U Of I Looking At Drone To Help Following Wildfires

One of the most challenging things following a wildfire in the Northwest often is restoration work in areas that are remote, rugged and often not accessible by vehicle.  Helicopters can be used to replant sagebrush, grasses and more, but that’s expensive.

In response, researchers from the University of Idaho hope to demonstrate that a large drone can be a tool for restoring rugged rangeland burned in a wildfire.  U of I’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources say a 9.5’, 96-pound multicopter drone serves as a promising new seeding option.  The College of Ag’s Tim Prather said many have thought of using drones in the context of crops or weeds, but very few, if any, are using a drone for post-fire restoration.  He added there are many questions that need to be answered about the capability of the drone.

“At things like droplet distribution or the for the drone at different heights above ground at different speeds," Prather said.  "Just so that we get a sense for how the particular drone distributes droplets on the ground.  And that that can be important for a subset of our herbicides."

Will Drone Replace Airplanes, Helicopters?

Prather pointed out that the drone will serve as another tool in the toolbox when it comes to restoring lands devastated by fire.

“So, I would see it is not something that we would envision replacing helicopter or aircraft applications," Prather said.  "I think that for the larger scale work that needs to be done on these large wildfires, and also even on some of the maintenance within what are called linear fuel breaks along roads, a lot of those, they're still going to be most economical with aircraft.”

Based on the size of the drone, U of I had to register is as a standard aircraft and obtain a special exemption from FFA to fly it.  The University also had to apply for certification to dispense chemicals.

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