Financial Feasibility of UAV-based Forest Inventory of Teak Plantation: A Case Study of Khaokrayang Forest Plantation, Phitsanulok Province

บทคัดย่อ

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are increasingly used in forest inventories and have the potential to increase labor productivity in teak forest plantations. However, the application of this new technology requires substantial investment in drone equipment and training operators. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the cost to the relevant agency of using drones in forest inventory to provide forest stand volume and growth data. The costs of two methods of forest inventory were compared, namely the traditional, ground-based, forest inventory method and the drone assisted method. The study was conducted in the Khaokrayang Forest Plantation of the Forest Industry Organization, located in Phitsanulok province, Thailand. A cost-benefit analysis was applied to compare the economic value over a 4-year period for each inventory method. Other uses of drones in other plantation management activities were assessed in addition to forest inventory, such as forest surveillance or tree survival surveys. The data were collected using UAV-based forest inventory and in depth interviews on the cost of the traditional method and other forest management activities. The results showed that the costs of forest inventories could be lowered using drones. The case involving the of drones for forest inventory along with other plantation management activities, such as tree survival assessment and surveillance surveys, was most feasible with a net present value of THB 87,413, a benefit-to-cost ratio of 1.277, an internal rate of return of 51.36% and a payback period of one year and four months.