Stockpile volume measurement in forestry
How Idaho Forest Group cut stockpile measurement time by 80% [ROI study]
Idaho Forest Group comprises six massive lumber yards that process 1 billion board feet (2.5 million cubic meters) of high-quality wood per year for buyers around the world. They’ve so far purchased six WingtraOne mapping drones, which stockpile survey log decks and wood residual piles on their yards in Idaho and Montana.
The WingtraOne fleet gathers high-accuracy data in a fraction of the time it took with their Phantom 4 drones (see below graphic). Lumberyard managers are so impressed by the savings in time and money, that they’re now running drone forestry test flights. They aim to expand the WingtraOne fleet and get better ROI on these larger surveys.
- United States
We don’t think we’d be really happy to fly Phantom 4 if we had to collect data on 600 acres. Compare this to Wingtra, where that would be a one-day mission.
Aaron Fisher
Technology and Project Manager, Idaho Forest Group
Lumberyard surveys before and after Wingtra
Terrestrial survey methods
DJI Phantom 4
WingtraOne
Both drones are a major improvement on terrestrial methods. With Phantom 4, each flight resulted in 100 to 200 images and each survey required at least one battery change, while WingtraOne completes an entire 400 to 500 image survey in just 35 minutes, setup and flight time combined.
