HIGH-RESOLUTION aerial imagery is being used by one forestry firm to improve its understanding of terrain in difficult-to-access locations.

Working with clients across the forestry sector, Forest Surveys is using Bluesky’s up-to-date photography to provide detailed assessments, improving efficiency when planning and undertaking woodland inventories and surveys. 

The imagery is also enabling survey teams to assess potential risks before they arrive on site, identify survey points and sample zones, and eliminate areas that do not require additional ground truthing.

Forest Surveys was commissioned to assess the success of a planting scheme on a large private estate on the west coast of Scotland that had been supported with grant funding from Scottish Forestry.

Samuel Fox, co-founder and managing director of Forest Surveys, said: “The site in question was remote and included elevations of up to 400 metres, making it potentially difficult to access and presenting possible health and safety issues for field teams.

“We needed to understand the terrain, ahead of any field work, so we could minimise risk and make the best use of our time on site.”

Using the Bluesky 12.5-centimetre resolution orthorectified aerial photos, Forest Surveys was able to identify the location and state of access tracks across the site. The planning team was also able to understand the proximity, and therefore potential risk, of hazards including craggy outcrops and steep slopes.

Samuel added: “The Bluesky imagery provided a cost-effective solution.”