Detection of bark beetle damage in kaz mountain fir forests using drones

This study was carried out in the forests of Kastamonu Regional Directorate of Forestry, Kastamonu Forest Enterprise, Kirazlıtepe and Göller Forest Planing Unit in 2023. This study was carried out in 2023 in Kazdağı fir forests of Kastamonu Forest Regional Directorate, İhsangazi Forest Enterprise, Kirazlıtepe and Göller Forest Planing Unit. Pityokteines curvidens, a bark beetle pest, causes significant economic losses in Kazdağı fir forests in the region. Monitoring beetle outbreaks that increase due to climate change is very important, and for this reason, drones are one of the important tools for the precise detection of trees infested with beetles. In this study, 2 parcels with P. curvidens damage were determined and flights were carried out in these parcels with an unmanned aerial vehicle considering the weather conditions. A total of 25 sample areas were determined from the images obtained in the study areas. Healthy trees and trees damaged and dried due to P. curvidens were determined in each sample area in the field. A total of 1079 trees were evaluated in the sample areas and 974 of these trees were healthy, 27 were damaged and 78 were dried. Then, the average reflectance values for each tree were calculated. The average reflectance values of healthy, damaged and dried trees are 101.65; 113.39 and 132.60; respectively. It was determined that the differences between the average reflectance values of healthy, damaged and dried trees were statistically different.