Avaliação da qualidade de pilhas de madeira com veículo aéreo não tripulado (VANT)

Abstract

According to a report published in 2025 by the Brazilian Tree Industry Association, the forestry sector has been standing out each year in terms of forest product generation, planted area, and job creation. Klabin S.A., one of the multinational companies operating in this sector, is the largest producer and exporter of packaging paper in Brazil. In this context, this study evaluated the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in assessing log piles in the yard of Klabin S.A.'s Otacílio Costa (SC) plant. This need arose from observing and implementing the traditional method, in which the operator must manually measure the piles, which carries a higher risk of errors, takes longer, and yields less precise results. The study area comprised the Klabin company's storage yard, located in Otacílio Costa (SC), where UAV flights were conducted to collect data from autonomous flights, capturing aerial images of the wood piles, processing the images, and analyzing the data obtained using specific software. The results demonstrate that the use of UAVs, when compared to the traditional method, reduced the average evaluation time per stockpile by up to 68%, thus allowing for the evaluation of more stockpiles per hour, with an increase of 212%. Despite the lower sharpness of the images generated for detailed evaluations, the use of UAVs resulted in greater precision in identifying stockpile defects, in addition to reducing the operator's exposure to physical risks when compared to the traditional method. Considering the results, it can be concluded that the use of UAVs in the forestry sector shows potential due to greater precision, safety, and efficiency in forestry operations.