Typical distance from aircraft to tree in a flight for a tree care company. Photo by author
How to market UAS Services to the tree care and Landscape Industries - Dan STALEY
Vegetation management in managed landscapes using UAS is poised to be much more than applied precision agriculture. UAS can be an excellent tool for vegetation management in managed landscapes, including for the tree care, large landscape, parks & recreation, and golf industries.
Managed landscapes require specialized knowledge and continuing education to keep pace in a highly competitive industry, and UAS can offer an early advantage for forward-looking companies. How can a UAS company take advantage of the UAV revolution to expand its market offerings into the tree care and landscape industries? This article will outline a few needs in representative disciplines to help you formulate your strategy. First, a brief primer on managed landscapes.
Background
Managed landscapes are constructed landscapes in developed areas for purposes of aesthetics, recreation, habitat, or for human needs such as building cooling or relaxation. Maintenance of managed landscapes is essential. Maintenance industries for managed landscapes can be divided into the tree care industry; large landscapes such as housing developments or public green spaces; and the recreation industries, including parks, sports fields, and golf.
Managed landscapes have similar needs to agricultural crops, but have a few key differences. The first difference between agriculture and managed landscapes is that the imagery collected at flight altitude for individual plants contains many more pixels than, say, a corn plant. For example, instead of having 10 pixels per plant as in precision agriculture, in managed landscapes a