Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service will use drones this summer to try to tackle forest fires.
They've approved a pilot project in the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains, which could role out across the rest of the country if it proves successful.
Coillte Communications Manager Pat Neville says drones can help them spot fires quickly and save valuable time to stop them taking hold.
"Seeing how well drones will work -- obviously they're like eyes in the sky, get them up early in areas of high risk so we can identify forest fires at the earliest possible time and get the firefighting personnel on the ground to combat them before they really take off," he said.
