TreeMMoSys: A low cost sensor network to measure wind-induced tree response

• Main Authors: Sven Kolbe, Dirk Schindler
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-04-01
• Series: HardwareX
• Subjects: Tree response monitoring; Sensor network; Wind-tree interactions; Natural hazards
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067221000092

Severe storms caused the largest amount of damaged timber in European forests in the past 70 years. Storm damage occurs when wind loads exceed the failure limits of trees. A decisive factor in assessing storm damage is comprehensive knowledge of interactions between the aerial parts of trees and the high-impact airflow. This paper describes the inexpensive multiple sensor system TreeMMoSys that can measure aerial tree parts' wind-induced reactions, including branches and the stem. The output of TreeMMoSys includes acceleration and angular rate data converted to tilt angles in the post-processing. The system consists of a scalable number of light-weight tree response sensors and ground receivers that communicate through a WLAN network. The weatherproofed system is highly portable, reusable, and allows for an efficient monitoring and a maximization of the number of study trees. Due to the stable measurement performance and accuracy of TreeMMoSys, it can be deployed in the field for long-term monitoring of single tree reactions or neighboring trees' reactions to wind excitation.