Enhancing Invasive Species Control with Unmanned Aerial Systems and Herbicide Ballistic Technology

Abstract. Invasive plants threaten the integrity of Hawaii‘s unique ecosystems and sensitive watersheds. The extreme topography of the Hawaiian Islands often requires natural resource managers to use manned helicopters to survey these invasive plants. The frequency of these operations is constrained by cost and weather conditions, impacting the effectiveness of control efforts. Herbicide Ballistic Technology (HBT) consists of encapsulated herbicide formulations in soft-gel projectiles delivered by an electro-pneumatic marker. The HBT platform is a valuable tool to treat isolated plant targets during surveillance operations, and removes the need for an additional intervention. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) provide an on-demand platform for remote sensing and have been used for mapping of plants and animals of interest (e.g., invasive and endangered) in wildlife conservation. We have developed a UAS compatible HBT platform (HBT-UAS) to rapidly deliver pesticides to targets from a UAS. Adaptation of the HBT platform to provide UAS with treatment capabilities will reduce the demand for manned aerial operations in some areas, allowing these resources to be applied in areas that are not compatible with UAS limitations.