Detection of bark beetle-infested trees using satellite data
The detection aims to identify infested trees early and protect the forest. Modern satellite images with high resolution (30 - 50 cm/pixel) are used for detection.
We can detect trees approximately 20 days after bark beetle infestation in large forest complexes, determine their exact coordinates, and pass this information to forest owners for timely intervention.
The detection results in the coordinates of the locations of infested trees. The coordinates are given to the forest owners in a pre-agreed format. Most often this is a simple link for online map display.
Satellite imagery is carried out daily. Thus, forest monitoring can be done every day without significant cloud cover.

Why is it important to detect bark beetles?
The spruce bark beetle spreads in a geometric series, spreading from one untreated tree to approximately 7 surrounding trees.
The pictures show a comparison of a 1500-hectare forest complex in the Highlands, where the bark beetle has spread so massively that it was no longer realistic to stop the spread.
We believe that our method of detecting infested trees can be an effective tool against the spread of bark beetles.
Technology
The satellite imagery we use includes visible spectral bands (Red, Green, and Blue) and infrared spectral bands (Near Infrared and Red Edge).
Infested trees are detected by the reduced amount of chlorophyll in the needles. This is reduced due to bark beetle infestation and the gradual death of the tree.
The analysis is performed by a machine learning model.

Pleiades Neo Satellite Image, Czech Republic, © Airbus DS 2023

Displaying satellite images
Every customer can access satellite imagery in our web mapping application where they can easily view images, download layers, or export coordinates.
Repeated satellite imagery produces a time series from which ongoing changes in the forest can be plotted.
At a resolution of 30 cm/pixel, the health of each individual tree in the stand can be assessed.
The price of monitoring
The price of monitoring is determined individually according to the size of the area to be detected.
The minimum area for monitoring is 500 hectares of forest area.
