DJI drones for forestry

Forests cover about 4.06 billion hectares, or 31% of the land, and more than half of them are concentrated in five countries. Managing such areas is hard. Inventory is still done on sample plots: specialists climb mountains, cross rivers and measure trees by hand. This takes a long time, and the data depends on who took the measurements.
The climate adds risks. Hot, dry days are becoming more frequent, and fires are still caused by lightning and human activity. A fire destroys resources and pollutes the air. In 2023 the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) recorded record fire activity in many regions. Deep in the forest it is hard to spot a fire early: fixed cameras have a limited view, and helicopters and surveillance cameras cannot deliver a detailed picture quickly. Illegal logging, pests and storm damage also have to be dealt with.

DJI offers drone solutions in three areas.

• Forest resource management: orthomosaics, 3D models and point clouds for inventory, tree counting, timber volume calculation and road planning.
• Forest protection: early fire detection, finding disease outbreaks, wildlife monitoring.
• Automated patrols: repeated flights over key areas, map annotations and records of violations, including illegal logging.

Photogrammetry shows the forest from above at centimetre resolution and solves specific tasks:

• Seedling counts: an AI portal counts seedlings, builds a density map and shows where additional planting is needed. Capturing 10 ha takes about 16 minutes (GSD under 1 cm, 75% overlap).
• Pre-commercial thinning: capturing 10 ha in 10 minutes (GSD 1–2 cm, 85% overlap) shows where competing vegetation is holding back valuable species.
• Storm damage: fallen trees are dangerous for people, so it is easier to survey the area safely with a drone. 100 ha in 25 minutes (GSD 3–6 cm, 70% overlap) provides data for a harvesting plan that prevents rot and disease.
• Diseased and dead trees: they need to be found as early as possible, especially as bark beetle outbreaks grow quickly. Capturing 10 ha takes about 10 minutes (GSD 2–3 cm, 85% overlap).
• Machinery ruts: the drone measures the area, length and depth of damage after harvesting. 100 ha in 25 minutes (GSD 3–4 cm, 75% overlap).

The Zenmuse L3 LiDAR builds a digital elevation model (DEM), a canopy height model and slope cross-sections. LiDAR processing software automatically segments each tree and builds a database: ID, coordinates, height, crown area and volume. Harvest preparation accounts for up to 80% of total costs, so accurate maps and road planning save money directly.

A drone reaches a fire faster than a helicopter. The Zenmuse H30T thermal camera (1280×1024 resolution) shows exactly where the fire is and helps estimate where it will spread. The sensor measures temperatures up to 1600 °C. The operator can switch colour palettes to find the hotspot faster.
FlightHub 2 sends live video, panoramas and annotations straight to the command centre. Markers placed on the remote controller, a mobile device or a computer update for all participants. For regular patrols, simply create a route and launch the mission; when a fire is detected, switch the camera to thermal and mark it on the map.

The Dock 3 / Dock 4 station works without an operator: the drone takes off in 10 seconds, the operating radius is up to 10 km (Dock 3), and the operating temperature range is −30 to +50 °C. Charging from 15% to 95% takes 27 minutes, so several flights in a row are possible. For mountains and dense forest, 4G connectivity keeps a stable signal and RTK where regular links drop out.
The drone flies set routes on schedule, and the operator can take control at any time, approach a suspicious spot and zoom in. Comparing maps from different dates reveals logging, construction and other changes. A Dock 3 / Dock 4 kit, DJI Terra and FlightHub 2 are enough for analysis. The platform also meets data security requirements (ISO 27001 and ISO 27701), and FlightHub 2 can be installed on your own servers.
Example: in Huangshan (China), a nature reserve uses Dock 3 / Dock 4 for regular flights along several routes. Data goes straight to the cloud, the duty officer spots suspicious trees, and the coordinates are passed to a patrol for an on-site check.

• Time savings: work that takes a whole day is done in under an hour.
• Safety: the drone surveys steep slopes and storm debris instead of people.
• Environmental benefits: fewer emissions and less disturbance to wildlife than helicopter surveys.
• Detail: resolution is higher than satellite imagery, so trees are easy to distinguish from other vegetation.