HYDERABAD: A small electronic device, less than the size of a human palm, might be able to protect trees by sending out alerts that it is either being chopped or being uprooted. The TS Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC) on Friday decided to test drive the device by installing 50 units on trees in the Botanical Garden in Kondapur.
The ‘tree protection system’ will send alerts on WhatsApp via the cloud to designated users if a tree, on which the device is installed, is being cut down. According to a release from the TSFDC, the device would be useful in protecting high-value trees such as red sanders, or sandalwood.
In addition to sending alerts via a repeater device on a tower that can receive messages from the devices installed on trees in a one-kilometer radius, the device also has a built-in hooter that sounds an alarm if a tree is being brought down.
