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

Abstract

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.