detection system for the mapping of infected trees. The research will answer the following research questions: (i) Can airborne laser data detect changes in needle orientation caused by tree diseases? (ii) What is the accuracy of the detection of infected trees? (iii) How do tree diseases spread and how can they best be controlled?
- NERC Reference:
- NE/L008068/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Industrial CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £83,515
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|
| £16,226 | £11,000 | £56,292 |
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