Noel Brennan, KUSA 7:06 PM. MDT July 13, 2017
Drones are taking flight and joining the fight against the emerald ash borer in Colorado.
The EAB is tiny, but the insect is responsible for the death of millions of ash trees across 27 states.
“If you catch trees in early stages of infestation you can often save that tree,” said Dan Staley.
He's an urban forester leading an effort to save ash trees in Colorado. He heads up Arbor Drone LLC.
“We’re taking techniques that are used in precision agriculture right now and adapting them to the urban forest,” he said.
Staley is partnering with researchers from Colorado College and a Colorado Springs-based startup called Spectrabotics to collect and study data using drones. On Thursday, the group launched drones equipped with multispectral cameras over a park in Boulder. The cameras capture light in both the visible and infrared spectrum.
