Aerial application across south-east Australian plantations
With a long history working with the forestry industry across South East Australia, Field Air is well positioned to support all manner of forestry applications.
Field Air maintains a fleet of turbine Air Tractor aircraft ideally suited to application of either solids or liquids on forestry environments. All aircraft are fitted with the latest in GPS tracking guidance technology. Buffer zones around environmentally sensitive areas can easily be established and programmed into the aircraft. Support equipment includes purpose built loading and spray mixing units and a Manitou telescopic loader as well as water tanker and fuels tanker for support of remote operations.
Operations
01
Weed control
Pre-plant and release spraying across new and established plantations. GPS guidance allows buffer zones around waterways and sensitive areas to be programmed before the first pass.
02
Fertilising
Aerial urea and DAP application for softwood and hardwood plantation nutrition. The AT-802A covers large areas efficiently - fewer ferry trips means more time on the target block.
03
Pest management
Insecticide application for pine aphid, sirex wood wasp, and other plantation pests. Timing matters - aerial coverage means you can respond to a threshold breach across thousands of hectares in a day.
04
Baiting
Snail and rodent bait distribution across plantation establishment areas. Granular application using the same spreader equipment used for broadacre mouse baiting.
Why Aerial for Forestry
Most plantation blocks that need aerial work have been assessed for ground access and ruled out - steep country, wet winters, and no formed roads make tractor-based application impractical for large parts of the year. Timing is everything in forestry establishment. Missing the weed control window in a new pine block can set it back by years. Aerial application means the job gets done when the window is open, not when ground conditions allow.