Vertical botany: airborne remote sensing as an emerging tool for mistletoe research

Mistletoe recognition and sampling remain the challenging tasks for arborists, dendrologists, forest ecologists and other specialists because of the low accessibility of the canopy of their host trees. In this review, smart decisions for mistletoe detection on the basis of airborne platforms are discussed. The airborne remote sensing (ARS) has the developing potential to provide rapid, accurate, and cost-efficient detection and research of mistletoe on tree level and large areas within the complex terrain. Geographic and country-based distribution of mistletoe studies using airborne remote sensing methods published within 2007–2023 is overviewed. Here we discuss data types, sensors, and methodologies used in mistletoe ARS research.