In the fall of 2015, FPInnovations continued its initiative to investigate applications of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology in the Canadian forest sector (Evans 2016a, 2016b, 2016c). In British Columbia, the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic has resulted in stands of dead lodgepole pine with varying levels of natural regeneration underneath. In order to make informed decisions about appropriate rehabilitation treatments, it was proposed that a UAV be used to provide necessary regeneration data.
