The use of drones in the forestry sector was one of the themes presented during the seminar “Agricultural aviation in the forestry sector: opportunities and challenges”. The meeting took place on March 21, in celebration of the International Day of Forests, on the campus of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of Unesp, in Botucatu/SP.

The initiative, which is part of the BPA Brasil program (Good Agricultural Practices); is a partnership between the Instituto Brasileiro da Aviação Agrícola (Ibravag) and Sebrae Nacional and discussed technologies used by airplanes and drones in forestry activities.

Around 150 people participated in the seminar, which was supported by FCA/Unesp, the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) and the São Paulo Association of Producers, Suppliers and Consumers of Planted Forests – Florestar São Paulo.

The seminar was divided into two parts. In the morning, lectures were given by specialists from different areas of the forest sector. During the afternoon, practical demonstrations with drone in the protection of forests took place.

The executive director of the Sul-Mato-Grossense Association of Producers and Consumers of Planted Forests (Reflore/MS), Benedito Mário Lázaro presented a case of success on the use of agricultural aircraft in combating forest fires. “Over the past two years, Reflore/MS associates have rented aircraft that were on standby in case of incidents. This has brought excellent results for the fight against fires in Mato Grosso do Sul, mitigating losses”, explained Dito Mário.

Photo: Davi Etelvino/Kolecti