Introduction to Drones for the Management of Forestry and Farmland

On course completion, participants will:

• Complete the online certified drone operation course to allow course participants to fly drones in accordance with new regulations (UK Legal ID and Registration Requirements and UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)).

• Understand the drone codes and the consequences of not following the regulations.

• Become familiar with the functions, mechanics, and flight operations of MAPs, e.g. know how to bring the drone home manually, if lost.

• Be able to take 360° photographic images and videos of land from 60 to 120 m above land level and make a record of time.

• Be able to download and interpret the images taken for their specific purposes, e.g. volume assessment of timber stacks and log length, site risk assessment for unstable timber stacks, assess windthrow of trees and damage post storms, assess silt flow in water ways (liaise with Scottish Water). Monitor deer populations and their movement and observe for trends.

• On the third optional day, an introduction to Multispec and thermography, giving participants the skills to monitor biodiversity and forest/crop health, e.g. plant health (multispec), curlew nests and deer fawn, pre-harvesting (thermography).