Health monitoring of a matured tree using ground penetrating radar – investigation of the tree root system and soil interaction (Extended Abstract)

Alani, Amir; Bianchini Ciampoli, Luca; Tosti, Fabio; Brancadoro, Maria Giulia; Pirrone, Daniele; Benedetto, Andrea

Health monitoring of a matured tree using ground penetrating radar – investigation of the tree root system and soil interaction (Extended Abstract)

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Alani, Amir, Bianchini Ciampoli, Luca, Tosti, Fabio ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0291-9937, Brancadoro, Maria Giulia, Pirrone, Daniele and Benedetto, Andrea (2017) Health monitoring of a matured tree using ground penetrating radar – investigation of the tree root system and soil interaction (Extended Abstract). In: METROARCHAEO2017, 23-25 Oct 2017, Lecce, Italy.

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Abstract

In this study, a demonstration of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) potential in the health monitoring of a matured tree has been given. The main objectives of the research were to provide an effective mapping of the tree roots as well as reliable simulation scenarios representing a variety of possible internal defects in terms of shape and formation. To these purposes, the soil around a 70-year-old fir tree, with a trunk circumference of 3.40 m and an average radius of 0.55 m, was investigated. A ground-coupled multi-frequency GPR system equipped with 600 MHz and 1600 MHz central frequency antennas was used for testing purposes. In addition to the above objective, finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations of the electromagnetic field propagation through the cross-section of a trunk (consistent with the investigated fir tree) were carried out. A variety of defects representing cavities created due to decay were also simulated. The results from the simulations demonstrated significant potential for the interpretation of complex decay phenomena within the trunk.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Keywords:	ground penetrating radar; GPR; tree health monitoring; soil-plant interaction; tree roots mapping
Subjects:	Construction and engineering > Civil and environmental engineering Construction and engineering > Digital signal processing Construction and engineering > Electrical and electronic engineering
Related URLs:	http://www.metroarcheo.com/
Date Deposited:	14 Sep 2017
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/3913