UAVs enhance firefighting, boost forest area

Despite approximately 1,500 forest fires over the past decade, the Adana Regional Forestry Directorate has increased its forest area by 2.58%. In fighting fires, the directorate's three drones (UAVs) play a significant role alongside land and air vehicles. The Forestry Directorate, which manages extensive forested areas, effectively uses three UAVs from the Adana Forest Aviation Enterprise at Adana Airport in addition to other intervention tools. The UAVs conduct daily flights on designated routes and report detected heat sources to the Fire Operations Center in Ankara. The Directorate receives coordinates, size, and direction of heat sources from the operations center and uses all available resources to prevent damage to the 'lungs of Çukurova' by intervening in fires from both the air and ground. The UAVs provide real-time information to ground and air teams, playing a crucial role in achieving quick results in firefighting. Adana Regional Forestry Director Tahsin Etli emphasized the importance of air power in the effective intervention and struggle of ground teams. Etli noted that, despite approximately 1,500 fires in the Adana Regional Directorate over the past decade, forested areas have increased by 2.58%. He added that efforts to increase forest area continue despite fires in 2023, with the area burned per fire reduced from 2.6 hectares in previous years to 1.6 hectares in 2024. Etli provided information that there were 125 rural fires and 89 forest fires in Adana this year. He explained that they use data from UAVs to determine fire-fighting strategies, noting that Turkey has 10 UAVs, and Adana has three. 'With the data we receive from UAVs, we identify whether the fires are within forests and adjust our strategy accordingly. The information flow from our UAVs has been crucial in determining the location, coordinates, and firefighting strategy for the 89 forest fires in 2024.' Zeki Dönmez, a pilot of the TB2 model UAV, expressed pride in contributing to the protection of the 'Green Homeland.' He stated that even without fires, they routinely fly, reporting detected heat sources to the Fire Operations Center in Ankara and providing coordinates and spread information in case of fire growth. 'I am proud that our UAVs contribute to the protection of our Green Homeland. It is truly gratifying to provide such a service on behalf of BAYKAR Technology.'