Flying Over Fungi: How Drone's Are Helping Us Detect Truffle Brûlés

At Hare Tree Truffles, we’re always looking for ways to work with nature rather than against it. One of the subtle signs that truffles may be growing beneath the surface is the appearance of brûlés—patches of bare or sparsely vegetated ground around truffle-inoculated trees. These ghostly circles can be easy to overlook from the ground, especially across large areas or in early stages of development.

From the very inception of our plantation, we’ve regularly performed aerial surveys of the site using Drone Imageary—paired with photogrammetry. By capturing high-resolution images and generating 3D terrain models, we process the data to highlight areas with unusual vegetation patterns that may indicate truffle activity.

Why is this beneficial?

For one, it allows for targeted searches. Instead of walking the orchard with our dog in hope of a discovery, we can focus the dogs time and effort where the imagery tells us there’s a higher chance of success.

Second, it helps us track seasonal hotspots. Brûlés aren’t static—they can expand, contract, or even disappear depending on the season, moisture levels, or tree growth. Aerial surveys done at regular intervals give us a living map of where our underground allies may be most active, guiding both our harvesting and research.

We’re excited to bring this kind of precision to a craft that still relies so heavily on instinct and experience. Truffles will always be a mystery, but now we’re learning to read the land in new ways—from the sky.

Images: Two processed UAV images showing emerging brûlés across sections of the orchard.