New AI benchmark BIRCH-Trees enables UAV drones to accurately measure tree height and species for carbon monitoring across global forests

BIRCH-Trees is the first benchmark dataset for estimating individual tree height and species from drone imagery, covering temperate, tropical, and boreal forest environments

DINOvTree, a new unified model using Vision Foundation Models, simultaneously predicts tree height and species from single RGB camera UAV images

The approach offers a cost-effective, scalable alternative to traditional methods for mapping forest biomass, a critical carbon sink for climate monitoring

DINOvTree outperforms standard vision methods and biological allometric equations in height prediction accuracy across diverse forest types