NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Sherwood Forest : woodland conservation tracing footsteps of Robin Hood Each individual project site had its own core objectives and , as such , its own technology , although both were , of course , given the infrastructure to allow for widespread 5G connectivity .
Three tenets were essential to the Sherwood Forest site and therefore dictated the technology that could be tested and utilised there : conservation and preservation ; forest management ; and educational entertainment based on local history . Overall , though , the idea was to increase the number of people visiting and benefitting from such a wonderful , natural , local space .
“ The inspiration actually came from me not originally being from the UK – I ’ ve known of Sherwood Forest since I was a child , and I knew Robin Hood was from the county , so I brought my children to walk around . I really wanted to make a change , a difference , for the forest so in the future , I can say , ‘ Do you know what ? This was my project , I helped to do this ’,” Clulow explains , outlining a desire to leave a legacy in a place she has not only made her home , but with which she feels a childhood affiliation .
“ Also , climate change is really impacting at the moment and our forest is unfortunately declining – it ' s getting smaller and smaller , and we want to protect it for future generations . With my role now , it ’ s about how I can use that initiative to promote environmental sustainability ; this is where the passion comes from , because I knew the forest before .”
With full 5G connectivity and other pieces of technology developed by BCU ,
the project trials have demonstrated their effectiveness in monitoring the state of the forest . The robotic dogs are programmed to explore the forest floor using sensors to detect terrain and its overall health , as well as identify the volume of sunlight reaching through the trees . The drones , meanwhile , can fly above the canopy of trees and assess health – from identifying symptoms related to lack of nutrients and poor sunlight to dehydration and disease . With this real-time data , institutes such as the RSPB can act efficiently to preserve and care for the forest .
“ It is circular . We want people to come here , to stay here longer , have a different experience than on the walk around . And , maybe in 20 years ’ time , they can come
60 May 2022