Project: Talking Tree Else for KU Eichstätt
The service tree as a “climate tree” for the future? The Talking Tree with its sensors will show us.
Else is the name of the latest UGT Talking Tree, which we fitted with sensors for the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt shortly before Easter. Else, the little service tree, now shares daily insights into its physiological behavior - which could be important for our future.
Due to its deep roots and its origin in a dry habitat, the wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) is considered a so-called “climate tree”: it is able to draw water from deeper layers of soil even during longer dry periods and is therefore quite heat-resistant. The native deciduous tree species is therefore a promising candidate for sustainable forest stands in times of climate change. Another reason, why lesser-known species such as the wild service tree are being tested, is that species-rich mixed forests are ecologically more diverse and sustainable.
Else is located in the teaching and research forest of the KU Eichstätt and now transmits digitally processed measurement data on water transport, stem growth, leaf temperature and soil moisture on a daily basis. This is made possible by our technology: a dendrometer, a leaf temperature sensor, a sap flow and wood moisture sensor, a soil moisture sensor and a small data transmission unit.
Project leader Prof. Dr. Susanne Jochner-Oette, Professor of Physical Geography / Landscape Ecology and Sustainable Ecosystem Development, considers the sap flow measurement to be particularly important: It shows “(...) whether the tree evaporates water and carries out photosynthesis. This makes it possible to determine water consumption and whether a tree is under stress during periods of drought.”
We are happy that we were able to equip this exciting project.
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