With limited time and resources and a seemingly ever-expanding array of invasives to deal with – SLELO PRISM is continually looking for innovative ways to better accomplish our work. In 2021, previous SLELO staffer Zach Simek pioneered the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) aka drones at the PRISM, using them to help monitor restoration success and identity invasives like Phragmites.

At the end of 2024, SLELO PRISM, in partnership with the Adirondack PRISM, we were able to purchase a new DJI Mavic 3M Multispectral Plus drone to use in our invasive species work. This easy to operate aircraft can capture both tree color and multispectral imagery.

Ideas for how we plan to use this new drone include:

• Terrestrial plant survey and mapping.
• Terrestrial plant management monitoring – using a time series of multispectral images to assess treatment effectiveness.
• Forest pest surveying – leveraging the multispectral imagery to calculate vegetation indices (like NDVI) to search for trees with a lower “health” signature relative to the surrounding forest.
• Long-term forest health monitoring – conducting annual or biannual flights to assess canopy health over select locations.

As SLELO’s new drone pilot, I’m looking forward to integrating this state-of-the-art tool into our PRISM in the coming years and am excited to share updates on the work as it progresses.