Nathan Howes CNN
With a record-setting wildfire season blazing across the U.S., one company has found a possible solution for quickly regenerating the vast amount of lost forests.
VIDEO Tree-planting drones being employed to replenish forests"
Normally, naturally and manually restoring this year's devastating loss of more than 8 million acres of land (3,237,485 hectares) from the wildfires would take years to complete.
But Seattle-based DroneSeed believes it has an effective and efficient answer to the problem -- using fleets of drones (also referred to as drone swarms) to reforest burned-down areas by releasing "seed vessels" onto sections that have the best chances of re-populating.
The eight-foot drones, which the company can fly up to five at a time on pre-programmed routes, can cover up to 50 acres (20.23 hectares) a day and each unit can hold as much as 57 pounds of seed vessels, DroneSeed CEO Grant Canary told CNN Business.
"We are six times faster than a tree planter out there with a shovel who's doing about two acres a day," Canary said. "And we've cut the supply chains [for getting new seeds in the ground] down from three years to three months."
Normally, naturally and manually restoring this year's devastating loss of more than 8 million acres of land (3,237,485 hectares) from the wildfires would take years to complete.
But Seattle-based DroneSeed believes it has an effective and efficient answer to the problem -- using fleets of drones (also referred to as drone swarms) to reforest burned-down areas by releasing "seed vessels" onto sections that have the best chances of re-populating.
The eight-foot drones, which the company can fly up to five at a time on pre-programmed routes, can cover up to 50 acres (20.23 hectares) a day and each unit can hold as much as 57 pounds of seed vessels, DroneSeed CEO Grant Canary told CNN Business.
"We are six times faster than a tree planter out there with a shovel who's doing about two acres a day," Canary said. "And we've cut the supply chains [for getting new seeds in the ground] down from three years to three months."
© Provided by The Weather Network
Fleets of drones (also referred to as drone swarms) are being used to reforest burned-down areas by releasing "seed vessels" onto sections that have the best chances of re-populating. Photo: DroneSeed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FDA) granted DroneSeed exemptions earlier this year to allow the company to use the swarms to replant the burned forests.
The firm has already put them to use in replacing forests impacted by the August Complex Fire in California and Oregon's Holiday Farm Fire. It is also reviewing other fire-stricken areas currently along the West coast where the technology can be used.
Using aircraft to replenish depleted forests isn’t a new idea, as planes and helicopters are frequently utilized to distribute seeds. While experts consider the method more cost-effective than hand-planting, it may not be as effective as manual work.
"Just throwing forest tree seeds out of airplanes can be successful, and it's a lot cheaper than manual planting," said Ralph Schmidt, a professor at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, in an interview with CNN. "Growing seedlings in nurseries and manually planting them will always have a much higher success rate than aerial sowing, but it is much more expensive."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FDA) granted DroneSeed exemptions earlier this year to allow the company to use the swarms to replant the burned forests.
The firm has already put them to use in replacing forests impacted by the August Complex Fire in California and Oregon's Holiday Farm Fire. It is also reviewing other fire-stricken areas currently along the West coast where the technology can be used.
Using aircraft to replenish depleted forests isn’t a new idea, as planes and helicopters are frequently utilized to distribute seeds. While experts consider the method more cost-effective than hand-planting, it may not be as effective as manual work.
"Just throwing forest tree seeds out of airplanes can be successful, and it's a lot cheaper than manual planting," said Ralph Schmidt, a professor at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, in an interview with CNN. "Growing seedlings in nurseries and manually planting them will always have a much higher success rate than aerial sowing, but it is much more expensive."
© Provided by The Weather Network
The Federal Aviation Administration (FDA) granted DroneSeed exemptions earlier this year to allow the company to use the swarms to replant the burned forests. Photo: DroneSeed.
The key to the success of the replantation is choosing the right species of seed and the right place to drop them onto, Schmidt added.
The seed vessels are specially designed packets that contain a combination of fertilizers, nutrients and pest deterrents that help plant the seeds more effectively — without having to be manually buried in the ground.
According to the company, it can grow up to 140 trees per acre based on tests in New Zealand and Washington state.
"Now, with this fire season, we've got unprecedented demand," Canary said.
The key to the success of the replantation is choosing the right species of seed and the right place to drop them onto, Schmidt added.
The seed vessels are specially designed packets that contain a combination of fertilizers, nutrients and pest deterrents that help plant the seeds more effectively — without having to be manually buried in the ground.
According to the company, it can grow up to 140 trees per acre based on tests in New Zealand and Washington state.
"Now, with this fire season, we've got unprecedented demand," Canary said.
© Provided by The Weather Network
While experts consider planting seeds by air more cost-effective than doing it manually, it may not be as effective as manual work. Photo:DroneSeed.
The DroneSeed CEO is optimistic the technology will aid in the replanting of forests in a more effective manner — but it's not the only solution on the table.
"Now, I'm not saying we should get rid of nurseries, we should keep all the nurseries that we have because we need all the trees we can get," he added. "But we've got to be able to do it faster."
Thumbnail courtesy of DroneSeed.
Source: CNN
The DroneSeed CEO is optimistic the technology will aid in the replanting of forests in a more effective manner — but it's not the only solution on the table.
"Now, I'm not saying we should get rid of nurseries, we should keep all the nurseries that we have because we need all the trees we can get," he added. "But we've got to be able to do it faster."
Thumbnail courtesy of DroneSeed.
Source: CNN
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