I was looking along those lines earlier Scott. In the same paper (Arboric Jour Vol 30 No 4 March 2008) Dr Catena goes on to explicitly state [my emphasis in bold]:
p 260 "Numerous case studies have been cited to show that extensive zones of decay are represented by correspondingly extensive 'cool zones' on thermal images. This relationship has not been investigated precisely, but it has been broadly verified by 300 general comparisons... Nothing is yet known about the relationships between thermal images and the different kinds and stages of decay (Catena 2003)."
p 261 "...thermal images cannot provide such measurements [extent of decay] precisely. Also in certain cases, large cool zones have been found on stem bases that, once the tree was felled, showed only small volumes of decay above ground level."
p268 "the technique does not automatically distinguish between different kinds of alteration... ...with current knowledge, thermal images do not precisely measure the dimensions of features such as cavities."
Compare and contrast this with the following claims from the Thermoecology website [again my emphasis in bold]:
"Thermal imaging is a proactive tool that allows the observation of physiological function in trees and can inform judgements about the balance between healthy wood and the progress of decay."
"The extent of these changes compared with what might be considered optimal wood functionality can be detected and quantified."
It offers a very high degree of precision + - 2 %
Combined with a high degree of accuracy + - 0.1%
"... provide a visual interpretation of a tree’s physiological function and enable the identification of decay and dysfunction."
And this from the Trees Project Ltd site
"Thickness of healthy wood can be accurately calculated with our new comparative imaging technique."
"The method is not only used to determine the extent of decay but also the amount of healthy tissue present that will contribute to the continued survival of trees."
IMO the claims are not supported by the existing research , they overreach it. If there is some more in the pipeline - great but it is a bit much to simply tell us that its out there some where and we should go and find it!
Will it say "I'm not doing your CPD for you" in the references section of the new paper?