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Thermal imaging cameras assess tree structures

A Flir Systems product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 6, 2009

Tree Project Limited is using thermal imaging equipment from Flir to develop systems that determine the structural health of trees.

As trees in public spaces grow, their structure needs to be managed to preserve both property and public safety.

Tree Project uses Flir thermal imaging equipment to obtain information on the health and structural status of trees

Tree Project uses Flir thermal imaging equipment to obtain information on the health and structural status of trees

Facilities managers and local authorities have the task of balancing acceptable risk with the need to maintain tree stocks to enhance the environment and conserve nature.

The traditional methods of obtaining information on the health and structural status of a tree, in order to make these management decisions, are time consuming.

Generally, the assessment is far from holistic and invasive testing is often required.

With these factors in mind, Tree Project, with its origins in Nottingham Trent University, has developed high quality and sustainable tree management systems that are quick, easy to use and cause no harm to the tree.

The company's techniques are saving its clients significant time and money.

For this purpose, Tree Project uses Flir thermal imaging equipment.

Dr Marcus Bellett-Travers, founder of Tree Project, explains: 'This technology is ideal as it is the only non-invasive method that can distinguish between living and damaged stem tissues.

'It is also 100 to 1,000 times quicker than other techniques at providing the necessary information.

'We can provide detailed health appraisals of the trunks and branches of up to 100 trees in a single day.

'And when a localised part of the tree is of interest, such as identifying basal decays in trees, that total can amount to several hundred trees.

'Measurements are made without the need to climb trees or to break through the protective bark layer or reaction zones,' he added.

Trees produce very low metabolic energy by comparison to other living organisms.

This means most of the heat energy emitted from the surface of the trunk and limbs has previously been absorbed from the environment.

Sound, healthy wood has good connectivity and water distribution between cells.

This is seen by the Flir thermal imaging camera as even heat dissipation over the tree's surface.

If the normal function of the wood is disrupted by physical damage or the action of pathogens, the flow of heat is interrupted and cooler areas become apparent; the greater the extent of cooling on an internal volume of wood, the greater the effect on the temperature at the surface.

To create a thermal benchmark database, Tree Project initially imaged 400 trees.

That reference library now sits at more than 35,000 trees and is subject to continuous updating.

The company has also developed a comparative image technique that it uses to calculate the thickness of healthy wood to show a damaged tree is responding to surgery and treatment.

Tree Project uses a Flir P-Series camera, a model more often used for the factory form of plant maintenance.

The company has also invested in a Flir B-Series camera.

This product is aimed at building diagnosis but is also appropriate for tree health assessment as it is designed to operate in a smaller temperature band.

It is therefore possible to see small temperature variants of 1-2C.

Once images have been captured on the cameras they are processed using Tree Project's Tree Thermal Matrix Software (TTMS) that was created using the software developers kit supplied by Flir.

This allows a percentage of dysfunction to be assigned to a tree and this in turn can be used to calibrate probability of failure.

Wind loading is subsequently factored in as a further potential contributor to failure based on a five-point scale created using Met Office data.

A risk categorisation of low, moderate, high and severe can then be applied to the tree.

Flir thermal imaging is also being used by Tree Project in a newly developed system of above-ground analysis and partial root excavation to obtain information about the progression of diseases.

Combining thermal imaging with careful excavation of distinct parts of the root allows evaluation without damage to the root system.

'This technique continues to improve our understanding of how trees interact with the fungi that remove wood through the decay process,' said Bellett-Travers.

'Many of the fungi that were once thought to only damage trees have been shown by this process to have little effect on its performance.

'In fact, it can actually improve it,' he added.

Find out more about this article. Request a brochure, download technical specifications and request samples here.
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