Florida Wants to Use Drones to Fight Wildfires, Invasive Species

Florida lawmakers want to deploy drones to protect the state’s vulnerable ecosystems from invasive species and wildfire threats.

State wildlife employees could use drones to monitor vast, remote landscapes such as the Florida Everglades for invasive plant and animal species, including voracious Burmese pythons, under HB 659. The Florida Forest Service also would be able to use drones to suppress wildfire threats.

• Drones could collect biological specimens, target plants “through ballistic application of herbicides,” and carry remote sensors that could make the management of invasive species more efficient and less expensive, according to a legislative analysis.
• The bill ...