Johnny Appleseeds of the Sky: UAS for Reforestation

Image: Flash Forest

U.S. forests play crucial roles in our environment, our economy and our lives. Currently, according to the National Forest Association, U.S. Forests offset between 10 to 20% of annual harmful emissions, such as CO2, helping to mitigate global warming. Diminished forests also diminish valuable biodiversity. National Forests alone supply habitat for more than 3,000 vertebrate species and thousands more invertebrates. They support local economies and provide forestry worker jobs. Forests also offer an endless playground for more than 160 million park visitors per year.

Yet, we are losing forestland at a rapid rate. Earth lost almost 70,000 acres of forestland in 2023 alone, according to Global Forest Watch. Although many people first think of out-of-control wildfires, which appear to have increased due to climate change, there are many causes, both natural and human, including agricultural and urban expansion, and logging.

The Reforestation Hub notes that 88% of reforestation possibilities are on private land, with smaller acreage owned by federal, state, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other entities. According to American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization, 148 million acres in the contiguous U.S. could potentially be reforested by 2040, but that would require 5.1 billion seedlings annually, and nurseries in the country produce only 1.4 billion seedlings per year. The biggest block to solving this is a shortage of experienced people who know how to find seeds that can withstand climate change.

It’s a vicious cycle. Deforestation can be both a cause and a result of climate change, and a key reason for reforestation is to combat climate change. Trees absorb carbon dioxide. They also help restore ecosystems and provide jobs in forestry, education and recreation. It’s obviously desirable, yet there are many challenges to restoration including planning, long term commitment, funding and financial constraints, the complexity involved and insufficient data. In 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act made more than $1 billion in competitive grants for urban and community forestry projects available, while the REPLANT Act and Climate Stewardship Act added resources, according to the World Resources Institute.

Image: Flash Forest

HOW DRONES CAN HELP

Like a superpowered Johnny Appleseed, drones are fast, efficient and cost effective, with the ability to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. They have the ability to map and collect data; and equipped with seed-dispersal systems, drones can plant thousands of seeds per flight, including seeds encased in nutrient rich pods, which increase germination and survival rates.

PLANNING, MONITORING AND DATA

A drone’s role begins before the actual seeding, as the technology can help with planning. Drones can capture images of deforested areas and pinpoint the best planting locations, as well as help determine ideal densities. Using LiDAR they can help map seeding sites. They also have access to difficult and unsafe terrain that might have been subject to landslides, floods or wildfires. Drones can also supply data, such as the location of particular species, while the planting is going on, thereby aiding monitoring and planning.

INNOVATIVE SEEDPODS HELP ENSURE VIABILITY

A key innovation that makes drone use successful are seedpods. When humans plant seeds, they can dig into the soil and place the seed in the best way to nurture growth. When drones drop seeds, they can land on the ground and be eaten or blown away. Seedpods, also known as seedballs, combine a germinated seed with soil and nutrients as well as anti-predator treatments. Sometimes there is a wrapping. The seedpods are more likely to germinate and take root than scattered seeds alone.

Companies have developed different means of releasing the seedpods, with some using pressurized systems to force the pods into the ground.

Deforestation is not limited to the U.S., and is an even larger issue in some countries. In response, drone companies focused on reforestation have grown up all over the world.

Image: Flash Forest

DRONE COMPANIES INVOLVED WITH REFORESTATION

Flash Forest

Mississauga, Ontario, based Flash Forest says it’s on a mission to plant a billion trees by 2028. The company combines UAV technology, automation and ecological science to replant areas devastated by wildfires. Their technology maps out ideal planting locations that average a planting density of 1,000-2,000 trees per hectare (2.47 acres). Using native seeds selected to have high sequestration rates that thrive in post-burn environments, they can, at full capacity, plant 1 million seed pods per day under the supervision of two UAV operators. Their custom drones are equipped with deployers that can embed pods beneath the soil, eliminating the need for prep.

Mast Reforestation

Seattle based Mast Reforestation, which calls itself the world’s first and only end-to-end tech-led reforestation company, encompasses Roy, Washington based Silvaseed, a nursery that says it’s the largest seed supplier in the western U.S.; Etna, California based Cal Forest Nurseries, which supplies the majority of trees for California’s reforestation; and Seattle based DroneSeed, which provides drone-based seeding services. “We’re a technology forward company managed by foresters, which is unique,” said Arnoud de Villegas, vice-president of development for MAST Reforestation, according to a 2023 statement, “all in support in helping landowners recover as quickly as possible.”

Mast Reforestation leverages maneuverable, battery-powered drones to survey those sites, taking high-quality aerial images to assess areas and landscape conditions before planting. This helps the team identify the best spots to plant the seedlings.

DroneSeed developed a seedpod with dry fibers to lock in moisture, fertilizer, nutrients and pest deterrents to maximize the chances of growth. Their drones are six times faster than human planters and have the potential to plant 20 million trees in less than six months.

The DroneSeed drones are pre-programmed and fly in groups of three to five. They use laser-accurate mapping to pick the best spots for seed drop off. DroneSeed enhances existing drones to develop airframes capable of flying into rough and hard-to-reach terrain. They are FAA approved to use drone swarms to dispense seeds.

AirSeed

Sydney, Australia based AirSeed uses autonomous drones and records high resolution GPS data for fine-scale tracking. They’ve also developed a proprietary seedpod technology. Their six drones were made from off-the-shelf technology and programmed to identify where not to plant seedpods. They use smaller drones to collect data and collect high resolution photos. That information is then used to identify the best places to plant, but also the places you don’t want to plant such as around fallen trees, rocks, gravel and roads. In 2022, AirSeed teamed with Knowsley, UK based engineering firm CAL International to redesign its seedpod delivery system.

Marut

Hyderabad, India based Marut Drones introduced the multi-rotor Seedcopter 2.0, India’s first reforestation drone, last year. It is designed to disperse seedballs in challenging terrains. Seedcopters conduct aerial surveys and mapping of target areas. They also help keep track of the progress of the seeds after sowing so changes can be made on future projects. Marut actively engages the local community to prepare the seedballs for Seedcopter.

Dendra Systems

Oxford, U.K. based Dendra Systems combines ecological expertise, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics. The custom-built drones can carry more than50 plant species at a time, which enables biodiverse seeding. The GIS and remote sensing systems capture ultra-high-resolution data—their cameras can capture individual leaves on trees, blades of grass and animals—at scale for ecological surveys; and their ecology-trained machine learning can monitor growth and vegetation health, locating weeds and identifying erosion risk.

Each of their custom-built multi-rotor drones can seed 60 hectares (about 150 acres) a day and can be flown in a swarm by a single flight team. They fly just a few meters above the ground, following AI and ecological data determined flight paths; and they use a specially designed seed dispenser that can precisely drop about one seed every second. Data captured by the cameras determines the routes of the drones.

“We can supercharge interventions and restore ecosystems ranging from a single industrial site to entire forests and more,” CEO Susan Graham told the Financial Times. “Aerial seeding from drones gives you that superpower..We turn data about the land into insight about the ecosystem.”

Dendra recently raised $15.7 million, which it will use to expand into new markets and continue to enhance its AI ecology platform. “This funding will enable us to bring our AI-driven restoration solutions to more ecosystems around the world, helping to reverse biodiversity loss and mitigate the effects of climate change,” Graham said, according to a press release.

Abu Dhabi’s environmental agency and ADQ financing have partnered with Dendra Systems to restore and assess terrestrial and coastal ecosystems across the country. The first arid restoration trial, using drones for aerial seeding on desert land, has been underway since late last year.

Morfo

Paris based Morfo is a French-Brazilian partnership that also has offices in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

They do much of their work in tropical and subtropical areas such as South America (particularly Brazil) and Africa.

Morfo uses both analysis and planting drones. The planting drones are about 150 meters in diameter, can lift heavy loads, are capable of planting 180 seedpods per minute and can handle up to 50 hectares (about 124 acres) each day.

In partnership with the ReflorestaRio program and Morfo, Rio de Janeiro’s city council is restoring hard-to-reach areas such as the Serra de Inhoalba in Campo Grande.

BioCarbon Engineering

Oxford, U.K. based BioCarbon Engineering uses a pressurized system to provide enough force to go into the soil and grow appropriately. This system allows for a 6 to 10 times faster approach than other alternatives, they say, and has already been used in areas like mangrove forests, deserts and areas affected by wildfires. They’ve also planted trees in abandoned mines and coastal regions.

Like seedpods germinating in the soil, the reforestation drone industry is helping to regrow the planet.