28 Advancing Sustainable Pest Management in South African Forestry through Drone Technology The Timber Industry Pesticide Working Group (TIPWG), supported by Sector Innovation Funding (SIF), is pioneering a research project to modernize pesticide application and expand pest management options in South Africa’s forestry sector. This initiative addresses critical challenges, including the need for precision in pest control amidst evolving regulatory constraints, limited pesticide availability, and the pressing risk of resistance due to over-reliance on a small range of products. Given recent changes in international forestry certification standards, the traditional pesticide toolkit has been further narrowed, raising concerns over productivity, economic competitiveness, and the long-term viability of the sector. The TIPWG project aims to bridge these gaps by introducing advanced precision forestry methods, incorporating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to apply pesticides with greater accuracy and efficiency. The project, divided between PhD and MSc students, will involve comparative studies of UAV, knapsack, and tractorbasedpesticide applications across diverse forestry landscapes. Researchers will assess application effectiveness, optimize application parameters, and establish industry guidelines for UAV use, training, and legal compliance. Expected outcomes include establishing UAV application standards, enhancing worker safety through remote pesticide applications, and promoting capacity-building within the sector to leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. This research promises to bolster South Africa’s global competitiveness in forestry, strengthen sustainable land management practices, and offer transferable benefits to other agricultural sectors
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