Feasibility of a Low-Cost MEMS Accelerometer for Tree Dynamic Stability Analysis: A Comparative Study with Seismic Sensors

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Feasibility of a Low-Cost MEMS Accelerometer for Tree Dynamic Stability Analysis: A Comparative Study with Seismic Sensors by Ilaria Incollu 1,*,Andrea Giachetti 2,Yamuna Giambastiani 3,4,5ORCID,Hervè Atsè Corti 3,Francesca Giannetti 3,4,5ORCID,Gianni Bartoli 2ORCID,Irene Piredda 6 andFilippo Giadrossich 1ORCID 1 Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence, 50126 Florence, Italy 3 Bluebiloba Startup Innovativa SRL, 50126 Florence, Italy 4 Geolab Laboratory of Forest Geomatics, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, 50145 Florence, Italy 5 ForTech Laboratorio Congiunto, University of Florence, 50145 Florence, Italy 6 Elighes SRL, 08100 Nuoro, Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Forests 2025, 16(10), 1572; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16101572 Submission received: 13 August 2025 / Revised: 22 September 2025 / Accepted: 28 September 2025 / Published: 11 October 2025 (This article belongs to the Section Forest Inventory, Modeling and Remote Sensing) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Abstract Urban trees are subjected to stressful conditions caused by anthropogenic, biotic, and abiotic factors. These stressors can cause structural changes, increasing the risks of branch failure or even complete uprooting. To mitigate the risks to people’s safety, administrators must assess and evaluate the health and structural stability of trees. Risk analysis typically takes into account environmental vulnerability and tree characteristics, assessed at a specific point in time. However, although dynamic tests play a crucial role in risk assessment in urban environments, the high cost of the sensors significantly limits their widespread application across large tree populations. For this reason, the present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of low-cost sensors in monitoring tree dynamics. A low-cost micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor is tested in the laboratory and the field using a pull-and-release test, and its performance is compared with that of seismic reference accelerometers. The collected data are analyzed and compared in terms of both the frequency and time domains. To obtain reliable measurements, the accelerations must be generated by substantial dynamic excitations, such as high wind events or abrupt changes in loading conditions. The results show that the MEMS sensor has lower accuracy and higher noise compared to the seismic sensor; however, the MEMS can still identify the main peaks in the frequency domain compared to the seismic sensor, provided that the input amplitude is sufficiently high.