Dr. Cuauhtémoc Saénz started an experiment with PhD Student José Luis Gallardo using drones to identify the number, location and stress levels of oyamel (Abies religiosa) trees in the monarch areas. Oyamel trees have been affected by drought which in turn increases bark beetle infestations in the forests. Using drones, in addition to field observations and satellite imagery allows scientists to more efficiently assess how climate change is affecting forest conditions.
This project is closely linked to the one carried out by Ambiomas' drone flights at the monarch overwintering sites and Dr. Gómez Pineda’s work on community strategies to manage bark beetles in the monarch reserve. All of these projects combine field work, community participation and the latest technology to develop a forest health monitoring and alert system. More details on Dr. Saénz and José Luis Gallardo’s experiment may be seen in the video below.