Understanding the destiny of the world’s largest trees is vital as tropical forests degrade at unprecedented rates. These massive trees form the rainforest and store carbon. Scientists are rushing to determine forest mortality rates and causes due to climate change.
In June 2024, the innovative Gigante project sought to illuminate this urgent issue. This initiative will monitor and analyze the health of the Brazilian Amazon’s largest trees using innovative technology. The research intends to shed light on tropical big tree mortality through drone surveys and ground truthing.
Evan Gora of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and Adriane Esquivel Muelbert of the University of Birmingham oversee a painstaking investigation of a fallen giant in the dense Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve near Manaus, Brazil. Lightning killed the tree, according to their forensic technique. Burned leaves and a characteristic scorch pattern suggest an electrical hit, which Gora developed in Panama.
This meticulousness goes beyond academia. Tropical forests’ carbon storage depends on large tree health. Scientists can better forecast forest carbon sink changes by studying their mortality causes.
The Gigante initiative advances forest studies by using drones to collect data. The team uses a Quantum Systems Trinity Pro drone with high-resolution footage to assess tree mortality. The project is delayed by the Brazilian bureaucracy despite its promise. An attempted kidnapping sidelined a drone permit consultant, leaving the team confused.
Once operational, the drone will inspect a 1,500-hectare reserve plot monthly. Traditional approaches require field workers to manually record tree data over smaller areas. The initiative employs airborne scans and on-ground inspections to better identify and assess tree death causes.
The Gigante initiative goes beyond Brazil. Parallel surveys are underway in Panama, Malaysia, Cameroon, and another Amazon region. A common approach will be followed at each site to ensure data consistency and worldwide comparisons. These ambitious goals are funded by $1.7 million from the National Science Foundation and the UK Natural Environment Research Council.
Accurate climate modeling requires huge tree mortality knowledge. Large trees store much of a forest’s carbon. If climate change accelerates their demise, tropical forests may lose their carbon sink, fueling global warming.
The Amazon’s carbon absorption capability is declining, according to a 2015 Nature study. Increasing evidence that forests absorb less carbon raises the stakes. Large trees dying from environmental pressures could convert from carbon sink to carbon supply, driving climate change.
Researchers like Gora and Muelbert are optimistic about the Gigante project. Their research may improve climate models and tropical forest dynamics. For now, the team must overcome logistical issues and wait for permits to use their technology.
Despite a jungle cyclone, the Gigante squad perseveres in the Amazon. They hope to uncover the causes of the forest giants’ deaths and protect the planet’s environment.
The Gigante initiative offers hope to maintain Earth’s important ecosystems, as the world observes.
