We are all seeing changes in the behaviour of invasive species and their adaptation to changing conditions due to climate change. We need to be ready to respond. Scientists at the University of South Bohemia have been working on these issues for a long time. The probe, which enables monitoring and early detection of bark beetles, is one of the application outputs of a long series of their research works. I am thrilled that a common language has been found between scientists and the business community, and thanks to this, the product we have developed will have a chance to prove its worth in everyday practical use.

At the beginning of the project, there were a number of situations where foresters were instructed to completely harvest a stand that was only partially infested. In all cases, the trees were dense younger stands where it was very difficult to distinguish infested trees from healthy ones using the available tools. The speed and precision of the intervention is crucial in these cases. If we had been able to identify the infested trees in time and with certainty, we could have saved up to 60% of previously healthy vegetation from these sites. The camera from the drone requires a monitor or tablet and several people to transmit the necessary information. In addition, the drone is unable to navigate through the dense undergrowth and display the necessary detail.

We were looking for a solution that would provide sufficient detail and one person to operate the entire system. The result is a camera that foresters simply use a telescopic pole to poke into the canopy of trees in dense vegetation to see whether or not the trees are infested. In the test, foresters were able to mark 50 trees that did not need to be harvested in one hour. The harvester did not have to harvest the entire hectare of stand, and the trees that were allowed to remain served as the base of the future stand.

The camera we have developed has proven to be useful in many other situations. A number of tree species are attacked by different species of bark beetle. Arborists are tackling the problems of fungal pathogens that until now could only be identified with the help of invited professional climbers. The probe saves considerable money in these cases and speeds up the identification process considerably.

We all want to see the results of the work of experts in universities commercialised - but to make our wishes come true, we need to give the projects the support they need. We need the commercial world to give more credence to the academic world and for them to become more intertwined. Treeinsp is a beautiful example that this is possible.

It's a little bit of magic to bring a product to life that is developed by someone in academia, and we create a bridge between academia and those who need the product. 

We want to work hard on further processing and extracting data from the probe, connecting it to AI and using it for analysis. And to expand the areas where the probe can help. I see collaboration with arborists as the first open opportunity. We expect interest from outside the Czech Republic as well. Similar, or rather the same, problems are being solved by foresters in Austria, for example.

Our role is crucial - we are the drivers of the project. We work with the scientists, but our job is to bring the technology to fruition and ensure its commercial success.

The issue of nature conservation goes hand in hand with climate change, it is undeniable. Protecting against the effects of invasive species are topics that we will encounter more and more often. There is also a challenge for universities: to come up with transferable solutions that have an impact.

If it is not IT technology that is sold online, but more pragmatic things, it is necessary to add a private sector "touch" with specific knowledge and skills.