Wood Quality Services

Using drones to capture professional imagery from new heights

Aerial Imagery

UAVs fly at a low elevation which allows for high resolution aerial imagery. Pixel resolution is between 1 to 10 cm, allowing for every detail to be noticed.

3D Surface Models

Using advanced photogrammetry tools allows us to create a surface point cloud from our UAV imagery. This allows us to build a 3D model of just about anything that can be viewed from every angle.

Volumetric Analysis

From woodchip piles, log stacks, slope cut and fill to quarry stock pile volumes, the use of the UAV derived 3D models enable volumes and measurements to made in a timely and precise manner.

Live First Person Video

Live video from the UAV provides a unique perspective on operations. Monitoring …

Multispectural Vegetation Imagery

Multispectral near-infrared imagery allows calculation of vegetation indexes such as NDVI and EVI to manage monitor plant growth and survival.

Thermal Imagery

Use of thermal aerial imagery after a forest fire allows targeted use of firefighting resources.

What Our Customers Are Saying

Don’t just take it from us, let our customers do the talking!

“Use of UAV’s for quantifying our stock pile volumes has been a great step forward in a timely and more accurate process wood fibre management. Interpine have provided a innovative service that shows the usefulness of UAV’s in the forest industry”

Richard Sherratt

EBOP Wood Supply Manager, Oji Fibre Solutions

“Fantastic use of UAV technology to deliver a timely and needed service for our quarries. Thanks to the Interpine team for introducing this technology to the Timberlands team, and we look forward to using UAV’s more in our forest management operations”

Cheryl Hindle

Team Leader - Forest Information, Timberlands Ltd

“Wow… I just reviewed this (canopy height model generated from UAV surface model and historic LiDAR DTM) against the imagery & it looks great! Very informative. This shows the real practical application of UAV’s in Forestry “

Aaron Gunn

Technical & Resources Manager, Blakely Pacific Ltd

Frequently Asked Questions

What safety measures are in place while operating UAV's over our operations?

Our standard operating procedures are focused on safe operation of any of our UAV craft. Pilots undergo rigorous training and certification to operate. Our craft are all fitted with emergency systems such as parachutes and autopilot return to home functionality for any loss of signal between the UAV and the pilot. In the event of an incident our public liability insurances are also endorsed for operating UAVs for all our operations.

What camera sensors are available on our UAV's?

We operate a range of normal RGB resolution cameras, as well as a thermal sensor and multispectral NIR.

Latest News and Articles

User Tips, Information and Insights into the Services Provided by our UAV Services Team

TreeTools Realtime Drone Inventory for Post Thinning QC

Interpine's TreeTools Near Realtime Drone Inventory tool has been developed for foresters to assess stocking in Post Thin stands. This is an early test version release for Windows operating systems, and the project is still ongoing. The purpose of the release is to...

Enhancing Airspace Safety with FlightAdvisor During Your Flight Operations

The success of FlightAdvisorNZ.io NZ in reducing aircraft conflicts through their low-level flight advisory service for both manned and unmanned aircraft in uncontrolled airspace in New Zealand cannot be overstated. Enhancing Airspace Safety with FlightAdvisor During...

Assessing Chip Pile Volumes inside Tight Warehouses With Drones

Our Drone UAV team uses drone-based SLAM LiDAR technology that can work in GPS-denied environments to collect data and calculate product/material volumes for inventory stocktaking.  Getting warehouse stockpile volumes in tight spaces and internal warehouses could...

Post Event Woody Debris Assessment – Cyclone Gabrielle Hawke’s Bay

The Hawkes Bay Forestry Group has released the findings of their post-Cyclone Gabrielle Woody Debris Assessment, encompassing the coastal areas and significant catchments of Hawke's Bay. In this study, our team utilized Planet satellite data which has available within...

Drone LiDAR for Post Storm Event Recovery and Future Preparedness (Snow Avalanches in Mt Cook)

In July 2022 a winter storm dropped 550 mm of precipitation on the Southern Alps of New Zealand. This initiated large snow avalanches and a mass movement cycle of debris flows, and erosion, which was the largest observed in decades. Our drone lidar surveys were used...

Using AI for Quantifying Windthrow or Toppled Trees

Using AI to detect windthrow or toppled trees and quantify damage across a stand can allow forest managers to understand the next steps. In this example, a heatmap on the damaged windthrown stems per hectare is provided using down-tree detection using deep learning....

Woody Debris and Slash Sampling Methodology Post Storm Events

Objective Quantify woody debris / slash content along the coastal, and inland catchment areas, characterizing it by woody debris source or type, volume per hectare, and the total volume accumulated. Sampling Methodology Review Line Intercept Sampling Plots Due to the...

Enhancing Safety Outside Controlled Airspace with FlightAdvisorNZ.io

The Interpine team has recently been working with RNZAF Flight Advisor Service which has been created with NZDF and Aeropath.  It is a simple way pilots can access any of our registered UAV flights simply and easily via Flight Advisor (flightadvisornz.io).  Targeting...

Drone Solutions for Wildfire

Learn more about the innovation in drones and there use in wildfires with this great webinar where Interpine is presenting alongside with the DJI Enterprise team on the advancements drones and their place on the modern fire ground. https://youtu.be/DFq8L3-XjAE

‘Technology on Steroids’ Remote Sensing, Forest Data Capture & Inventory Management – Past, Present and Future

2022 ForestTech Conference, Rotorua, New Zealand.  Key Note Address | 'Technology on Steroids': Remote Sensing, Forest Data Capture & Inventory Management – Past, Present and Future.David Herries, Director, Interpine ForestTECH Events has, since 2007, been...

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