Extreme events and falling trees: an underestimated risk. The TREE-CARE project is born.
They destroy homes, cars, power lines, and pylons, cutting off roads and railways. They can inconvenience millions of people, causing power outages that can last for days. But they can also kill. Fallen trees after a hurricane shouldn't be considered merely collateral damage, but a risk multiplier that can amplify damage, complicate relief efforts, and increase social and economic costs. For example, after Hurricane Sandy in the United States, hundreds of millions of dollars were spent just removing fallen trees in urban areas. This is without considering the ripple effect their loss has on the environment, both in the surrounding habitat and the local ecosystem.
Prediction models built with AIUntil now, predicting which trees will fall due to storms and hurricanes has been a subject of study for researchers around the world, but perhaps thanks to the use of Artificial Intelligence, the University of Oklahoma has found a solution. The project is called TREE-CARE , Funded with approximately $1.2 million by the National Science Foundation , the project aims to build risk assessment models. First, satellite imagery is used to create a map of the areas that, according to weather data, could be hit by a hurricane.
The goal is to quickly identify potentially dangerous trees and identify their location, species, and health. The model then simulates how the various species react to strong winds, what infrastructure could be damaged if they fell, the potential costs, potential disruptions to public services and roads, and the impact on homes, schools, and the urban area.
Tests in the USAThe project has already left the university laboratories and is being tested in several Oklahoma communities (Norman, Yukon, Poca City), where the models will be applied to understand how they work "in the field." According to the team of researchers from very different disciplines and led by Professor Aikaterini Kypriot , the TREE-CARE project requires community involvement because another of its objectives is to produce practical recommendations for preventative maintenance and understand the health of trees in highly urbanized areas.
The project is also closely followed by European institutions. Climate change in Europe in recent years has already caused extreme events, resulting in deaths, injuries, and extensive damage to infrastructure. Damage has also been caused by trees falling on cars.
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