How drones might revolutionise adaptation to invasive forest pathogens

Pests and Invasive Species- The threat

Pests and Invasive Species represent one of the most underestimated climate threats, causing £423B in annual economic damage.

The investment opportunity is clear: costs have quadrupled every decade since 1970, yet only 15% of current management approaches utilise advanced technology.

As warming winters eliminate natural controls, traditional labor-intensive methods simply cannot scale to combat the rise in this new climate induced threat.

Fundamentally, we need solutions that can help us predict, detect and control the pests and invasive species threat.

This technology gap creates prime territory for adaptation solutions leveraging biochemical solutions like eDNA sampling and analysis systems and RNA interference for species-specific control.

As well as an ever reliable industry 4.0 toolbox, including AI detection, robotics, and data systems that transform the economics and effectiveness of prediction, detection and control.

Today's interview with Winslow Robinson, PhD, encapsulates one such solution addressing this opportunity perfectly.

His company, Fable Forestry, combines drone technology with hyperspectral imaging and behavioural science to revolutionise how we detect and control invasive forest pests in Maine and creates a scalable solution that simultaneously generates value through biochar production…..

Interview

Could you briefly introduce yourself and your background in behavioural science and forestry?

For sure - I’m Winslow, and my work lives at the intersection of natural ecosystems, the science of habit formation, and design for social good at Fable Forestry.

I’m also a commercial drone pilot, beekeeper, and organic farmer, and given that we need biodiversity to deliver on the promise of a plate of food, we’re applying our understanding of how behaviour works (coupled with emerging tech) in support of land-based biodiversity. 

Tell us a bit about Fable Forestry and your other endeavours – when were they founded, where are you based, and what inspired you to start these ventures?

Fable Forestry was founded out of personal and ecological necessity. 

After grad school (2018), my wife and I moved to Maine to raise our three young kids on the land. We were fortunate to farm a small plot, growing food for ourselves and the local community. When we moved to a larger farm to expand operations, we discovered something heartbreaking: the soil at the new farm had been contaminated by PFAS - forever chemicals that had been spread on Maine farmland decades ago, and are now impacting agriculture across the state (and, country / world).

At the same time, we were hit by another environmental crisis: the Browntail Moth (BTM). It’s a toxic, invasive caterpillar whose airborne hairs can cause poison ivy-like rashes and respiratory distress. Their peak activity coincides with Maine’s growing season, putting farmers (and really anyone enjoying the great outdoors) at risk. 

I started to trim overwintering BTM nests manually from our trees via drone, but the process was exhausting and left behind piles of hazardous woody debris. That’s when a question started to form:

Fable Forestry was born from that moment. Grounded in behavioral science and regenerative agriculture, we saw the opportunity to pair aerial robotics with waste-to-value systems.

We’re now developing tools and partnerships to mitigate invasive forest pathogens and improve public health.

This summer, we’re teaming up with Yale University to mitigate PFAS by growing hemp and sunflower as phytoremediators, and firing this biomass into biochar in the fight against forever chemicals.

Could you explain how your drone technology with LiDAR and hyperspectral imaging transforms invasive species detection compared to traditional methods?

Traditional surveying is labor intensive, relying on manual inspection. Using drones, we can survey five acres in under five minutes - and with hyperspectral imaging, we're aiming to colorize forest pest signatures directly into LiDAR point clouds. This could eventually allow drones to not just find nests, but automatically harvest them - a first in rapid, chemical-free forest health management.

As simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) technologies improve, we see a future where this rapid, chemical-free strategy can generalise to other forest pathogens, and help establish scalable preconditions for forest health and vegetation management.

When we first spoke, you mentioned three behavioural science elements crucial for change. How specifically are you applying these principles to make invasive species control more effective?

For it to be useful and usable, geospatial visual intelligence must exist within a human-centered framework. The Fogg Behavior Model posits that three core elements must be present in the same moment for a behaviour to occur:

1. Sufficient motivation (i.e., Intrinsic, extrinsic, etc.)
   

2. Sufficient ability (e.g., How easy does this seem?)
   

3. An effective cue or prompt (e.g., “Would you like a free trial?”)

We can control how easy something seems to do (i.e., make it cheaper, faster, more familiar, etc.), and can deliver a well-timed prompt, but we have little control over motivation. 

In our case, the pest actually provides motivation; our job is to simply help people do what they already want to do: avoid contact with an environmental hazard.

Could you elaborate on the LOCATE method you’ve developed and how this checklist-based approach might improve outcomes in invasive species management?

A well-designed checklist can be transformative (e.g., healthcare, construction, airline industry; check out Atul Gawande’s “The Checklist Manifesto”).

The LOCATE checklist moves us from pest identification to a biochar strategy, organized by six actionable phases:

How does your business model combine direct pest control, biochar production, and potential technology licensing to create a comprehensive solution?

LOCATE applies anywhere invasive forest pathogens are no longer naturally kept in check. When we (humans) disrupt the natural balance by introducing invasive pests through trade routes / shipping materials (e.g., Emerald Ash Borer, Asian Longhorned Beetle), intervention is required to recover that balance.

Given that LOCATE generates biochar as an output, and this output has an ecological and financial value, our business model realises several customer journeys. 

From your firsthand experience, have you observed climate change worsening the threats from pests and invasive species in Maine? What emerging trends concern you most?

Growing up in New England, I can remember sledding off our roof, onto piles of snow that had been cleared from the driveway. Seasonal snowfalls were predictable and joyful events, which helped to keep invasive species at bay. 

Warmer winters help invasive species (e.g., BTM) to survive, emerge in springtime with greater vitality, allowing them to spread more rapidly than before.

Concerningly, warming winters are overlapping with already-fragile ecosystems; sickened natural systems are poorly equipped to protect (and to feed) us in a changing climate. 

What unexpected lessons have you learned at the intersection of behavioral science, forestry, and technology that might benefit others working in climate adaptation?

Climate adaptation involves wrestling with priorities - and rightly so; there’s much to accomplish in a short period of time. Because the human mind operates at two basic speeds (i.e., Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman), solutions must respond to both. 

I’ve learned that motivation is slippery, and that it cannot be relied upon as an element of problem solving, but I’m regularly surprised how frequently folks still rely on motivation as a cornerstone strategy. Rather than trying to amplify motivation, there are other behavioral priorities we need to consider, that allow for natural surges in motivation. 

Concluding Thoughts….

Given your expertise in motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy, what do you believe is most misunderstood about human behaviour when it comes to environmental challenges and climate adaptation?

Motivational Interviewing (MI) was born from research in alcohol addiction, evolving the therapist stance of “You’re here in therapy because you have a problem”, to “If you don’t think you have a problem, why are you here?”. 

Consider the MI approach in climate conversations - even if folks suspect there is something problematic, moving from a ‘change state’ to a ‘maintenance state’ is easier when we help people do what they already want to do. Applied to design thinking and emerging technologies, this approach might have significant implications for climate adaptation work. 

How can we design adaptation solutions that address people’s tendency to only engage with issues that directly affect them? What strategies from your clinical background have you found effective in bridging this empathy gap?

Action on climate requires a sustained approach, and this approach must be somehow initiated. For this reason, considering the building blocks of momentary behavior change are critical in considering the paths to longer-term adaptation strategies. 

Empathy, like motivation, has a mercurial tendency. Direct experiences are motivating, and can be catalysing, but motivation is highly contextual; changing environments can change motivation (i.e., think weekday vs. weekend). Because motivation is slippery, there are a series of best practices to consider when motivation is high, that makes subsequent behaviour easier to do, and this ought to be an area of focus. In other words, of the three basic behavioural levers (motivation, ability, prompt), only two can be ethically designed, and should thus be a design research priority.

As climate-driven disruptions are reshaping forests faster than ever, scalable interventions like these aren't just ‘nice to have’ - we’ll need them to maintain our ways of life.

Winslow Robinson, PhD, holds doctoral and masters degrees in Social Work, with over a decade of experience in design thinking and tech for social good. He lives on a farm in Maine, where he and his partner raise the next generation of applied thinkers and tinkerers. He can be reached at [email protected].

A short documentary of Fable Forestry’s first season will be released this November 2025. To learn more, visit www.fableforestry.com, www.fablefarmstead.com, and www.winslowrobinson.com. 

Events

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​If you’re in London in late June and interested in how technology plays a role in Climate Adaptation, this event is for you. Bringing together founders, investors, and corporate partners and meeting 10 ‘CAT’ companies in the tech showcase….

​From wildfires and water risks to extreme temperatures and invasive species, climate risks are escalating. Climate Adaptation Technology ('CAT') is emerging as a critical sector, offering practical, scalable solutions for industry and society to manage climate-change-induced risks. While adaptation policy/advocacy and decarbonisation efforts are vital, we must leverage technology to address climate realities more effectively.

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