Georgia’s first Drone TREX — short for Training Exchange — drew a crowd to Seminole State Park in September and highlighted the increasing use of drone-based ignition systems to help prescribed fire crews effectively and safely burn more acres and better manage smoke.
At the park near Bainbridge in southwest Georgia, students and instructors from agencies including DNR and the Georgia Forestry Commission and partners like Tall Timbers and The Nature Conservancy covered topics varying from drone maintenance and mission planning to simulations and “stick time.”
The last day of the week-long training featured fires ignited by drones, with trainees putting lessons into practice and conducting controlled burns on about 300 acres.
Piloting an IGNIS drone at the inaugural Georgia Drone TREX (Shan Cammack/GaDNR)
FOR MORE
- “Drone and UAS Applications in Georgia Prescribed Fire,” Southern Fire Exchange
- “Drones take flight for conservation,” The Nature Conservancy