| Added on 02/01/2012 | Tool (Decay) |
TreeRadar
TreeRadar is a non-invasive system for scanning inside a trees trunk or underground to analyse the root mass of a tree. The system uses the principles of 'Ground Penetrating Radar' (GPR) which is a non-destructive means of looking at sub-surface objects.
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The equipment consists of the scanner and control unit; these are connected together with an electrical cable. The scanner (antenna) can be used by hand to scan a tree trunk or be fixed into a moveable trolley for scanning underground. During the scan process the control unit receives, analyses and displays the results of the scan on its built in monitor. As the scanner is moved around the circumference of the tree it automatically generates a pulse for every 0.2-inch of movement; this penetrates to a depth of 1m.
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If the scan is inside a tree trunk then the clever software can process the linear results to give a 'cross sectional' representation of the tree stem, which makes its interpretation much easier.
The system has advantages over the other decay detection systems due to the fact that it doesn't cause any internal damage to the tree. TreeRadar is distributed in the UK by Fujikura. Their site contains a number of pictures and describes the process in greater detail.
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