Drone Surveying, LSU Hilltop Arboretum

This year the LSU Hilltop Arboretum established the Cajun Prairie Wildflower Meadow. Five fields have been restored as coastal tallgrass prairie, a highly endangered ecosystem of which only one percent remains intact. We have been surveying the Cajun Prairie Wildflower Meadow with a drone with a multispectral sensor once a month since its establishment. Our goal is to study the evolution of the meadow, quantify ecosystem service indicators including biomass and carbon storage, and make recommendations for its ongoing management.

Team: Brendan Harmon, Josef Horacek, & Dan Cooke

Drone: FireFLY Pro 6

Sensors: MicaSense RedEdge-M

Ground Control Points: 9