Using digitalization to prevent trees from dying

Real-time data from the roots of urban trees

Oct 17, 2022 | STEPHAN KAELIN
Planting trees is an effective means of combating heat islands in cities. However, it is particularly difficult for young trees to survive in an urban environment. The OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and Creabeton want to meet this challenge using digital methods. At NEST on the Empa campus, they are testing the prototype of an intelligent tree pit.
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A tree that communicates with the Internet: Sensors in the root area provide information about the tree's condition. Photo: Marc Vögele, OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
A quick glance at the tablet when they start work and the city's arborists know exactly which tree needs water at any given moment and which does not. A traffic light system – from green to yellow to red – shows them the moisture content in the root zone of the trees in real time. This is how the researchers at the BIM LAB of the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, led by Christian Graf, envision the future work of maintenance teams in cities. Together with Creabeton, a Swiss manufacturer of precast concrete products, they are developing a tree pit that uses sensors to constantly monitor conditions in the root zone of trees and that feeds this data into a digital platform.
Massive ecological and financial damage
In the wake of climate change and urban heat islands, green spaces and trees are becoming more and more important in urban areas. They provide shade and cool their surroundings by evaporating water. In Switzerland, however, thousands of trees die in cities every year because they are watered too little or incorrectly. "Young trees in the growing phase are particularly affected because they have an increased water requirement," explains Marc Vögele from BIM LAB OST. The damage here is not only ecological, but also financial, and is estimated to amount to hundreds of thousands of Swiss Francs per year. Especially in the irrigation-intensive summer months, city administrations often struggle with staff shortages, which is why a targeted use of resources would be all the more important.

For about three years, OST has been working with Creabeton to solve this problem. With the construction of another prototype of the intelligent tree pit on the NEST site, the project is a significant step closer to completion. "Here at NEST, we are once again putting the electronics and sensor technology through their paces. We want to find out what types of sensors, in what quantities and in what form are needed to achieve the best possible results," says Vögele, explaining the goals. And Sascha Pfyl from Creabeton adds: "We are confident that we will be able to offer the intelligent tree pit as a product in the near future and thereby support the maintenance teams in the cities."
Information
Prof. Christian Graf
OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences 
Phone +41 58 257 49 56

 

Sascha Pfyl
Creabeton
Phone +41 41 932 18 79


Reto Largo
Empa, NEST
Phone +41 58 765 65 63


Editor / Media contact
Stephan Kälin
Empa, Communication
Phone +41 58 765 49 93