Ben Everitt MP visited The Open University campus in Milton Keynes to meet with the STEM academic team behind TreeView.
As MP for Milton Keynes North, the OU campus is located within Mr Everitt’s constituency and he met with academics to discuss the TreeView project in more depth last week (28 January).
TreeView aims to provide data and insights into the UK treescape and those of other countries. In its preliminary stages, the small satellite mission will monitor the health of trees in targeted areas, providing alerts and early warning of disease, climatic stress or pest infestation, and vital information on woodland expansion as part of nature recovery initiatives.
Monitoring tree health from space provides large area coverage without restrictions to access land or air space. The project has been awarded funding from the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) National Space Innovation Programme and is supported by a Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Impact Accelerator Award.
Dr James Endicott, who leads on the project alongside Dr Kadmiel Maseyk, said:
“The Open University is leading a team with nine external partners aiming to deliver a step change in remote sensing of trees. To go beyond tree detection and report on health, growth and classification in a low-cost mission on a short timescale is an incredibly exciting journey to be on.”
James and Kadmiel provided Mr Everitt with an overview of their work as well as a demonstration of the citizen science project, Treezilla: The Monster Map of Trees. Treezilla, led by Dr Philip Wheeler, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, is designed to get members of the public involved in mapping and measuring urban trees to improve our understanding of those planted across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Heading outside, the pair asked Mr Everitt to lend a hand in updating the measurements of a campus ash tree, which is being monitored as part of the TreeWatch network. The growth and water-use of the trees in this network are measured at very high resolution, with the data displayed online in near real-time. The tree on the OU campus (the only tree in the network in the UK) is used to provide data for students on the S397 Terrestrial Ecosystems module.
Ben Everitt MP said:
“It was brilliant to meet the TreeView team at The Open University and learn about the important information the project will be able to provide us on tree health and help support a nature-based solution to climate change.
“Of course, trees are not just important for tackling climate change but boosting our mental health too and I’ve always championed Milton Keynes’ green spaces. I was fascinated to learn the tree density in MK means we could technically be classed as a forest so I’m delighted the Open University is working on this project and being supported by Government funding.”
You can support the team in tracking tree growth in your local area, by visiting treezilla.org. If you’re local to Milton Keynes, you can also participate in The MK Tree Growth Project.
